Hi-Death

A pair of friends find a flyer noting the existence of a tour around the city promising plenty of thrills and danger, prompting them to reluctantly take part.

The Good Stories: Death Has a Conscious-Arriving in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a woman takes a stop at a run-down motel to get her feet under her but is soon entangled with a mysterious drug that alters her reality. Confronted by the real demonic being behind the experiences, she's plunged into a far more deadly and eternal battle for her soul than she expected. This one was a somewhat enjoyable effort but comes off as a confusing opening. The idea of the corruption taking place and her descend into the underbelly of their society comes off rather nicely as is the finale involving the overall resolution involving the demonic entities coming for her in the hotel room. That said, it's way too reliant on inference and supposition as to what's going on with her deteriorating mental capabilities that make them seem like a confusing entry that comes off with some slow-burn antics that might not be appreciated in such a short.

Night Drop-Working the closing shift at a video-rental store, a clerk is confronted with a series of strange events and occurrences that results in his finding of a strange tape in the store. As he tries to uncover the secret inside the tape, he soon finds the disturbing truth too much for him to handle. This was a rather fun and enjoyable effort. The familiar setup of the strange videotape left behind and leading to the viewers' doom is so familiar it's a recycled concept from the first film, but the far-more genuinely unnerving and freaky footage shown here on the main tape results in a far more terrifying setup which leads to the one downfall in that it tends to end way too early. It features such an abrupt end that it doesn't feel like a payoff of any kind, but this is the only real downfall of the segment.

Cold Read-Forced to take an audition at the last minute, a desperate actress is put through her paces by a tyrannical director looking for his perfect leading lady. As the audition carries on and she's forced into more extreme tactics by the maniacal director, she reaches a breaking point no one on-set expected. For the most part, this was a solid thriller that has a lot to like about it. Carrying on the trials and tribulations that are the result of most auditions for low-budget filmmakers, the constant mistakes and verbal abuse being spouted which results in some suspenseful moments as they put her through the wringer regarding her performances that they're attempting to find. The end result is a solidly unexpected sequence that comes off rather nicely but does tend to make this feel more like the genuine thriller it really is which is a personal preference matter for the most part.

The Muse-Stuck in a hotel room desperate to finish his latest work, a painter takes on an unwilling hooker to be his muse until he finishes his latest work. Unaware of what she's signed up for, the end result of their meeting brings about his latest creation to light in truly unexpected ways. There was a lot to like here although it does have a few minor missteps. The idea of the demonic temptation and corruption at play here tends to make everything here rather easy to spot and figure out, yet that doesn't mistake the fact that there's still plenty of enjoyable action here with the supernatural entity bringing the final twist to light. The segment is also nicely driven by some fantastic gore effects and some top-notch nudity to help sell the apocalyptic tone rather nicely and giving this a great conclusion.

The Bad Stories: Death Dealers-After breaking into a strangers' house, a man finds the pilfered contents to contain evidence of a serial killers' handiwork that contains the perfect addition to his collection of serial killer memorabilia. When he and his girlfriend are confronted by the truth about how they came into possession of the material, they're forced to extreme lengths to pay back their debt. This was a somewhat disappointing segment that doesn't really go anywhere. The whole thing is way too talky and doesn't generate anywhere near the kind of suspense it thinks it is where the exploits of the guy sharing his collection or the confrontation with the drug-dealer that lead into a wholly predictable and unimpressive finale really undo this segment. With the underwhelming twist that doesn't make any sense and a just bland and dull feel combined with the overlong feel, this one misses the mark completely.

Wrap-Around-While taking a walking tour around Los Angeles, a pair of friends decides to embark on a series of grotesque side-quests seeing the dark underbelly of the city around them. The longer they're on their journey, the more dangerous and unpredictable their lives become as they find themselves in greater danger. As a whole, this is another weak and underwhelming effort. The general idea of a walking tour around the city and visiting creepy locales doesn't serve much purpose to the setup of the shorts themselves, and with a wholly redundant finale there's not much to this part that works here beyond the tense atmosphere to be found in the caves at the end.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Full Nudity.

Hi-Death is a sequel to HI-8 and right off the bat I will say it is better. Mainly due to the quality being better for the most part. As an anthology some works and some doesn't. Lets get into the meat and potatoes:

The wrap-around story is lame, it is poorly structured and disjointed and while I liked the base idea, the execution is painful.

The first story is pretty fun. Death has a Conscience is the name and there is a few cool stylistic touches. It's too talky, and maybe a few minutes too long, but it's a good story and the idea is solid. They certainly put some work into the lighting, reminding me of the SOV movies from the 80s and 90s such as Catacombs or Killing Spree.

