Blu-ray Review: SINISTER (2012)

SINISTER
Directed by  Scott Derrickson
Distributed by Lionsgate Home Entertainment

I remember seeing the previews for SINISTER when it was released to theaters last year, and thinking it looked really good.  Somehow though, I never got around to seeing it in the theater.  Now, after watching this film on the newly released Blu-ray, I am kicking myself for not experiencing it on the big screen.  This is one creepy film, and was honestly even better than I expected it to be!  For those unfamiliar with the film, here is the basic plot from the film's official website:

SINISTER is a frightening new thriller from the producer of the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY films and the writer-director of THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE. Ethan Hawke plays a true crime novelist (Ellison Oswalt) who discovers a box of mysterious, disturbing home movies that plunge his family into a nightmarish experience of supernatural horror.

I can't say enough about how good this movie is.  The acting is superb from all involved and the film is paced very well.  There are no dull or boring moments like you find in some films.  The film is entertaining the entire running time.  The scariest moments are when Ellison turns on one of the home videos that he has found.  Each consists of a family being filmed in everyday activities, followed by video of the families being slaughtered in a variety of graphic ways.   Some of these are actually very hard to watch, and in one crazy scene, I actually jumped and had to pause the film for a second to get settled before going on.  I felt like I had been punched in the stomach after seeing that scene.  I won't say what it involves, but you will probably know it when you see it.

This is must have for any horror fan.  I highly recommend this one.  I don't remember enjoying a horror movie this much in a long time.  The Blu-ray and DVD are available now.  Special Features include the following:

*  Audio commentary with director Scott Derrickson
*  Audio commentary with writers Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill
*  "Living in a House of Death" featurette
*  "True Crime Authors" featurette
*  Deleted scenes with optional audio commentary with director Scott Derrickson


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

HAYES HUDSON'S HOUSE OF HORROR has been nominated for a Rondo Award!!

  I just found out tonight that my blog has been nominated for the prestigious RONDO AWARD under the "Best Blog of 2012" category!   For those that aren't familiar with the Rondo Awards, it is the top prize given in the horror community....this is our Oscar!

  The Rondo Awards were named after actor Rondo Hatton.  You can read all about him by clicking HERE.

  It is a huge honor to be nominated for this award.  I can't tell you how awesome this is!   Now, it would be amazingly awesome to win, but just being nominated truly is a huge thing.  Think of all the fan blogs out on the Internet....there are tons of them.  For mine to be chosen among the top is a very cool thing.  

  Voting for the Rondo's is easy, just click the link below to see the ballot and follow the instructions to vote.  Voting just consists of sending an email with your choices.  You can vote in any or all of the categories.  There are a lot of categories, so you don't have to vote in every one...just the ones you want to. 

  Voting goes through April 7th, and you can only vote once.   I would really appreciate your support with a vote for HAYES HUDSON'S HOUSE OF HORROR for Best Blog of 2012!   Thank You!!

- Zombie Hayes


CLICK HERE to visit the Rondo Awards website to vote!

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

Here are this week's horror related DVDs and Blu-rays coming out 2/26:
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  BIO-SLIME
*  CELIA:  CHILD OF TERROR
*  CRAWL
*  GERBER SYNDROME
*  GIRLS AGAINST BOYS  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD
*  KISS THE ABYSS
*  MONSTER FROM BIKINI BEACH
*  NOBODY GETS OUT ALIVE
*  OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES: REMASTERED EDITION [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  RED TEARS
*  SHE DEVIL  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  SILENT HILL REVELATION  [DVD/Blu-ray/3D Blu-ray combo pack]
*  ZOMBIE LAKE:  REMASTERED EDITION  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  ZOMBIE MASSACRE:  ARMY OF THE DEAD
 

Watch an exclusive clip from the upcoming Rob Zombie film, THE LORDS OF SALEM!

  Earlier this week, Entertainment Weekly posted an exclusive clip from the upcoming Rob Zombie film, THE LORDS OF SALEM!  I can not wait for this film, as it looks very creepy and has the great style we have come to expect from Rob Zombie.  Check out the clip and let me know what you think!  Also, right after the clip from the film is the official trailer #2 of the film.  Check that out as well!  

  THE LORDS OF SALEM is scheduled for theatrical release on April 19th.

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

Crazy Japanese movie alert! It's the splatter sports comedy film, DEADBALL!

 Ahh...those crazy Japanese and their crazy ass films.  You just gotta love 'em!  I am a huge fan of  Japanese horror films.  I don't think I have ever seen a splatter/sports/comedy movie though!  That will change soon hopefully, as I hope to get my hands on a copy of Yudai Yamaguchi’s DEADBALL!  The movie looks pretty crazy!  Here is some info about the film from the Sushi Typhoon website:

GRAB YOUR BAT AND HOLD ONTO YOUR BALLS….IT’S GAME TIME!!

