Blu-ray Review: DREAM EATER (2025)

DREAM EATER

Written & Directed by:  Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm, & Alex Lee Williams

Distributed by:  Alliance Entertainment / The Horror Section

 In 2025, Eli Roth created a new company to help get their horror films distribution.  That company is called THE HORROR SECTION, and one of the first releases is the film DREAM EATER.   I knew nothing about this film going into it, but with "Eli Roth Presents" above the title, I knew I wanted to check it out.   I'll be honest, I didn't really have super high expectations for it, as found footage films have been done to death lately it seems.  I am happy to say that this film blew away my expectations and was a fresh and actually very scary and disturbing entry into what had become a very saturated sub-genre in recent years, in my opinion. 

Here is the basic plot synopsis from The Horror Section's website:

  A filmmaker documents her boyfriend's violent parasomnia during their holiday at a remote cabin in the woods, and as his sleepwalking gets worse, she believes the cause might be something far more sinister. 

  It's a simple plot, but it is not a simple film by any means.   I can honestly say this is one of the best found footage films I have ever seen.   While a lot of found footage films start off super slow and only have a pay off at the very end  (I'm looking at you BLAIR WITCH PROJECT), this film had me hooked from the very beginning.   The main character's sleep walking starts from the very beginning and just gets progressively worse with each episode.   It was scary to think what he was going to do the next night, since you knew it was going to be even worse.  It really made you feel for his girlfriend, knowing that every night she was going to have to deal with a progressively worse bout of his sleep walking.   

  The film does have a crazy climax at the end, but the whole film was a crazy ride.    Just the anticipation of what was coming each night was very uncomfortable.   The acting in this film was great, and you really had a connection to these characters, so that made you feel even worse with what was going on.  

  Out of the many scary and uncomfortable scenes, one I found particularly disturbing was actually very tame on the surface.   While Mallory (the girlfriend) goes out looking for Alex  (the sleepwalker), she goes into the shed behind the cabin and finds a stack of drawings that Alex has done, all showing a dark, shrouded character.   What's interesting is that as she thumbs through the stack of sketches, each one gets more disturbing than the last.  The character becomes bigger and the picture as a whole becomes darker with each one she skims through.  I loved the correlations of these sketches and his episodes, showing how each one gets progressively worse. 

  

  One thing I really noticed that I don't in a lot of films, was the music.  The score for this film was very unnerving.  A simple tune whistled with a very eerie sound.   Check out the trailer and you'll know what I am talking about as soon as you hear it. 

 As impressive enough as this film is, even more impressive is the fact that the 3 writers and directors are also the main actors in the film.  It was done a very moderate budget, but the film doesn't look or feel that way.   They made the most of what they had and it paid off  for sure!   

 Watch DREAM EATER with the lights down, and the volume up and buckle in for a wild and scary ride!  

  DREAM EATER is available now on Collector's Edition Blu-ray and contains the following Special Features:

*  Director's Commentary

*  Behind the Scenes Featurette with Eli Roth

*  Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery

*  Trailers

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

Blu-ray Review: V/H/S HALLOWEEN (2025)

V/H/S HALLOWEEN

Directed by:  Bryan M. Ferguson, Casper Kelly, R.H. Norman, Alex Ross Perry, Micheline Pitt-Norman, Paco Plaza, and Anna Zlokovic

Distributed by:  Acorn Media International /AMC - SHUDDER

 If I have counted correctly, V/H/S HALLOWEEN marks the 8th entry into the V/H/S movie franchise.  Now normally by the 8th installment in a franchise, the films get pretty bad.  I am happy to report that the V/H/S series is still going well and strong in my opinion!  

  

 I reviewed the last installment in the V/H/S franchise, V/H/S BEYOND, almost a year ago exactly!  You can see that review HERE.   I like how these latest installments in the V/H/S franchise are all themed towards a particular subject.    The last installment, BEYOND, was an anthology of shorts all centered around aliens.   This latest installment is an anthology all about Halloween! 

 Here is the basic plot synopsis of the film(s) courtesy of the Acorn Media International press release:

V/H/S/Halloween introduces a collection of wickedly watchable tales of terror from a host of renowned filmmakers including Bryan M. Ferguson (Pumpkin Guts), Anna Zlokovic (Appendage), Paco Plaza (Verónica, [Rec]), Casper Kelly (Adult Swim Yule Log), Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell), Micheline Pitt-Norman (Grummy) and R.H. Norman (Haji).  

 

Kicking off with Coochie Coochie Coo, written and directed by Anna Zlokovic – we meet two high school trick or treaters, dressed as babies who come face to face with a malevolent spirit known as ‘The Mommy’ – an urban legend who supposedly kidnaps children from their homes on the spookiest night of the year. 

 

Next up is Paco Plaza’s Ut Supra Sic Infra where Enric – the sole survivor of a Halloween party massacre – accompanies police to the original crime scene to try and help them reconstruct the events of that fateful night – but unbeknownst to them, evil entities await them inside. 