2nd story is Death Dealers. Tim Ritter directed it and once again I am stumped as to what the hell is happening. Poorly shot, bad sound, painful acting and honestly just a major letdown for me. The basic idea of a person who deals in actual serial killer items is interesting, but it is overlong and people talk and talk and talk. And WOW that editing! Continuity be damned! People don;t even have the same props from one shot to the next. It's obvious no real care went into this story. And that is sad. Maybe Tim is burned out?

Thankfully the next story, one of the best, redeems things. I almost shut it off during segment two. But I pushed through and really liked Night Drop from Amanda Payton. It's as if I woke up and a real movie was playing. Good atmosphere, decent acting and some quality lighting and camerawork highlight this story of a poor guy all alone in a video rental store who ends up with a very strange disc, full of really disturbing and awesome images. Some have said it is kind of like The Ring, and I can see that argument, but it reminded me more of an urban legend. It's kind of short, but it gets to the point. A nice surprise.

Nest up is Brad Sykes story about an audition that goes horribly wrong, Cold Read. It was interesting and I liked how it got more intense as we went along. The lead in it could have been a bit tighter, but the twist was fun and I did enjoy it overall. The camera was a little pedestrian for this effort and I thought it could have used a bit more style, especially as it got wilder and things went sideways. And it was VERY quiet in spots. Too quiet to really hear everything. Minor quibbles. It gets rather messy and disturbing and I liked it.

Last story takes us right over the edge and into some other dimension. Literally bring us Hell on Earth is The Muse, the segment directed and written by Todd Sheets. Obviously inspired by Lovecraft, this is the most stylish of the bunch and also the most crazy. It's the perfect way to end the film as I am not sure any of the other stories would pack the same punch after this one. It was surprising and original. Twists and shocks are thrown with reckless abandon. Pretty damned good practical effects, impressive lighting and camerawork as well. The sound design is intense, pushing the visuals along and creating a thick, disturbing atmosphere. It's my favorite of the lot, but both Night Drop and Cold Read are admirable follow up favorites.

It all ends with the wrap-around twist but there was no way to follow the last 3 stories and it kind of fell apart for me. Brad did this segment as well. Maybe a different director should have done the connecting story??? Just a thought. It may bring something unexpected to the table.

Overall a better film than Hi-8, with fewer directors and more focus.

This movie brought back a lot of nostalgic feelings of old school horror flicks. However, like any horror anthology you get a mixed bag. The acting for the most part was right in the middle. The story with the actress did a better job overall compared to the other four films. However, the one that I like was the last film. Only because it sprinkled a little bit of H.P Lovecraft in the short. Doubt I would watch this again but it did entertain me for the duration of the film. Given at a couple of points I was looking at my watch but I didn't pause or stopped the film. The film is average at best.

The makers of "Hi-8" return with five new low-budget chilling tales showcasing the talents of both veteran and emerging horror filmmakers. When two young women take the "Terror Tour" through the underbelly of Hollywood, they are led into a bizarre world of unspeakable horror.

As a wrap-around Terror Tour functions more utilitarian, feeling a little mundane for most of it's time span. It does work though, and really carries the overall anthology through these diverse and varied nightmares.

First stop - "Death Has a Conscience", proves the reaper doesn't spare the unlucky souls who stumble into his path. A hotel room is a trap for a addict whose next fix becomes her last.

Right away this short shows how talent and creativity can make something of quality on any budget, fun and compelling. The story stays simple but relatable. The cinematography is classic giallo styled work. The practical effects and creature design are clever choices, executed smoothly. I really dug the retro punk rock attitude.

Next, a meeting with the "Dealers of Death" exposes the perils of collecting murder memorabilia.

This one, even with the second half offering some attention grabbing moments, is overall lacking. The pace is clunky and the first half is drawn out a bit to much with unnecessary melodrama. Fewer location shots and more focus on the sinister subject matter could have really elevated the story.

Next up is "Night Drop", where your next movie rental may be your last. A rental clerk is faced with dark, satanic forces set loose from a mysterious DVD found in the returns bin.

This is one of my favorites in "Hi-Death". True, the story is super simplistic and moves quickly, but the sequence flashing the horrors and satanic imagery is one of the best moments in low-budget anthology that I have seen in a while. It reminded me of early Bressack and Treasure Chest Of Horror stuff.

An actress' worst nightmare unfolds as she is forced to perform a terrifying "Cold Read".

I was a bit bored with this one until the end. J did like the choice to film it with an almost dreamscape, atmospheric psychotica.

Finally Terror Tour comes to a disturbing end as we meet the ancient, seductive evil known as "The Muse".

This one was very warped, art class in Hell. It has some high points and a couple of low moments but overall it is a good, gory short with twisted humor. "Hi-Death" is a great indie horror that proves good storytelling and fun horror doesn't require a big budget to work. Definitely check it out.

I don't mind low budget horror, regardless of funds if a movie has something compelling to tell, it can still be good. Sadly, this one does not. Poor acting, poor dialog, poor camera work. Not worth the time.