'80s SOV "Shot-on-Video" & "Video Nasty" Reviews by R.D Francis
Homage list to those oddball VHS tapes from the '80s video store era. Look under "critic reviews" for Sam Panico's "B&S About Movies" -- where R.D Francis was one of the dozen-plus contributing writing staff (2019 -- 2022) – for each. "Blood Cult," "Cards of Death," and "Heaven is Only Hell" are the recommends to introduce one to the genre. You will find each of these reviews fair, balanced and supportive to the filmmaker and the related studio. These films would not be reviewed or listed if they were not enjoyed with the belief others would be entertained by discovering said films. NOTICE: Only reviews with an "R.D Francis" byline at the top of the review and "About the Author" at the bottom, are the works of R.D Francis. If you come across links, elsewhere, that say "B&S About Movies [R.D Francis]" and link-out to a review byline of "bandsaboutmovies," those are typographical-linking errors; those reviews are written solely by Sam Panico, owner of B&S About Movies, and he is responsible for the posting of said linked errors.
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- DirectorChristopher LewisStarsJuli AndelmanCharles EllisJames VanceFemale students on a college campus are being killed and their body parts used for blood sacrifices.
- DirectorJon McBrideJohn PoloniaMark PoloniaStarsJon McBrideBrice KennedyMark PoloniaPolonia Brothers horror anthology, includes four short stories of terror.A Jon McBride film with the Polonia Brothers -- with a crazy release history.
- DirectorTom FisherJon McBrideStarsJon McBrideAmy ChludzinskiChristopher A. GrangerFour teenagers on an outing in the woods are attacked by a trio of mutant cannibals.Your introduction to the SOV resume of filmmaker Jon McBride with his first film.
- DirectorDonald FarmerStarsDrew GodderisSky NicholasDonald TrimbornAs a sorority initiation, two girls have to pose as hookers. Then they turn into zombies and start killing and eating the locals.
- DirectorDonald FarmerStarsCarol CarrMelissa MooreNikki RigginsOne of the girls in a rock band is fired from the band. She is, in reality, a witch, and possesses the body of the girl who replaces her in order to take revenge on the rest of the band.
- DirectorDonald FarmerStarsMary FanaroDennis StewartClifton DanceA female vampire goes on a rampage seeking blood.
- DirectorDoug UlrichAl DaragoStarsAl DaragoMark WilliamsAnn JagermanDoug, a horror movie fan, and Ralis, lead singer of a rock band, start making a slasher film but Ralis gets carried away.
- DirectorDoug UlrichAl DaragoStarsAl DaragoAlbert Darago IIITony Murphy Jr.A faceless storyteller relates three tales of terror: 1) An ancient evil necklace gradually takes possession of a man's soul in "Satan's Necklace;" 2) A guy goes off the deep end after discovering his wife's infidelity in "Sliced in Cold Blood;" and 3) A man becomes so obsessed with a video game that he can't stop playing it to the point that he eventually gets pulled into said game for real in "Level 21."
- DirectorDoug UlrichStarsAl DaragoJeff WitteHeather BrownTwo buddies go from job to job, creating trouble and getting fired. They soon begin work at a local cemetery where they decide to steal from freshly placed coffins. Their crimes continue to progressively involve more debauchery.
- DirectorDoug UlrichStarsDarla AlbornozNancy DallAlbert Darago IIIAlluring vampire woman infest an urban jungle, posing as hookers to lure their prey and then tearing out their hearts and other body parts. Veteran police detective Groper and his rookie partner Slimski are assigned to investigate a bizarre series of murders, corpses found completely drained of blood. A hot lead brings the lawmen to an abandoned house where the vampire hookers and their vampire pimp dwell.
- DirectorWim VinkStarsAngelique VieseeJudith DriessenAd KleingeldWim Vink's classic splatter short about a girl who takes bloody revenge on those who tormented her.
- DirectorWim VinkStarsEric NuytenAnnemiek PolBonnie Van Der PoelAs long as humanity exists, there's a desire for eternal life. Many religions promise to give that, but all they offer are only empty promises. Only "The Dark Forces" really offer the opportunity to get eternal life.
- DirectorBruce ToscanoStarsGary WallaceKarin SjöbergRobert Gerald WittA motorist who comes upon an auto accident finds a bottle at the scene. The bottle contains a demon who proceeds to possess him.
- DirectorTodd SheetsStarsKelly HodgesLisa KruegerHolly StarrSorority sisters make contact with a demon using a crystal ball.
- DirectorRussell KernStarsJames AerniChopper BernetRex CutterThe planet Jupiter has moved closer to the Earth causing an increased gravitation pull which affects the human brain, and people with certain blood types in higher elevations. The result is that the citizens in a town in the Rocky Mountains have become blood-hungry, flesh-eating, and insane.
- DirectorBrigida CostaMassimo LavagniniStarsMassimo LavagniniDardano SacchettiMaurizio RagazziAnthology horror film with three tales consisting of a killer sex doll, a killer handbag and a parody of Joe D'amato's Anthropophagous.
- DirectorJim LarsenStarsRob HaywardJim LarsenJames KirkA psychotic maniac with a gas mask lurks the local playgrounds and kills all the children in his path.
- DirectorMatthew FrazziniStarsPatty ColemanDale CrawfordMatthew FrazziniThis award-winning cult masterpiece spins the story of Lazarus, who is forced to face an ancient challenge in a win-or-die confrontation. In this elaborately spun 78-minute martial arts spoof, Lazarus gradually evolves into a real force.
- DirectorL. Scott Castillo Jr.StarsTom BongiornoStephanie Leigh SteelThomas CueGuests at a mountain ski resort are terrorized by a local possessed by the vengeful spirit of an ancient Native mountain man.
- DirectorPeter B. GoodStarsBlake BahnerEna O'RourkeDan SchmaleThe great grandson of the infamous Jack The Ripper is a photographer who murders women in bizarre ways. He photographs them and drinks their blood in order to increase his sexual potency. One day, he meets the girl of his dreams to carry on the family name, but he uses her to lure in more female models to murder and add to his collection. With the body count rising, Erica is unaware of her new boyfriend's hobby, and soon he starts making mistakes.
- DirectorJim WhiteakerStarsKate AlexanderJonathan ZeichnerCaleb DreneauxFear chokes the free-wheeling underbelly of San Francisco's punk scene as a killer stalks the night to feed an unspeakable appetite. Community suspicion focuses on Disease, a band that is tainted by groupie deaths allegedly induced by the drug DZS, and on "The Creeper" a misshapen outcast from the bowels of the city. A writer probes the gruesome murders and the story hits close to home, as the web of death devours neighbors, friends, and lovers.
- DirectorCharlie WienerStarsJamie SpearsTerry LoganPeter BrikmanisA reporter tries to track down a psycho who is killing people involved in the porn industry.
- DirectorDonald M. JonesStarsEli RichRochelle TaylorDennis GannonA Sunday school teacher/security guard named Steve is a vicious serial killer who is strangling innocent women and dumping their bodies in the desert.
- DirectorDeryn WarrenStarsAarin TeichAnthony JenkinsTwink CaplanA teenage boy is hidden at an orphanage by his mother to protect him against his father, who wants to use the boys body to be reborn.Two-fer with the writer-director's Mirror of Death!
- DirectorWilliam SzarkaStarsJohn GiganteJon HammerPatrick MolloyA teen-ager is left orphaned by a car crash that wipes out his entire family; he is subsequently haunted by his dead brother.