Baseball prodigy Jubeh Yakyu (Tak Sakaguchi) is the most feared and dangerous juvenile delinquent in all of Japan. After accidentally causing the death of his father with a super-powered, deadly fireball pitch, Jubeh swore off baseball and became a criminal and now, at 17, has been sent to the Pterodactyl Juvenile Reformatory for hardened criminals. Headmistress Ishihara, the granddaughter of a World War II Nazi collaborator, runs the institution with an iron fist and the enthusiastic help of her sadistic assistant, Ilsa. After arriving at the hellhole, Jubeh soon learns from governor Mifune that his long-lost, younger brother Musashi had also done time there after a murder spree, but had since died mysteriously.

Despite having sworn never to play baseball again, Jubeh is presented with an ultimatum by governor Mifune: join the reformatory team, The Gauntlets, in the national tournament for juvenile inmates, or witness the death of his innocent cellmate Four Eyes (Mari Hoshino). With the knowledge that the death of his brother is somehow connected to the team, Jubeh agrees, and Gauntlet training begins. Their first opponents: the sexy but deadly “psycho butcher girls” of the St. Black Dahlia High School, a team of literal man-killers. And so the splatterific baseball tournament begins, but Jubeh soon learns that he is not only fighting to win the game, but also to save his own life!

A hilariously offensive, politically incorrect sports splatter comedy, DEADBALL is director Yudai Yamaguchi’s follow-up to his earlier zombie baseball classic BATTLEFIELD BASEBALL, and once again features action star Tak Sakaguchi (VERSUS, BE A MAN! SAMURAI SCHOOL). A riotous, over-the-top epic of excess, DEADBALL is the movie for the psycho sports fan in all of us, and more fun than a prison cavity search!


I am not sure about a release date yet, but once I find out I will let you know, and hopefully will be able to a do a full review of the film.

CLICK HERE to go to the Sushi Typhoon website and watch the trailer

Double Feature Blu-ray Review: ZOMBIE LAKE (1981) and OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES (1982)

 
OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES
Directed by:  Jesús Franco
Distributed by Redemption Films/Kino Lorber, Inc.

ZOMBIE LAKE
Directed by:  Jean Rollin
Distributed by Redemption Films/Kino Lorber, Inc.

The great folks over at Kino Lorber, Inc. have just released two classic European zombie films onto DVD and Blu-ray.   Jean Rollin's ZOMBIE LAKE and Jess Franco's OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES aren't the best zombie movies ever made, but they both have a certain nostalgic feel to them that makes them sort of "cult classics" when it comes to foreign zombie films.  The films are very similar in many ways, and both have their good points and bad.  Here are the basic plots of the films from the Kino Lorber website:

OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES
In telling the story of a cache of German gold—lost in the desert, sought by a group of teenagers, protected by the walking dead—Franco demonstrated his characteristic lack of restraint, shamelessly inserting stock footage from a bigger-budget war picture, allowing his camera to dwell on the worm-eaten orifices of the shriveled undead and, of course, lacing the action with his trademark style of lyrical eroticism. The resulting film is a decadent exercise in grindhouse filmmaking that is more audacious than frightening, illuminating one of the more peculiar facets of Jess Franco's uniquely warped cinema.

ZOMBIE LAKE
Conceived by one master of erotic horror (Jess Franco) and pseudonymously directed by another (Jean Rollin), ZOMBIE LAKE weaves the tale of a contemporary French village haunted by water-logged Nazis slain by the Resistance. With little regard for narrative subtlety, the film veers from the shamelessly exploitive (as when a women's volleyball team skinny-dips in zombie-infested waters) to the tearfully sentimental (depicting a young orphan girl's psychic connection to one of the walking dead). Beneath its garish surface, however, ZOMBIE LAKE embraces several themes that run throughout Rollin's body of work, showing that this eclectic artist could not help investing even a playful film such as this with his personal sensibilities

As I mentioned before, both of these movies have their good and bad points.  OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES is just very strange, and the plot is hard to follow. I saw this movie years ago on DVD under the title of BLOODSUCKING NAZI ZOMBIES, and the film was extremely hard to watch in terms of a technical aspect.  The film was very dark and grainy and almost hard to make out certain scenes at some points.  I will say that the film is much improved on with this release, especially on the Blu-ray.  The lighting issues are fixed and it is very good picture quality overall.  Also, I think the zombie makeup effects are better in this film compared to those in ZOMBIE LAKE.  They are not great zombie effects by any means, but compared to ZOMBIE LAKE, they are superior.

ZOMBIE LAKE is my favorite of these two films by far.  The zombie effects are not nearly as good in this film.  Basically, the zombies are just regular men with green face paint.  But, even so, seeing a bunch of green faced zombie soldiers rise out of the lake is a very cool image.  There are also numerous underwater shots of the zombies attacking people who go swimming in the lake (usually young, attractive, naked women).  These underwater scenes are fun, especially considering the lake is dark brown, but the underwater scenes are pretty blue water like you would find in a swimming pool...hmmm.  Ha!  You gotta love low budget films!  ZOMBIE LAKE is a lot of fun and I recommend you check this one out.  

Both films are available now from Kino Lorber and are packed with special features!  I am proud to add these films to my zombie movie collection, and you should to!


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES
CLICK HERE to purchase OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES on DVD or Blu-ray


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for ZOMBIE LAKE
CLICK HERE to purchase ZOMBIE LAKE on DVD or Blu-ray

DVD Review: NIGHT OF THE TENTACLES (2013)

 
NIGHT OF THE TENTACLES
Written & Directed by:  Dustin Mills
Distributed by MVDvisual

  I love the cover of this DVD.  What a great cover...from the pic, to the cool font of the title.  The case for this DVD is awesome!  Unfortunately, what is inside the case...well..not so much.  Here is the plot of NIGHT OF THE TENTACLES from the MVD website:

  In this obscene Faustian tale a young artist sells his soul to Satan for the new heart he so desperately needs. The only catch is that the heart is a tentacled monstrosity with a hunger for human flesh! Will Dave get the girl of his dreams? Will he run out of neighbors to feed to his infernal heart? Will Delilah ever finish urinating? Find out in NIGHT OF THE TENTACLES!!!

  This will be a short review, as there is really not much to say about this one.  The acting is horrible, especially from the lead male playing the part of Dave.  He might have potential to be a good actor, but in this film he overacts way too much, making some really dumb faces and facial expressions all throughout the film.  It's almost like he is trying to be like Bruce Campbell from the EVIL DEAD films except he is trying way too hard.  Watch it and you will probably see what I mean. 

  This film is very low budget and it shows.  Now don't get me wrong, I can enjoy and appreciate a good, low-budget film.  I have seen a lot of them.  As long as they entertain me and keep me interested, I couldn't care less what the budget for the film was.  NIGHT OF THE TENTACLES did not keep me interested.  In fact, it took me a couple of times to watch the film as I kept falling asleep. 

  I really can't recommend this film to anyone.  BUT...like I always say, check it out for yourself and see what you think.  I have seen quite a few positive review quotes about this film, so maybe it is just me.  I have to be honest in my reviews, though, so I am telling it like it is.  

 If you have seen this film, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this movie.  Am I wrong in my negative review of this film?  Leave a comment and let me know!

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

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

Here are this week's horror related DVDs and Blu-rays coming out 2/19:
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  ATTACK OF THE HERBELS
*  AXED
*  BATH SALT ZOMBIES
*  BIKINI BLOODBATH SHAKESPEARE
*  COOL AS HELL
*  DEMON EXORCISM:  THE DEVIL INSIDE MAXWELL BASTAS
*  DEAD GENESIS
*  THE FACTORY
*  THE HAUNTED DOLLHOUSE
*  HOLLOW
*  I LOVE YOU TO DEATH
*  LAKE PLACID:  THE FINAL CHAPTER
*  LAKE NOIR
*  THE NEST  [Blu-ray/DVD combo]
*  NIGHT OF THE DEMONS 2  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  PRISON  [Blu-ray/DVD combo]
*  RIDDLE
*  SINISTER  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  SNOW SHARK 
*  TERROR VISION/ THE VIDEO DEAD Double Feature [Blu-ray/DVD combo]
*  THE VIRGIN MURDERS

Check out this great giveaway over at ShatteredRavings.com!!

 











  My buddy Scott over at the Shattered Ravings blog must just be the nicest guy in the world.  Seems like it was only a few weeks ago I was posting about a giveaway on his blog.  Oh wait..that WAS just a few weeks ago, yet he is already at it again!! 

 Up for grabs this time is a trio of awesome books!  The books include:


Awakening: The Art of Halo 4

Resident Evil: Retribution (the official novelization of the movie)

Supernatural: Rite of Passage



This is an awesome prize pack and is totally free to enter and win!! 


CLICK HERE to go to the Shattered Ravings post about the giveaway to enter

DVD Review: SHE FREAK (1967)

SHE FREAK
Directed by:  Byron Mabe
Distributed by:  Cheezy Flicks

  I had heard about the movie SHE FREAK for many years, but have just never had the chance (or made the time) to watch it.  I really didn't know anything about it, but I was very intrigued when I heard it was a loose interpretation/remake of the 1932 Tod Browning film, FREAKS.  

  FREAKS is one of my all time favorite films, so I knew I had to check out SHE FREAK.  Here is the basic plot from the Cheezy Flicks website:

Claire Brennen stars as a discontent waitress working in a small-town greasy diner, and looking for something more. When the circus comes to town, she finds herself attracted to its excitement - and secures a job with the traveling show as a food service worker. As the circus moves on, and she with it, life seems to be going well - new friends, steady work, a romance or two, and eventually a new husband - but she discovers that she despises the freaks and human oddities of the side shows, and uses her marriage to the Circus' owner to take control of the carnival. Now she must strike a balance between profit and patience, as the carnies and side show freaks set out to exact revenge on her for her Gestapo-like management techniques -- FREAK STYLE!

I enjoyed this film a lot, mainly for it's nostalgic feel, as it was filmed in 1967.  Be warned, though....do not go in to this film expecting another brilliant masterpiece like Tod Browing's film.  You will be disappointed.  This is a very watered down version of the film and doesn't really even use that many real "freaks" like Browning's film did.   While not nearly as good of a film overall, I think this film actually improves on the ending when the carnies get their revenge on the owner's wife.   In FREAKS, they turn the lady into a some sort of chicken like creature if I remember correctly.  In this film, they turn the woman in a half burned/scarred thing with one bugling eye.  Very creepy image and very good makeup effects for this time period.

This is a fun film that I would recommend...especially at the crazy price that Cheezy Films is selling it for over on their website  ($2.99!!!).  Not sure how long that price will last, so visit Cheezy Flicks to buy this film or any of their other great films they sell. 


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

Blu-ray bargain find! HOSTEL / HOSTEL PART II Blu-ray combo pack

  While browsing the movies at my local Walmart yesterday, I came across this cool HOSTEL / HOSTEL PART II  Blu-ray double feature.  I have both films on DVD, but I am always looking to upgrade to Blu-ray.  While thinking about purchasing this, I looked below at the price tag and my mind was made up for me.  The price was only $5.00!     What a bargain!  No way I could pass that up.  I got the last copy at my Walmart, but check the Walmart stores around you to see if you can score this great bargain!

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, February 12th, 2013

Here are this week's horror related DVDs and Blu-rays coming out 2/12:
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  BEAST BENEATH  [DVD]
*  THE COMEBACK  [Blu-ray]
*  CROCZILLA  [DVD]
*  DIE SCREAMING, MARIANNE  [Blu-ray]
*  DOOMSDAY COUNTY  [DVD]
*  THE FEED  [DVD]
*  HOUSE OF WHIPCORD  [Blu-ray]
*  MIMESIS  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  PURGE  [DVD]
*  RISE OF THE ZOMBIES  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  SCHIZO  [Blu-ray]
*  SILENT HILL:  REVELATION  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  SMILEY  [DVD]

Book Review: HORROR COMICS IN BLACK AND WHITE: A HISTORY AND CATALOG, 1964-2004

HORROR COMICS IN BLACK AND WHITE:  A HISTORY AND CATALOG,  1964-2004
By Richard J. Arndt
Foreword by Stephen R. Bissette
Published by McFarland &Company, Inc.

I am a huge fan of horror comics, but I didn't really get into them until back in the early 2000's when a friend introduced me to Steve Niles great comic book, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT.  Ever since then I have been a huge fan of horror comics, especially zombie comics which there are tons of.   I've collected almost all of the horror related comics since then, but there is no telling how many great horror comics I missed out on before then. 

Along comes the great reference book, HORROR COMICS IN BLACK AND WHITE:  A HISTORY AND CATALOG,  1964- 2004 by Richard J. Arndt.   This is a very in-depth and informative book that has been a blast to look through.  Here is a description of the book from the McFarland website:

In 1954, the comic book industry instituted the Comics Code, a set of self-regulatory guidelines imposed to placate public concern over gory and horrific comic book content, effectively banning genuine horror comics. Because the Code applied only to color comics, many artists and writers turned to black and white to circumvent the Code’s narrow confines.

With the 1964 Creepy #1 from Warren Publishing, black-and-white horror comics experienced a revival continuing into the early 21st century, an important step in the maturation of the horror genre within the comics field as a whole.

This generously illustrated work offers a comprehensive history and retrospective of the black-and-white horror comics that flourished on the newsstands from 1964 to 2004. With a catalog of original magazines, complete credits and insightful analysis, it highlights an important but overlooked period in the history of comics.

The book starts off with in-depth descriptions of CREEPY and EERIE magazines, including info about the cover art and each story that is in each issue of the magazine.  From there it jumps to the VAMPIRELLA comic magazines of the 1970's and then all the rest of the horror comics up until 2004. Each entry about a comic contains great info including the titles of the stories contained in each book, the cover art info, and notes containing interesting facts and info about the comics.

If you are a fan of horror comics, you will definitely want to get your hands on a copy of this book.  This is a great reference to have.  You can use the book as a checklist to look for all these great old comics and magazines.  I highly recommend this to all my blog readers.

You can call McFarland's toll free order line at 1-800-253-2187 to purchase this book or order directly from McFarland's website by CLICKING HERE.

http://www.mcfarlandpub.com

Check out the trailer for another cool huge spider movie, BIG ASS SPIDER!

 
    Last Thursday, I posted about a new movie called SPIDERS 3D.  It looks like a pretty cool creature feature film staring some pretty large spiders.  Upon seeing this post, my buddy Scott Baker mentioned that I should check out the film, BIG ASS SPIDER.  I had never heard of it, so immediately went and watched the trailer and I am hooked!  This movie looks amazing!   I love a good creature feature, and there just aren't that many of them these days, so I am super excited about all these huge spider movies coming out!  Here is the basic plot of BIG ASS SPIDER from the film's imdb page:

  A giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampage the city of Los Angeles. When a massive military strike fails, it is up to a team of scientists and one clever exterminator to kill the creature before the city is destroyed.

  This looks like a fun movie for sure!  Hopefully I can do a full review of this film soon! BIG ASS SPIDER will haves its world premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival this March.
Check out the trailer and let me know in the comments section below what you think!


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

DVD Review: GUT (2012)

GUT
Written and Directed by Elias

  I got a film a while back to review called GUT.  I  had never heard of the film, and knew little about it, but the trailer looked very promising.   I finally had a chance to check it out last night and I am very glad I did.  This is a very well made film...very creepy and atmospheric. Here is the plot from the film's imdb page:

  Something is missing in Tom's life. Every day he goes through the motions, becoming increasingly detached from those around him. His best friend Dan thinks he has the answer, a mysterious video he's got to see to believe. What Dan shows him leaves Tom unsettled, flooding his mind with disturbing images and desires, and binding the two friends together with its ugly secret. As he tries desperately to forget what he saw, Tom's mounting feelings of guilt and disillusionment quickly give way to paranoia and fear. One video soon follows another and another, blurring the line between reality and voyeuristic fascination, and threatening to dismantle everything around them.    

  This is a very strange movie, which is the kind of movie I like.  It had the feel of a David Cronenberg film to me.  I have to warn you that the film is slow at times..but even during the slow times, there is a sense of unease, as you wonder what is going to come next.  There is a constant unnerving feel as you watch this film.  

 Although I've seen some critique of the acting on some other reviews, I found the acting to be very believable.  I especially liked the part of Dan played by Nicholas Wilder, as this character brought some instances of comic relief to an otherwise very grim tale.

  Give this movie a shot and stay with it to the end, and you will be treated to one very disturbing final act.  GUT is one of those films that is hard to say you liked, because it is a not a fun, happy film.  But it is a movie that is very well made, and is worth a viewing in my opinion.  More dark drama, than horror, the film still has some horror elements to it and a good bit of gore.  Check this one out for sure.

  GUT is available now to Rent/Own at Amazon, Vudu, Xbox, Playstation, CinemaNow, Google Play & YouTube!


CLICK HERE to watch trailers and clips from the movie
CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website
CLICK HERE to visit the film's official facebook page

Check out the trailer for the upcoming creature feature, SPIDERS 3D!

Check out the cool trailer for the Sci-fi/Horror film, SPIDERS 3D.  I love a good creature feature, and this one looks like it will be a lot of fun!  Here is the basic plot from the film's imdb.com page:

After a Soviet space station crashes into a New York City subway tunnel, a species of poisonous spiders is discovered, and soon they mutate to gigantic proportions and wreak havoc on the city.

 SPIDERS 3D is directed by Tibor Takács, who may be best known to most horror fans as the director of the 1987 classic,  THE GATE.  SPIDERS 3D is set for a limited theatrical release tomorrow, 2/8.


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

Here are this week's horror related DVDs and Blu-rays coming out 2/5:
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)
  
*  BIGFOOT:  THE LOST COAST TAPES  [DVD & DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack]

 
Wow...pretty light week.  Only one horror DVD released this week, unless I am
just missing something.   Looks like next week (2/12) will be a pretty heavy
week for new releases, though.

DVD Review: ZOOM IN: SEX APARTMENTS (1980)

 
ZOOM IN:  SEX APARTMENTS
Directed by:  Naosuke Kurosawa
Distributed by Impulse Pictures / Synapse Films

 As most of you know, I love Japanese horror films.  Not the mainstream Japanese films (Ringu/Ju-On, ect.), but the lower key, independent films from Japan (THE UNTOLD STORY, EBOLA SYNDROME, etc).  Another horror sub-genre that I love is exploitation films, and once again, the Japanese filmmakers really outdo our American counterparts.  The Japanese always turn it up a  notch and just go a little further than we would here in the States.   Proof of this is  the subject of my latest review, ZOOM IN:  SEX APARTMENTS.   It's a crazy title for an even crazier film.  Here is the basic plot of the film from the Synapse Films website:

Saeko, a woman with a mysterious past, is hit with a rock and brutally raped by a man wearing a dark mask and black gloves. Her life is spared, but soon brutal murders befall the residents of the Kibougahara Apartment building. The victims are beaten, killed, and their genitals are set on fire. Saeko has her suspicions about the killer’s identity, but will she live long enough to unmask the pyromaniac?

  The first thing I realized after watching this film is that I had just watched a Dario Argento movie, had Dario Argento been Japanese.   The movie had that feel to it, like an early giallo film of Argento's from the early 1970's.  Even the killer has the classic look with the black trench coat and black gloves.   Dario Argento would be proud!

 As I mentioned, the Japanese always seem to take it a step further, so instead of a mystery man just killing the women of the apartment complex, he goes one step further and lights their genitals on fire.  Not in the sexy sense of the term, but literally pours lighter fluid on their genitals and ignites them.  Crazy stuff for sure.  

If you are a fan of Japanese horror/exploitation films, this is one you will want to check out for sure.


ZOOM IN:  SEX APARTMENTS is available now on DVD and contains the following special features:

*   Newly Translated Removable English Subtitles
*   Original Theatrical Trailer
*   Liner notes from Japanese film scholar, Jasper Sharp



CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
 

Check out the upcoming documentary, THE JEFFREY DAHMER FILES...

 
  Most of my readers know I love zombies.  I love books about them, movies about them...whatever.  But what you might not know is that I am a huge fan of true crime.  I have always been fascinated by books and films about serial killers.  I guess they just amaze me in that I find it unbelievable that people could do the things they do.  Most of their stories sound like a movie, rather than real life.  It's not a coincidence that many of the greatest horror movies of all time were based on real life serial killers such as Ed Gein and Albert Fish, just to a name a few.  
  While the fictional films are great, I really enjoy documentaries about serial killers.  This is why I am very excited about a new film called, THE JEFFREY DAHMER FILES  (or simply, JEFF, as it is being called for the festival circuit).   Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial killer from the early 90's, and probably the most publicized that I remember hearing about in my lifetime.
  Here is a little bit about the film from the film's official website:

  In 1991 Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested in Milwaukee and sentenced to 957 years in prison for killing 17 people and dismembering their bodies. ‘Jeff’ explores the city of Milwaukee by meeting those surrounding Dahmer during and after his hidden spree. Recollections from Milwaukee Medical Examiner Jeffrey Jentzen, Police Detective Patrick Kennedy, and neighbor Pamela Bass are interwoven with archival footage and everyday scenes from Dahmer’s life, working collectively to disassemble the facade of an ordinary man leading an ordinary existence.

  This sounds like a very cool project and hopefully I will get to check it out soon.  If so, I will do a full review on the 4H blog for ya!   Until then, check out the film's website for more info.  THE JEFFREY DAHMER FILES is scheduled to open February 15 at select theaters in New York and will be available on most Cable and Satellite On Demand services.


CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website

Check out the cool zombie short film, CHEMICAL 12-D

 
Check out this cool short film I ran across called CHEMICAL 12-D.  The film was written and directed by Mac Eldridge.  The film was headed by four DePaul University students for their Production I final.  This film is pretty impressive for a group of college kids!
Here is the plot from the film's imdb.com page:

Michael Frank lives his life in a world torn apart by zombies. Alone and wanting to save humanity, he spends his days searching the wasteland for the perfect specimen to perform his experiments on. All attempts prove unsuccessful, but perhaps the next one will fare better...

The film has very little dialog, and some great gore effects.  The ending is very abrupt and strange.  Check it out and see what you think. I personally think we will be seeing a lot more of Mac Eldridge's work in the future!

CLICK HERE to watch the short film

Check out this cool giveaway over at the SHATTERED RAVINGS Blog

  









   Hey guys!  Just wanted to let you know about my buddy Scott's latest giveaway over at his cool blog, SHATTERED RAVINGS.   In addition to running his own cool sci-fi/horror/fantasy blog, Scott does some guest reviews for me periodically for this here 4H blog!

  Right now, Scott is hosting a contest where he is giving away not 1, not 2, not even 3 or 4, but 5 copies of a new book called SHADOW OPS:  FORTRESS FRONTIER by Myke Cole to 5 lucky winners! You can read Scott's review of the book here.  It sounds like a pretty cool military sci-fi/fantasy book.


 The contest only runs through next Tuesday, 2/5, so hurry and enter today! Entering is super easy (just leave a comment on the contest post  and then just like the Shattered Ravings Facebook page).  Good Luck!!


CLICK HERE to go to the Shattered Ravings contest blog post and enter today!

Check out the trailer to the creepy film, HELLGATE

I just ran across this trailer for a film called HELLGATE.  The film stars Cary Elwes and was written and directed by John Penney. Here is the basic plot of the film from the IFC website:

A western businessman (Cary Elwes), his Thai wife and son experience a horrible accident while visiting Bangkok. In the aftermath, they find there is a shadow world between life and death where endless darkness lies.

Has anyone seen this film?  It looks like it could be pretty good.  The trailer has some pretty cool images, especially towards the end of the trailer.   Check out the trailer and let me know what you think. 

HELLGATE is currently available as a 48hr rental from Amazon.com.


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to rent the film from amazon.com

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

Here are this week's horror related DVDs and Blu-rays coming out 1/29:
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  THE AWAKENING  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  CHERRY TREE LANE
*  CITADEL [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  WHITE ZOMBIE  [DVD & Blu-ray]

Check out the upcoming film, VOICES FROM THE GRAVE

I love to help support indy and low-budget films.  As an aspiring filmmaker myself, I have made a few low/no budget films, and I realize how hard it can be. So, I always like to help spread the word if I can.  I was recently sent a press release about a new film called VOICES FROM THE GRAVE.  This film is an anthology consisting of three stories, one of which was adapted from a short story by THE HOWLING writer, Gary Brandner.  Here is the official press release with a brief plot synopsis of the three stories:

From master horror writer Gary Brandner, author of 'The Howling', and filmmakers Richard Stoudt and Laurence Holloway comes a relentlessly harrowing film experience. A trio of horrors that will make your flesh creep and your heart palpitate.

Deadly spirits, vengeful and maliciously spiteful give fuel to these tales of supernatural terrors.
'Invitation', based on a short story by Gary Brandner, tells the tale of loser Len Krager, who attends a party he'll never forget! A vengeful spirit exacts revenge in the tale 'All Hallows' Eve'! An exercise in suspense and atmosphere. Robert Mundy doesn't celebrate Halloween since the accidental death of his brother on Halloween night. But this Halloween night, vengeance will rise and seek retribution. Ghostly road hazards endanger a used car owner in the turbo-charged yarn 'Repossessed', a spine tingling 'vehicle' for absolute fright. Jeff purchases a killer car for a killer deal....unfortunately, the car really is a killer!

A true exercise in style and terror, 'Voices from The Grave' will thrill and chill even the most jaded horror fan!

Keep up with release date info by checking out the film's facebook page by clicking the link below.




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

The SCREAM MACHINE is coming soon!!

 A while back, I reviewed 2 of Director Walter Ruether's  (a.k.a. Scarlet Fry) earlier films, JUNKFOOD HORRORFEST  (see review here), and NIGHTMARE ALLEY (see review here).   Well, Mr. Ruether is back with the upcoming new film, SCREAM MACHINE.   This  new film is done in the same anthology style as his previous films, which I really like.  I have always liked anthologies because if there is a story you don't like or just aren't in to, well, a brand new story will be coming up soon, and there's bound to be a few you like.  Unlike a normal single story film, if you don't like that story or can't get in to it, then the whole movie it ruined for ya.  I also probably like the anthology style because of my short attention span!  But enough about me, lets talk more about this new film called SCREAM MACHINE!   Check out this info I got a press release the other day that tell you all you need to know!

FIVE OF THE DEADLIEST TALES EVER TOLD ON AN OLD HAUNTED VCR CALLED SCREAM MACHINE.
(**OFFICIAL SELECTION PHOENIX COMIC CON 2012!**)

 

Description

A battered and mysterious VCR...A bevy of lethal video- tapes... These are the building blocks of horror in "SCREAM MACHINE".
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 SCREAM MACHINE?

Insert Cassette Press Play...DIE!

 

USA PREMIERE MAY 2013 PHOENIX COMIC CON-USA DVD RELEASE WITH WORLD WIDE MULTI MEDIA... SPRING 2013

 
"LIKE" the film's facebook page to stay up to date and get new info and news on release dates.  I will be checking this one out for sure!


CLICK HERE to visit the film's facebook page
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer and some behind the scenes moments

Book Review: THE SLASHER MOVIE BOOK by J.A. Kerswell

THE SLASHER MOVIE BOOK
by J.A. Kerswell
Distributed by Independent Publishers Group

I love books about horror movies, and THE SLASHER MOVIE BOOK by J.A. Kerswell has to be one of the better books about horror movies I have ever seen. Here is the main overview of the book from the ipg website:

A detailed look at the surprising beginnings of the slasher movie—a genre that brought a new high in cinematic violence and suspense to mainstream cinema—this grisly guidebook revels in its glory days of the late 1970s and early 1980s and discusses its recent resurgence. Packed with reviews of the best (and worst) slasher movies and illustrated with an extensive collection of distinctive and often graphic color poster artwork from around the world, this book also looks at the political, cultural, and social influences on the slasher movie and its own effect on other film genres. Also included are a list of the top-10 body count films, trivia about famous actors who made their big-screen debuts in slasher films, a glossary of need-to-know terms, a list of additional reading, and recommendations of websites to head to for additional macabre movies.

The book is a 208 page Trade Paper Back and is in full color, with tons of great photos of old movie posters and stills from the movies.   The book traces the roots of the modern slasher film all the way back to the Grand Guignol theater of the late 1890's, through the Italian Giallo films, and to the height of the Slasher film popularity in the late 70's to early 80's.  Kerswell does a great job with this  book.  It's amazing to see how much research he put into this book, as he leaves no stone unturned.   All your favorite slasher films are discussed here, along with some (I suspect) you may have never even heard of!

This book is a must-have in my opinion, for all horror fans and horror book fans. They don't get much better than this!


CLICK HERE to purchase the book

DVD Review: THE SKY HAS FALLEN (2009)

THE SKY HAS FALLEN
Written & Directed by Doug Roos

Everyone knows I love a good zombie movie...big budget, low budget, it doesn't really matter.  If it's got zombies in it, I'm gonna watch it and I am probably going to like it.  I have seen very few zombie movies in my life I have not enjoyed.   Some of you may remember a post I did back in 2010 about a short film called THE SKY HAS FALLEN.   Writer/Director Doug
Roos put the film on DVD and made a kickstarter.com campaign to raise money in order to fund a full length feature zombie film. Well,  here we are years later and the full film is complete and ready to purchase on DVD!  For those not familiar with this film, here is the basic plot from the film's imdb.com page:

Within a couple of hours, a new disease wipes out almost all of mankind. Trying to avoid infection, people flee to remote locations, but they start seeing mysterious black figures, carrying away the dead and experimenting on them. Now, Lance and Rachel, two survivors determined to fight back, must kill the leader of these creatures before the rest of humanity disappears.