 

Halloween candy takes on a new life in Casper Kelly’s Fun Size, as four friends on the hunt for sweet treats are swallowed up by a candy bowl.. They emerge in a parallel reality where sweets rule supreme and humans are turned into sugary snacks. 

 

Kidprint – from writer-director Alex Ross Perry – takes an even darker turn, feeding into the all too real fear of kidnappings. When disturbing secrets about a local video store that specialises in creating video IDs which can be used to help search for missing children come to light, every parent’s worst fears are about to come true. 

 

A homemade house of horrors comes to life in Micheline Pitt-Norman and R.H. Norman’s Home Haunt as a family construct their annual haunted house for Halloween. But the fun ritual takes a deadly turn when a spooky stolen record makes the decorations come to life, wreaking paranormal havoc on the guests. 

 

Bryan M. Ferguson’s frame narrative Diet Phantasma weaves through the feature, with each segment documenting a group of taste trial participants who face life-threatening side effects from a new kind of diet soda. 

 

Grab your sweet bucket and press play on V/H/S/Halloween for another round of truly disturbing found footage nightmares centred around every horror fiend’s favourite time of the year. 

 

  While all of the shorts were very entertaining, I did have my favorites.  Anna Zlokovic's COOCHIE CHOOCHIE COO was probably my favorite entry in this collection.   There were so many disturbing images in this film, as the girls go from room to room trying to find a way out of this house of horrors that they are trapped in.   It was super creepy and the first person perspective made it seem as though the viewer themselves are going through this super creepy house. The "mother" in this house was one of the creepiest creatures I have seen put to film....something about her really got under my skin.  I think this film has also turned me off of drinking milk forever!  You'll have to watch this segment to understand that reference! 

  Another favorite of mine was Paco Plaza's UT SUPRA SIC INFRA.   The survivor of a Halloween party massacre takes detectives and police to the scene of the crime, hoping they can get some memories to resurface so they can find out exactly what happened that night.  Little do they know, they will get more than just memories from that night.  They will get an encore performance!   This one was really creepy and had some amazing effects.   

 Bryan M. Ferguson's DIET PHANTASMA was also a lot of fun.  This is the film that starts and ends the movie, and has a view segments in between the other films.   Basically it a group of kids in a lab testing this new drink called Diet Phantasma.  It's marketed that it's made from real ghosts!  Ha!  Well, something about this drink is spooky for sure, as all the kids that drink it have some very vile and disgusting reactions!

 While these were my favorites, all the entries in this V/H/S film are very strong and very entertaining.  Most all contain some great effects and gore.  

  I'm so glad to see that the V/H/S series is still going strong, and I look forward to any future installments for sure!

 

 V/H/S HALLOWEEN will be released on April 7th, 2026 and contains the following Special Features:

*  Filmmaker Commentaries

*  Behind the Scenes:  Diet Phantasma & Coochi Coo

*  KidPrint Deleted Scenes

*  Diet Phantasma Uninterrupted Cut

*  Diet Phantasma Commercial

*  Diet Phantasma Gallery

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

DVD Review: THE HOUSE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS

THE HOUSE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS
Directed by:  Arthur Leo Collins
Production Company:  RagNBone Productions

  I have to admit I had never heard of this film when it arrived in my mailbox for review.  I went into this film knowing nothing about it, and quite frankly, this really surprises me.  I can't believe I have not heard of this film in some manner.   To me, this has the making of a cult flick for sure.   Here is the basic plot of the film from the film's imdb page:

  The House on the Wrong Side of the Tracks is a Found Footage Film. Three low life punks commit a home invasion with plans to capture all the action on camera, but when the couples son comes home they soon discover they entered the wrong house.

  While I am getting a little tired of the "found footage" films, I am at least glad to see one done with a different story than most.  It seems as though most found footage films are "haunting" or "possession" type films, so a home invasion film done in the found footage style was a nice change of pace.   Maybe there are more films like this out there that I just don't know about.    The closest thing this film reminds me of is the AUGUST UNDERGROUND TRILOGY.  

  The film is very low budget, but that works perfectly since this is supposed to be footage these crazy guys filmed on their home video camera.  This film feels real and it's scary to think there are people out there who think and act this way.   These three sickos got off on bringing harm to others, and while that can be hard to watch,  it makes it very enjoyable when you see the tables turned and the victims suddenly become the perpetrators.

 THE HOUSE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS is a film I think more people in the horror community should be talking about!    Check it out if you get the chance, and if you have seen it, leave a comment to let me know what you thought of this film.


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

DVD Review: AMERIKAN HOLOKAUST

AMERIKAN HOLOKAUST
Directed by Chris Woods
Distributed by Icon Film Studios/The Sleaze Box

  I have seen some brutal movies before, but this one is among the most brutal film I have ever laid eyes on.   The film is called AMERIKAN HOLOKAUST and is about two of the worst serial killers in American history.   What we see is the videotape that the killers made as they documented all the women they kidnapped, tortured, and killed.  

