Blu-ray Review: DOLL GRAVEYARD (2005)

 

DOLL GRAVEYARD

Directed by:  Charles Band

Distributed by:  Full Moon Features

 Full Moon Films has always been one of my favorite horror film companies.  They were a staple of my childhood, especially their Puppet Master films.   They have many "puppet" films in their film library, such as DOLLMAN VS. DEMONIC TOYS, BLOOD DOLLS, OOGA BOOGA, and the aforementioned PUPPET MASTER films.   I have always really enjoyed the creepy doll movies, so I was super excited to get a chance to see DOLL GRAVEYARD.    This is one of the few Full Moon "puppet" films I haven't ever seen before.  

 Here is the basic plot synopsis from the Full Moon Horror Website:

 In 1905 a lonely 12-year-old girl named Sophia escapes the miseries of her home life by playing with her creepy handmade dolls. When her abusive father forces her to bury her beloved playthings in the backyard, she "slips" and breaks her neck. To cover up his negligence, Sophie's father decides to entomb his child's body right along with her "friends". 

 100 years later, young Guy Fillbrook and his family move into the very same house and when playing out back he inadvertently unearths the buried dolls.  Except now, Sophia's vengeful spirit has possessed the dolls and they come screaming to life, protecting Guy from any and all who dares to torment him. The more they kill, the more powerful they become and the corpses begin to pile up. 

 Can Sophia's otherworldly rampage be stopped? Or will the entire Fillbrook family end up in the doll graveyard?

 As I stated before, I love the "puppet" films that Full Moon puts out.  They have a such a cool character to them, and I have always been a fan of stop motion animation.   DOLL GRAVEYARD was like revisiting my childhood, it has all the charm and character of the puppet films I watched as a kid.   The dolls in this film looked really cool, all having their own unique look and methods of killing.  I really liked the baby doll that opened it's whole face to take a bite out of it's victims!   I recognized a few of these dolls from other Full Moon features, especially Torch from the Puppet Master series and what I assume is the first appearance of Ooga Booga.  The Samurai doll looked familiar to me as well, but I am not sure where I might have seen that one before, if at all.   I'm sure there is a Full Moon super fan out there that can let me know what movie it was from or if it was an original concept for this film. 

 

 The story is very simple and everything takes place in one setting, so it is not a movie you have to think about too much at all.  You can just sit back and enjoy the doll carnage!  One thing of note was the gore in this film, I felt it was a bit more than the other doll films and I always appreciate the use of practical effects over CG.  The scene of the dolls raising from their grave was also super fun and very well done!   

 Overall, I really enjoyed DOLL GRAVEYARD.  This is one that will definitely be going in my collection and I will definitely re-visit in the future. 

DOLL GRAVEYARD  is available now on DVD and Blu-ray from Full Moon, and contains the following special features:

* Making of Featurette

* Blooper Reel

* Full Moon Trailers

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

DVD Review: DEAD ON APPRAISAL

DEAD ON APPRAISAL
Directed by Sean Canfield, Scott Dawson and David Sherbrook
Distributed by  Brain Damage Films

  I have seen some crazy films in my life, but this one is up there in terms of crazy!   Here is the basic plot synopsis from the Brain Damage Films website:

  In this bizarre anthology, Infested Films tells the story of real estate agent John Dante, who can't sell his house. By reliving the house's sordid past, John discovers that there may be more lurking beneath the surface of this seemingly cursed abode.

  This anthology is made up of three tales:  THE MORNING AFTER, FATHER LAND, and FREDDIE AND THE GOBLINS.  I found the first tale and third to be a lot of fun.  The middle tale, FATHER LAND, was way too slow for me.  In fact, I found myself actually fast forwarding through that one....something I rarely do.   But as the saying goes, two out of three 'aint bad!

  DEAD ON APPRAISAL is extremely low budget and it shows, but what the filmmakers are able to do with their budget is pretty amazing when it comes to the effects and gore in this film.  The gore really is the star of the show here, with tons of blood and crazy effects, most of which are all practical effects.  Very little CG is used that I can tell, except for the scene where someone gets shot and you can see right through him through the hole in his abdomen.  That was a very cool scene, though, so we can let the CG slide for that one  (you can probably tell I am not a fan of the CG effects in horror films). 
 
  I couldn't do a review of this film without mentioning the puppets from the final story.  Yes, I said puppets.  Seems silly, but I can't help but like a movie with puppets, especially when they are as nasty and crude as these puppets are!  

  While not a masterpiece by any means, DEAD ON APPRAISAL is a fun film and definitely worth you checking out.   If you've seen it already, leave a comment and let me know what you thought!

  DEAD ON APPRAISAL is available now on DVD and contains the following special features:

*  Behind the scenes featurettes
*  Original Trailers


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

DVD Review: THANKSKILLING 3 (2012)

THANKSKILLING 3
Directed by Jordan Downey
Distributed by MVD Entertainment

  A few years ago, a little independent horror film came out called, THANKSKILLING.  The movie starred a hilarious talking turkey puppet named, well, Turkie.   The film was  a lot of fun and got quite the cult following.  It was just a matter of time before we got a sequel, but now Turkie is back in THANKSKILLING 3!   Here is the basic plot of the film from the movie's imdb.com page:

  Fowl-mouthed villain Turkie carves through the likes of a rapping grandma, a mindless puppet, a wig-wearing inventor, a bisexual space worm, and their equally ridiculous friends on his quest to recover the last copy of "ThanksKilling 2".
  So you might be asking, well what happened to THANKSKILLING 2?   Well, that's a valid question, but the answer there is no THANKSKILLING 2!  This is the first movie to skip it's own sequel!  Ha! That just shows you right there the kind of humor you are in for when you watch this movie.  I must admit, this film is not for everyone.  Even though it's a remarkably bigger budget than the first film, the film is still a low-budget film and it shows.  That being said, this is one of those movies that proves you do not need a huge budget to make a fun, entertaining film. 

 The film is probably more comedy than horror, but it does have horror aspects throughout the film.  One of my favorite things about the THANKSKILLING movies is how they give nods to other horror films.  This film had a hilarious homage to the EVIL DEAD films that literally made me laugh out loud!

  If you want a fun film that you can just sit back and watch without having to think about it at all, this is the film for you.   THANKSKILLING 3 is available now on DVD from MVD Entertainment and contains the following special features:

*  Behind the Beak Featurettes
*  Audio Commentaries
*  Sprinkle of Wrinkle Music Video
*  PluckMaster Infomercial
*  Trailers
*  Stills Galleries

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

DVD Review: THE PUPPET MONSTER MASSACRE (2010)

 

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

 

THE PUPPET MONSTER MASSACRE

Written & Directed by:  Dustin Mills

Distributed by:  MVD Entertainment Group
  

  

There are few movies nowadays that can truly boast about being original. But I gotta tell you: THE PUPPET MONSTER MASSACRE is definitely one that can claim it. This film, while not the best I’ve seen this year, is probably the most unique.

 

If you are not familiar with THE PUPPET MONSTER MASSACRE, here is the plot synopsis courtesy of MVD:

 

A group of teens are challenged to spend a night in the Wagner mansion on the edge of town. Little do they know the owner (Dr. Wolfgang Wagner) has concocted a monstrosity in the basement and plans to make the hapless teens the creature's first big meal. This is The Puppet Monster Massacre, a wild and raucous love letter to the monster films of the glorious 1980's! Heads will roll and felt will fly in this visually rich splatter-fest. Thrill as an army of over 400 soldiers is helpless against a monstrous menace, Chill as a man collapses from the aroma of a thousand bunny farts, Shriek as puppets make sweet monkey love in a spooky graveyard! This is the low budget film you have been waiting for!

 

First off: this movie is A LOT of fun. I don’t care who you are or what genre you normally watch, THE PUPPET MONSTER MASSACRE will put a smile on your face regardless. It is witty and wildly entertaining, a felt-filled fright-fest of fun!

 

Yes, folks, this is a puppet horror movie. There are no live-action scenes, no human actors, but lots of scares and gore. Yup, that’s right: gore. Heck, there’s even a couple of scenes of puppet nudity. If that’s your thing, then your in for a treat.

 

I have to hand it to the production crew: the blood and gore in this flick is superb. There’s plenty of it, too. But, I have to admit...it’s hard to take it seriously whenever the image preceding the gore is a puppet. Still, you have to admire filmmakers who are willing to slaughter puppets in the name of entertainment!

 

The story works well for this film, and could actually work well in a live-action movie: Dr. Wagner is an ex-Nazi who has created a monster to wreak havoc upon his enemies. Which leaves the quirky (and unknowing) hero to save the day...even if he is scared lintless. The film clocks in at 70 minutes, which means the plot moves quickly.

 

Even so, I would dare to venture that 70 minutes might be a tad too long for this type of film. The novelty of the puppetry wanes after the first 45 minutes or so. THE PUPPET MONSTER MASSACRE could have easily been just as good by running for 50 minutes instead.

 

Still, you can’t help but like this film. I really it overall and am recommending it to anyone that enjoys over-the-top fun.   The DVD is available now from MVD Entertainment group.

 
   
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer (**Warning** trailer contains foul language and puppet nudity)
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD