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Reviews
The Rage (2007)
Divoff Shines Once Again
This is definitely Andrew Divoff's finest work in the genre in over a decade since Wishmaster. He really chews the scenery like a champ and is a blast to watch. Kurtzman also redeemed himself for his disappointing effort from last year Buried Alive. Rage did have a few flaws though but first I'll highlight the strong points. For one this film keeps the action moving from the very first gruesome scene to the last. The gore and makeup effects are top notch with the botched medical experiments and mutated vultures literally disemboweling people and sending limbs flying left and right. I won't ruin the specifics but if you dig blood this film delivers. Nothing is taken too seriously in this film although Divoff's back story really added some surprising layers to the typical mad scientist role. Erin Brown (Misty Mundae) is really starting to show she's good for more than just T and A in skin flicks. Although a return to that genre wouldn't be un welcomed LOL. Erin has has some cool moments in this including going postal on a perverted transvestite dwarf mutant......Yes you read that right. On the negative side less than convincing CGI mostly with the vultures. It certainly didn't ruin the movie by any means but there were a few shots that didn't look to great. All in all a must see in my opinion. Get the unrated DVD.
Buried Alive (2007)
I Didn't Know what To Expect, But Didn't Expect It to Be Boring
Robert Kurtzman is a seasoned horror vet, no one can deny that. However he made a truly terrible film in this case. The new Dimension Extreme label has gotten off to a hot start with the excellent Black Sheep and Broken. In addition you have a good director and the always at the top of his game Tobin Bell in the cast. Who by the way the way does have a decent amount of screen time, as some have said it's just a cameo. Now if you look at my past reviews you can tell I'm a generous critic who makes an effort to highlight the strengths' of a film, but thats really a difficult task here. For one the film is quite boring. The cast is annoying with the exception of Tobin. They didn't make me laugh and they certainly didn't make me care about there fates'. Most of all Buried Alive goes a good thirty or forty minutes before anything scary or gory happens, and then you have another long wait to the end. Your just stuck with the lame interaction of the characters lounging about, really not doing much. Tobin Bell is the only bright spot here. Now a couple things barely save this from a one rating, and thats a few much welcome moments of nudity, and maybe two kills done much better in Wrong Turn 2. Still it's so awfully boring for so long that I was actually just looking at the back of the DVD case for the running time, to see how long my misery would last. As an easy to please critic I give Buried Alive a "very" generous 3 rating. Kurtzman's other new film The Rage actually looks quite good, so I'll forgive this effort.
El retorno del hombre lobo (1981)
One Of Naschy's Finest
Night Of The Werewolf aka Retorno del Hombre-Lobo is without a doubt a must see classic in the Spanish horror genre. One negative I must mention first is an odd score in one early scene in particular, but that is a very minor complaint. Night Of The Werewolf is an absolutely beautifully shot film, with an amazing Gothic atmosphere. The look cannot be praised enough, such stunning shots and sets. Paul Naschy is in top form here, and I recommend Night Of The Werewolf to horror enthusiasts not familiar with Naschy's work. And lets not forget the drop dead gorgeous actresses', who are easy on the eyes, and deliver in there performances. Definitely makes one think "she can bathe in my blood anytime" LOL. Highly recommended to fans of Naschy, and fans of the genre in general. Get the new remastered DVD, which at Best Buy is available in a two pack with another Naschy film Vengeance Of The Zombies. It looks amazing.
Dark Remains (2005)
Terrifying Horror Superior To Most Any Studio Ghost Story
Dark Remains is a home run plain and simple. The film is full of creepy visuals, and scares' that will make the most seasoned horror veteran jump straight out of there seat. The staircase scene in particular, these guys are good. Although they weren't working on a huge budget everything looks good, and the actors come through. Dark Remains does have one of those interpretive endings which may be a negative for some, but I guess it makes you think. Cheri Christian and Greg Thompson are spot on as the grieving couple trying to rebuild there lives', however some side characters like the Sheriff didn't convince me. They aren't all that important anyways. I give Dark Remains a perfect ten rating for being ten times scarier than any recent studio ghost story/ Japanese remake.
Shadow Puppets (2007)
Fanboys Dream Cast In An Average Movie
Man I was hoping for so much more here. I am a die hard Buffy fan and eagerly anticipated a featured role for Marsters. Tony Todd in my view is one of the great actors working today in any genre, and Jolene was one of the bright spots of a dreary Enterprise. Not to mention I love the basic premise, and am a big fan of Cube. Sadly Shadow Puppets mostly falls into the average category. The acting is good, and there is a twist at the end that may surprise you. I believe the majority of the budget was spent on assembling the cast. I was okay with the generic smoke monster, it was what it was, and it was probably better to do something simple instead of a poor CGI creature. The film is never really that scary or suspenseful and there aren't any clever kills or gore moments so that may hurt it in the eyes of those looking for a Saw or Cube. Because of the cast I was hoping for more, but if it were Lorenzo Lamas and Shannon Tweed headlining my review would be less critical. Still it's a "slightly" above average film with a good cast.
Hunting Season (2007)
A Gritty Nailbiter Thats intensity Rivals That Of Any Recent Studio Feature
Hunting Season is such an impressive film, that is well worth seeking out. The intensity of this project rivals any recent studio effort. The plot is the basic young people go camping and end up getting hunted and tortured by crazy rednecks. However one thing that elevates it, is the characters aren't the typical stereotypes you normally see, and the viewer is given some back story, and a reason to care for these people and root for them to pull through. There are several scenes that will have you cringing and biting your nails, involving barb wire, steaks, and even a chainsaw chase through the woods. I never felt as though I was watching a low budget feature made by a first time director, which is saying something. Hunting Season delivers the suspense, and will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. Look for big things from this director. Highly recommended.
The Ugly (1997)
A Must See/ Perfect in Every Way
The Ugly is such a brilliant film. Paolo Rotondo, and Rebecca Hobbs are amazing actors. In fact it's a crime they haven't broken out and become huge stars yet. You all know the story, but the ending is whats really interesting. I've read different theories, but the one I tend to believe is that Paolo's character passed on his curse, or The Ugly if you will to the doctor. When I re watched the movie I really understood it better. Thats why he said " Don't Worry, I'm cured". Plus if you recall it was hinted that he had certain mental powers, hence the doctor seeing him in her dreams, and reacting when he touched her head. There are subtle clues throughout the The Ugly to back all this up. Still his powers aren't really focused on. At the heart of this film, it's a character study, about a disturbed, yet sympathetic killer, and his tormented existence. Still the last part of the story, will have you thinking, and debating with friends. For me I liked the way it ended, and didn't feel it was an artsy cop out like other recent examples of the genre. An absolute must see. This has been hard to find, but it was available in a Wal Mart DVD two pack recently, sadly with no extra features.
Delivery (2006)
Stickin It To The Man
I must say I wasn't expecting much from this when I bought the DVD, but ended up having an absolute blast. Matthew Nelson gives a surprisingly sympathetic performance. I found myself feeling so sorry for the character, and wanted things to work out for him and his love interest. Suffice it to say he finally slips all the way into madness, and seeks bloody retribution on his numerous tormentors. The best moments in this film come from Nelson really showing the characters pain. Nothing goes right for him, and literally every single person in his life is abusive to him in one way or the other. The dark humor here is hilarious, although some may find the side characters who torture Monty, to be way over the top. Still that makes all the more amusing when the movie goes all out slasher in the final 20 minutes or so. One negative a couple kills showed the films' low budget. Most of it is actually quite effective, but the sprinkler scene for example doesn't quite work. Still Delivery caught me off guard, and entertained the hell out of me. Definitely check this one out.
My Vampire Lover (2002)
Solid But I Have A Couple Complaints
My Vampire Lover delivers the required Girl On Girl action, which pretty much lasts the entire film. Thats a big plus, however there is little seduction to be found here. What I mean by that is I just didn't buy the love scenes. Our beautiful lead Vamp meets and then is making love to the neighborhood women all in a matter of five seconds. Generally there would be a little reservation at first, but not in My Vampire Lover. This film basically just goes from love scene to love scene which I like usually in my erotic films, but here it felt unbelievable and disjointed. I just felt the girls' were going through the motions, and it was sex scene after sex scene with no build whatsoever. Thats not to say it's all bad, Paige Richards is funny and extremely sexy as the lead Vampire, plus you have Misty Mundae aka Erin Brown as a Catholic Schoolgirl which was a sexy plus. So I recommend it to my fellow Seduction Cinema fans as the sex and nudity was abundant, just don't expect any real seducing to happen.
The Mad (2007)
Amusing Zomedy Film
WOW, the Zombie comedy genre sure seems to be in style lately. I'll say this much, The Mad had a lot of firsts in it, and definitely entertained me, even though it wasn't quite as perfect as some reviews have made it out to be. first off, Billy Zane is a great actor, in fact this is totally his movie. I did laugh at his dialog, even though I felt his performance was a tad uneven at times. Some of the death scenes were just plain hilarious. I won't spoil it for you with specifics, but I will say look for a funny decapitation scene, as well as an attack from a possessed Hamburger Pattie.... Now that has to be a first. The Mad certainly has B movie classic potential. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good campy horror film.
Spoiler Warning- I do have some mild criticism. For one thing, I didn't care for the climactic portion at the farm. I felt the villainous father and son duo, were just kind of dumb, and pointless. I didn't find them funny, and certainly didn't find them threatening in any way. Second although the film did have a few generally laugh out loud moments, the comedy, and performances were a tad uneven at times, and just didn't consistently hit for me. But hey I can't complain to much about a film that has freakin Hamburger Patties attacking people. If you enjoy this check out the numerous recent entries in the Zomedy genre like Dead and Deader, Shaun Of The Dead, Stink Of Flesh, Dead and Breakfast, and an early example of the genre, Dead Heat.
Kottentail (2007)
Oh Man I Wanted So Bad To Like This
Okay first off the effects are purposely cheesy. An obviously stuffed bunny rabbit on a visible string is used as a prop. This is totally a comedy, and has virtually no real horror elements whatsoever. Thats not why i'm giving it a less then stellar review though, as I knew I was getting a campy micro budget film. For one thing, although the movie does offer some skin, and scantily clad women, it's not nearly enough. There are certain situations in the film, where much more should have been revealed. The women are lovely, and this had way too many cut away scenes. Ultimately the one thing this has going for it, is the ladies are very likable, and talented, and I got a few chuckles out of there performances. Unfortunately they were too few, and far between.
Roman (2006)
Brilliant And Moving Character Study
First off this film isn't just a male focused version of May. SPOILER WARNING- One big difference is Roman never purposely hurt anyone in the film. It's basically about a lonely, socially awkward, and disturbed man, trying to find happiness in the world. Sadly when he makes his first real connection, and falls for a girl, his inexperience in interaction with other people, leads to him accidentally killing his love. I won't give anything else away plot wise, except to say that he does fall in love with again with a somewhat disturbed girl, and just as it seems his life is finally looking up, an unexpected twist happens. Angela Bettis does a great job as director this time around, and Lucky Mckee was absolutely dead on in his portrayal of Roman, You really felt for the character.
Dead & Deader (2006)
A pleasant surprise, Although not without It's Faults
I wasn't expecting much from this, but ended up being pleasantly surprised. First off I'll get the bad out of the way. The Kevin Smith style humor, and one liners were pretty hit and miss. I generally liked the cast, they had chemistry, and I found them amusing, however some of the lines were totally copied from Smith's films. Including a rant on who the better James Bond was between Roger Moore, and Sean Connery. And even the humorous moment where Timothy Dalton was mentioned. If you've seen those films, then you know what I mean. Another mild compliant is I loved Armin Shimmerman's character, and would have liked to have seen him with more screen time. Now with that out of the way, I'll get to the overwhelming good. First off the blood and gore effects were top notch. For what was mostly a lighthearted comedy/horror, it gets pretty darn messy. Heads being exploded from ceiling fans, scorpions torn out from inside a person's flesh, and more. It definitely came through for us gore hounds. And the cast, although again some humor fell flat, delivered. All in all, a very good movie. Check it out.
Devil's Den (2006)
It May Be A Rip Off, But It's A Fun Rip Off
So much of the negative reviews I've seen on this film, come from the fact that it borrows quite liberally from Robert Rodriquez's From Dusk Till Dawn. You have the strip club in the middle of nowhere, the only difference is it substitutes Demonic Succubi chicks, for Vampires. One of my main reasons for recommending this film is Ken Foree of Dawn Of The Dead fame, who gives a fun performance, with plenty of screen time. Also if you like Idle Hands, Devon Sawa is basically playing that again here. At first I wasn't so sure i'd like his character, but he becomes endearing as the film roles on. Rounding out the cast Kelly Hu, also makes for a likable heroine. The Cast has excellent chemistry, and although unlikely, I'd love to see a sequel, which it was left open for. If you like the premise of Devil's Den, you won't be disappointed. Plenty of action, humor, gore, and a little T and A, makes for good times. It isn't anything new, but as far as rip offs go, it's well above average.
Beneath Still Waters (2005)
Almost A Great film, But Had Some Problems
First off, I am a big fan of Brian Yuzna's work, as well as frequent partner Stuart Gordon. I felt this film, was way better then Rottweiler, or Faust, which suffered greatly from a miscast lead. I'll get the negative stuff out of the way first. There were a couple underwater shots, that didn't quite measure up to the rest of the film, and being that the actors had different nationalities, some of the performances came off as uneven, due to the language barrier. Most of this was shot in English from what I could tell, although the boys' in the opening sequence may have been dubbed. Now on to the overwhelming majority, which was good. The villain was creepy, and the actor gave a spectacular performance. The story was fascinating, and the sets, and makeup effects were the stuff of horror classics. There was a time, after the excellent opening, that I was leaning more towards putting this film in the interesting, but deeply flawed category Rottweiler and Faust are in, but ultimately for me the good far outweighed the bad. The bizarre finale, really reminded me of Yuzna's work in the unheralded classic Society. My advice, stick with it, it's not quite a great film, but it's a very good one.
The Gravedancers (2006)
Mike Mendez Does It Again
I have been eagerly awaiting Mendez's next film, since the The Convent, which was one of my favorite horror films' that year. While Gravdancers is a much more serious, and different film from Convent, I still had a blast.I have one minor complaint, but first I'll start with the good. Number one as several others have mentioned, it's refreshing to see a genre film with actual adult actors, who are reasonably intelligent, although dancing on graves isn't to bright, and not the usual stereotypes. The production values are top notch, and it's just amazing how superior Gravedancers is to virtually every other tired Hollywood supernatural snooze fest to come out over the last several years'. Buffy fans will take delight in Carol Kramer's performance as Purcell's wife. Now my one minor complaint. Dominic Purcell seems like a wooden, and uninteresting actor to me. I didn't mind him so much, as I just was thinking about a hundred other guys who would have been better in the role. I'm probably alone on that, as Prison Break is so popular, but just a minor observation. I highly recommend this movie.
The Stink of Flesh (2005)
An Original Indie Zombie Film That Gets It Right
When I saw several respected horror reviewers claiming they enjoyed this more than 28 Days Later and Shaun Of The Dead, naturally my expectations went way up. Luckily for the filmmakers the hype was genuine, as this is an immensely entertaining film. The gore effects were perfectly executed, and the fight scenes were choreographed in a believable manner. If you have seen the fight scenes in another indie zombie movie called Corpses Are Forever, in which the lead misses the zombie antagonists by a mile on each punch, you can appreciate this films top notch work. The storyline is wonderfully twisted, with some bizarre sexuality, including two very close conjoined sisters, one of whom is more than a little different. The actors all come through, without one poor performance. This is a must see for indie horror fans', and any serious zombie aficionado.
Incubus (2006)
Not As Bad As I expected
Tara Reid is not exactly a favorite of mine, so my expectations going in were quite low. Having said that, compared to her terrible miscasting as a scientist in the dreadful Alone In The Dark, she did okay. Her emotional scenes, seemed to be a little uneven, and over the top. As far as the gore goes, it's pretty dry, and mostly off camera, with the exception of a few scenes. I thought the rest of the cast did a decent job, and Mihai Stanescu in particular did an admirable job as The Sleeper. All in all it had some moderate suspense, and creepiness going for it. Stanescu was the best part, and with a little more gore, and a stronger female lead, this could have been much more. Not to be confused with The William Shatner film Incubus.
Corpses Are Forever (2004)
Interesting In Parts, But To Many Flaws Hurt This Film
Two things straight off the bat, that hurt this film. Number one as the original reviewer mentioned the kicks on the zombies are way off, and hit nothing but air. I'm sympathetic to low budgets', but it's hard to focus when our lead hero is children's play fighting with the hordes of living dead. Second, Prendes is not an actor. Honestly I thought he did okay, if you keep that fact in mind, but he still doesn't hit the right notes at all, and really bogs down the film. It's odd, because the rest of the cast is excellent. Scream queens Rochon, Stevens, Quigley, and Rose all together in one film, was a huge plus. And Richard Lynch chews the scenery like the veteran genre pro he is. What I personally enjoyed about Corpses, is it's unique. So many zombie films be they big budget studio epics, or micro budget indie efforts, all try and recreate the magic of Romero, but Corpses dares to be different. In fact, if your looking for a zombie carnage film, you'll be disappointed, the zombies are never intimidating, and our heroes pretty much get past them with little effort. This is basically a supernatural spy film, with a solid story, and multiple twists.
Voodoo Moon (2006)
Didn't Develop The Characters Properly
Yet another ambitious film from Kevin Van Hook. The Cast is very talented, the production values are top notch, and yet it still falls into the average category. One main gripe I had, was the film had all these interesting characters', but you barely knew who they were, and what they are about. I wanted to see more about John Amos's character for example. He was a member of a vicious biker gang, and now he's a warrior in the battle of good vs evil. Beyond that, nothing is really developed. Jeffrey Combs is brilliant as always, unfortunately he doesn't have as much screen time. Maybe my memory is deceiving me, as I watched this a couple months ago, but I don't think they explain why Combs is a walking corpse. The evil killed everyone else he attacked in the early stages of the film, and they stay dead, and yet Combs for some unexplainable reason is able to keep on ticking after having his neck snapped. The good points are the cast, which although underdeveloped, is very talented, and shine with what little they have to work with. The special effects are all well above average, although some viewers may be disappointed with the lack of gore. Voodoo Moon is worth a look, as long as your expectations aren't to high. I just expected more from Charisma's first major film role.
Horror (2003)
Some Of The Best Horror Imagery I've Ever Seen
Dante Tomaselli's Horror is an unbelievable achievement. The man has an eye for the surreal, and creepy, as Horror features some of the coolest shots since the original Suspiria. Renowned real life hypnotist The amazing Kreskin does a surprisingly good job, and if you believe the gentleman, the actors were actually under his hypnotic influence during his scenes. Also this film delivers arguably the greatest animal performance of all time, from the goat type creature on the box. The eyes on that animal, are creepy as hell. Horror is a difficult film to summarize, but if you enjoy the works of Dario Argento, and David Lynch, I think you will definitely enjoy this. Current up and coming scream queen Raine Brown makes her first major horror appearance in this, and Felissa Rose of Sleepaway Camp fame also has a cameo.
Dark Places (2005)
Trippy and Surreal, Nessa Hawkins is an amazing actress
I had no expectations going into this. Having just finished viewing Dark Places as I type, I can say this is one of best acted micro budget films of the year. Nessa Hawkins gives a tour de force performance, as a coked out prostitute, battling her demons. She is definitely someone to look out for in the near future. She's not alone as David C. Hayes and the lovely Syn Devil, are very creepy, as the sadistic owners' of the house of torment and depravity, that Keri finds herself trapped in. The film has a trippy haze look to it, that actually fit the story quite well. Don't expect a bloodbath, although there are a few nasty bits that caught me off guard. I really felt for Keri as she tried to make a place in the world for herself, which is a testament to how great Nessa's performance was. She really broke my heart at times, which I wasn't expecting in a small indie horror movie. Dark Places is a good example of what a talented crew can do, on a minuscule budget. This is a mind trip film, in the vein of Ken Russel or David Lynch, so I recommend watching at full attention.
Tiki (2006)
Poor Man's version of the old killer doll films from Full Moon
I was always a big fan growing up of the early work from Charlie Band's Full Moon pictures. The Puppet Master series being a shining example. I really wanted to like Tiki, but sadly there is little to recommend it. One could argue that the idea of the killer puppets, or dolls in Full Moon's pictures', was unrealistic as a menacing threat, and just campy. And I'd have to agree with that, however those films had charm, and some of the entries were much better than the critics gave them credit for. There are limits to one's disbelief, and sadly the design in Tiki was really bad. The Tiki doll's kills are just hard to watch, and not in a good way. There was some mildly redeeming gore, but the Tiki was just to pathetic to really care, and took away any small impact the scenes had. Remember I actually liked many of Full Moon's epics', so take my poor review of this into account before you view it. Also yet again a B movie sin is committed, and thats a lesbian scene, that cut away before any real flesh was revealed. Don't mean to be crass, but I know thats what you guys want to know about. It is worse to tease a scene, and not really deliver, than it is to not even have it at all. The acting varies, but is alright for a low budget film, with local theater talent. Ultimately a film like Tiki needs to be either funny or scary, and Tiki is neither. It just ran way to long, and they could have learned something from Full Moon.
Live Feed (2006)
One Of The Better Low Budget Efforts Of Last Year
Alright first let me address the acting question. Yes a few cast members aren't the greatest, but honestly there was only one person in particular that I'd say did a poor job. Kevan Ohtsji, best known as Lord Yu's servant on Stargate SG1, actually showed great screen presence, and I could see him getting a lot of gigs in the future, as a leading man. You liked him, and were routing for him in the final bloodbath. Also of note, Stephen Chang played a creepy, and sinister Yakuza boss straight out of a Takashi Miike epic. Very cruel, and added a lot to the film. So overall I'm going to have to disagree with the majority of people on here and say the acting was well above average, with the exception of some early casualties. The splatter was a gore hounds wet dream, with heads being ripped off, bloody sword fights, death by cooking grease, and the infamous snake, and tempura penis scenes. It doesn't go nearly as far as Cannibal Ferox, or other films it pays homage to, but if you are into those ultra violent epics, you'll love this. Live Feed was actually made before Hostel, so those dismissing it as a rip off are mistaken. The suspense itself is never at the level Hostel was, and i'll agree that sympathy for some of the characters' could have made the scenes more effective. Overall though, this is certainly not bland, watered down, Hollywood horror, and thats always got to be commended. Ryan Nicholson did a great job, on a low budget, with all the genre goodies. This review is of the unrated cut.
Aunt Rose (2005)
Cruel And Inventive, With A Great Up And Coming Cast
For those of you like me, who feel even R rated horror is to commercial, then Aunt rose is the film for you. Every single cast member delivers an excellent on the money performance, which is rare for a low budget movie featuring several newcomers. The thugs who invade the house and torture the poor family are made up of the leader Johnny Nelson who was very intimidating and believable, the crazy but sexy Velocity Chyaldd, and the misguided, but slightly more level headed Kevin T. Collins. What this movie does that so few ever touch upon, is giving a history of these villains, to show there troubled, abusive pasts, and how they came to be the sick sadistic monsters you see before you. The mother and father were also very realistic, they portray the family as loving, but also estranged somewhat with there teenage daughters life choices. When the family is taken hostage, you feel there desperation every step of the way, and root for them to come through it intact. The film is not quite as gory as I thought it would be, but the kills are very nasty, and cruel, and have a surprising impact on the audience. I must also mention Raine Brown who played the daughter's lesbian lover, in an excellent, and oddly non exploitive way. Keep an eye out for her, I predict she'll become a new genre staple alongside my personal favorite scream queens Debbie Rochon, and Tiffany Shepis. My only beefs with the film are as follows, for one I found in a few instances that some of the family members foolishly taunted, or provoked the murderers for no direct reason. I guess you don't know how a person would react to an invasion like that, but I just found myself questioning what the heck they were thinking. It kept me on the edge of my seat though, and made me think about what I would do, so maybe thats not such a bad thing. And finally, I felt the ending wasn't totally satisfying. Without spoiling anything, I just felt it lacked the impact it needed. A couple very minor instances aside, I highly recommend Aunt Rose to the hardcore horror crowd. It's one of the better acted low budget horrors I've seen in some time.