  Obviously this is going to draw comparisons to the cult AUGUST UNDERGROUND series.   While they are very similar in nature, AMERIKAN HOLOKAUST steps it up a notch (or two) in terms of violence and perversion from the AU films. While we don't just see women kidnapped and tortured, AMERIKAN HOLOKAUST goes all out and adds cannibalism and some of the most grotesque gore I have seen in a film in quite some time.   The acting is extremely good by Bob Glazier and Jules Sceiro who play the parts of the serial killers.  They give very extreme performances and are very believable in their roles.  Most of the female actresses playing the victims do a great job as well, especially for the tough role they had to play.  A couple of them seemed a little too calm in nature considering their circumstances, but overall the acting was very good.

  Again I have to mention the gore.  At one point, a woman is murdered and then cut open while one of the killers begins to eat her intestines and then do naughty things with her spleen.  I'll leave that up to your imagination...until you actually watch the dvd, of course, then the exact image will be stuck in your head forever like mine! Ugh! 

  If you are looking for a scary horror movie with a great plot and scares, this is not the film for you.  If you are a fan of the AUGUST UNDERGROUND trilogy, SCRAPBOOK, SCHRAMM, or similar films, then this is the DVD for you.  AMERIKAN HOLOKAUST is truly shocking, something you don't see much these days with the normal, mainstream horror films.  Kudos to the filmmakers for such an incredibly realistic view on this subject matter.  Knowing that people like this actually exist in the world make this even more shocking and hard to believe.  

AMERIKAN HOLOKAUST and all their other DVD's (except newest releases) are on sale for only $5 (plus S&H) for the entire month of October!  Click the links below to watch the trailer and purchase the DVD!


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

Check out the trailer for the christian horror film, THE LOCK IN...

  I was browsing on the Rue-Morgue website when I came across a headline that really caught my attention.  The headline was "Christian horror film wants to scare the porn demons out of you".  What in the world?  Ha!  The film is called, THE LOCK IN.  Here is some info about the film from the official press release:


“Imagine your life being torn apart and the very wiring of your brain being changed by a seemingly innocent prank. This is what happens when three teenage boys are terrorized by demon activity after a ‘dirty magazine’ is snuck into an overnight church event called a lock in. During the lock in, members of the youth group are ‘locked in’ the church to have fun, play games, and get to know one another. In spite of the youth pastor’s attempt to intervene, the boys must come to terms with the pornographic images themselves in order to be truly freed from the demon. …
“The demon is a metaphor for the true damage pornography can have in the lives of youth. There are never graphic or pornographic images shown in the movie. The producers of the film felt that it was important to tell a Christian story about real issues but to keep the images family friendly so anyone could be entertained without fear of exposure to questionable pictures.”


  Sounds interesting. The trailer looks like your typical found footage, "Paranormal Activity" knock off.  I am not sure this film will keep teenage boys from looking at dirty magazines in the future, but it's worth a shot I guess!  What do you think about the trailer?  Does it look like this will be a good, scary movie?  Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!


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

DVD Review: THE ASYLUM TAPES (2012)

THE ASYLUM TAPES
Written & Directed by Sean Stone
Distributed by Revolver Group

I had never heard of THE ASYLUM TAPES  (original title, GREYSTONE PARK) until I found myself with a DVD for review.  The cover looked intriguing, but I was not sure what to think, as these "found footage" type films seem to have saturated the horror market right now.  That being said, I am huge fan of these type films, but even I have grown a little tired of them.  I'm glad I didn't just write this one off and I gave it a chance, because this was  very entertaining film that keeps my hope up in the found footage sub-genre of horror films.  Here is the basic plot of the film from the Revolver website:

When a group of young filmmakers decide to visit an abandoned psychiatric hospital to investigate the terrifying rumours that surround an institution that was infamous for its inhumane treatment of its patients, they have no idea of the horror they will uncover.
Ward after ward was used for a variety of invasive surgical procedures, some necessary, some less so. As their exploration takes them deeper into the bowels of the building, they find themselves trapped by supernatural forces that have no intention of letting them escape.
As the night unfolds, they soon find that there is a fate worse than death. This is their footage. Everything is real.

  THE ASYLUM TAPES is a very well made film, especially considering this is director Sean Stone's feature debut.  The acting in this film is very well done, with believable characters that keep you interested and entertained.   

  I love the subject of the film, an old abandoned mental hospital.  The place these kids visit is creepy enough with all the old medical devices they find (some of which look more like torture devices), but the fact that this old hospital is now haunted makes it even creepier!    We don't really see much throughout the film, mainly we hear noises and see some shadows.  It is not a gory film by any means, not your typical blood and guts horror film. This film is very atmospheric and keeps you in suspense not knowing what these kids will see or find around the next corner.   All the little things they see and hear can not prepare them for what they find at the end. 

  Also, I have to mention the very final scene which is a very well done effect involving  a person's shadow.  Check this out for sure!  Good job to Sean Stone and his cast and crew.  If this feature debut is any indication of the caliber of films Sean will make, then hopefully we are in for some great future projects from him.

THE ASYLUM TAPES was released this past Tuesday in Canada and can be purchased from the Revolver website by clicking the link below.

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