This film is very simple, as there are only 2 characters in the film (not counting the endless number of zombies).  Unfortunately, I thought these 2 characters were the weakest part of the film.  The acting is very amateur at best, with the lines being read in a very monotone manner during most of the line delivery.  But, as I have said before with zombie movies, we are not here for the acting, we are here for the zombies, and this movie has plenty of them.  The makeup effects on the zombies are very well done and the gore is very plentiful here. One thing to note here is that all of the effects are practical effects, there was no CGI used in this film.

One of the most unique parts about this DVD, is it is also an instructional make up/effects video in addition to a regular movie! In addition to 6 Behind the Scenes featurettes, this DVD also includes a step-by-step mask making video and a step-by-step Prosthetic Application video.  This makes an excellent resource for any new filmmaker out there!

THE SKY HAS FALLEN DVD is on sale right now for only $5.99 for a limited time, so get your copy today!


CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website and purchase the DVD

Check out the new EVIL DEAD green band trailer

 A while back I posted the awesome Red Band Trailer for the upcoming EVIL DEAD remake.  Well, now there is a new Green Band Trailer out there for your enjoyment.  While most of the footage is the same, there is some new footage in this new trailer.   I can't tell you how excited I am to see this movie.  April 12th can't get here soon enough!!




CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

Here are this week's horror related DVDs and Blu-rays coming out 1/22:
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  A THOUSAND CUTS  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  BARRIO TALES
*  BIKINI BLOODBATH SHAKESPEARE
*  BLEEDING THROUGH
*  CLAUSTROPHOBIA
*  CROWSNEST
*  CUJO  [Blu-ray]
*  DARK ANGEL:  THE ASCENT
*  DEAD SUSHI
*  DEADLY BLESSING  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  END OF ANIMAL
*  THE GHOST OF RASHMON HALL
*  HOLD YOUR BREATH  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  THE HOUNDS
*  THE INCUBUS
*  LURKING FEAR
*  MANDROID
*  NIGHT OF THE TENTACLES
*  SEEDPEOPLE
*  TICKS  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  TOMBOYS
*  TUNNEL VISION
*  ZOMBIE ED

DVD Review: HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (2012)

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA
Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
Distrubuted by Sony Home Entertainment

Having 6 year old twin boys, I have seen a lot of kids movies over the past few years.   I am honestly not a huge fan of most of them, but there are a few I can enjoy even as an adult.  HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA was one of the kids movie I really enjoyed.  There are not too many horror films I can share with my 6 year olds, so having a movie made for kids with a horror theme to it was very exciting for me.  This is a great way to introduce horror to my boys but on a level that is just right for them.  This is not a horror movie in any sense, it is a fun family comedy, but with obvious horror elements to it.  Here is the basic plot of the movie from the film's imdb.com page:

Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula's lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of the world's most famous monsters - Frankenstein and his wife, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more - to celebrate his daughter Mavis' 118th birthday. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem - but his world could come crashing down when a human stumbles on the hotel for the first time and takes a shine to Mavis.

This movie is a lot of fun.  It is a blast seeing all these famous monsters together all in the same film.  The humor is good on both a kid and adult level.  One thing I always like about animated films like this is trying to pick out the actor's voices.  The lead character of Dracula is voiced by Adam Sandler, which was pretty easy to figure out based on his unique voice.  This film has a lot of other great comedy actors lending their voices to the various characters, including Andy Samberg, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Jon Lovitz, Chris Parnell, Fran Drescher, and Kevin James.

Now, even though I enjoyed the movie, lets hear from some of those who the movie is actually geared toward...kids.   I had each of my two boys to tell me what they thought of the movie, so here are their first ever movie reviews:

Zombie Son#1:
This movie is very funny. One part that was funny was when the Frankenstein jumped off the octopus and landed into the water and broke into pieces. I think everyone will like this movie. My mom laughed so this movie is good for adults, too!

Zombie Son#2:
This movie is really fun and one funny part is when the Frankenstein uses his pants to toot on the Mummy and it makes everyone think the Mummy did it.  

There you have it.  Nothing beats a good fart joke with the kiddos!  HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA will be released to DVD and Blu-ray January 29th.  This is a great family film and I highly recommend it.  DVD Special Features include:

*  "GOODNIGHT MR. FOOT" Mini-Movie Directed and Animated by Genndy Tartakovsky
*  "PROBLEM (MONSTER REMIX)" by Becky G Featuring will.i.am - Music Video and Behind the Scenes
*  Deleted Scenes
*  Filmmaker's Commentary
*  DVD-ROM Link to Fun Games

CLICK HERE to pre-order the DVD
CLICK HERE to pre-order the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack
CLICK HERE to pre-order the 3D Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack