Friday 30 November 2012

DVD review: Porkchop 3D (2012)


When a group of survivors come together in a bid for revenge, they´re in for a shock when they discover the masked maniac is not alone! Porkchop 3D is written by James Collar and Eamon Hardimann who also is the director. The acting is decent and plenty of it is tongue in cheek, the camerawork and editing is pretty good. The 3D works, you get tits, blood and guts in your face. There´s plenty of intentional comedy on display and I actually laughed out loud a few times. Even if it has a running time of 1 hour and 45 minutes it never gets dull, the pacing is good. There are many more characters in this compared to the previous parts and the body count is much higher. It´s gory, it´s all practical stuff, most of it looks good and all kills occur on screen. I love it! One of the highlights, in my opinion, is when a character gets his face ripped apart. On the topic of T & A, well let´s just say there is there is gratuitous and nice topless nudity in it, special mention goes to Kaylee Williams and Whitlee Flinn as Kathy, both actresses are absolutely gorgeous and sexy. There are a couple of sex scenes and a rape scene in this.
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Razor Sharp Studios. FILMED IN 3D!  Includes 3D glasses! Due to disc space, some special features could not be added, along with the 2D version of the film..
Now visit Razor Sharp Studios here, buy a copy and support independent filmmaking.
Rating: 7 out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot, it´s without a shadow of a doubt the best part in the Porkchop trilogy. Highly recommended if you are looking for gore, nudity and comedy. This was truly a great finish to the month of November.

/JL

Review: The Reckoner (2012)

 
First I´d like to thank Stephen Oxborrow for contacting me.
Two kidnappers are preparing to carry through with the threat to kill a hostage but they are not alone in the forest. The Reckoner is written, produced, shot, edited and directed by Stephen Oxborrow. It´s a short film with a running time of 12 minutes. The acting is pretty good, it´s nicely shot and edited. The soundtrack is good. The concept is very cool, the pacing is nice and the Reckoner is suitably ruthless and efficient. I hope that Stephen Oxborrow will continue to expand and develop the concept as it as huge potential and is sure to appeal to fans of vigilante flicks worldwide. There is some brief but realistic gore and it done with practical make-up fx. There is no T & A in this.
This review is based upon a online screener provided by Stephen Oxborrow.
Rating: 5½ out of 7. I enjoyed this. I look forward to Stephen Oxborrow´s next project, it would be very interesting to see what he can do with a bigger budget.

/JL

Thursday 29 November 2012

Review: Reckoner (2011)


First I´d like to thank Stephen Oxborrow for contacting me and asking if i´d be interested in taking a look at his work.
A bank robber encounters a masked murderer whilst hiding from the police. Reckoner is written, produced, shot, edited and directed by Stephen Oxborrow. It´s a short film with a running time of barely 7 minutes. The acting is pretty good, it´s nicely shot and edited. The soundtrack is good. The pacing is good. The look of the masked murderer/vigilante is cool and he´s obviously a sadist (no more details due to spoilers). There is no gore in this. No T & A in this.
This review is based upon a online screener provided by Stephen Oxborrow.
Rating: 5½ out of 7. I enjoyed this, as a avid fan of vigilante flicks I actually wish it would have been a little bit longer.

/JL

Tuesday 27 November 2012

DVD review: Inside the Whore (Video 2012)


During the shooting of Reinart Kiil's feature film The Whore a lot of mysterious things happened on set. This is the story that should have been told. Inside the Whore is written, produced and directed by Reinert Kiil and he plays himself in the movie. First of all, the DVD cover and the promotional artwork has nothing/nil to do with the actual movie. The acting is bad, the camera-work and editing is pretty good. The concept isn´t too shabby but it gets lost in this movie which is a movie within a movie which is in a movie. It seems to take forever for anything to happen even if the flick deals more with psychological than physical terror. There is some brief amateurish-looking gore, and this movie might have the lamest depiction of the damage from a shotgun blast ever, apparently it leaves a neat little hole. There is some T & A, most of it appears early during a awesome intro where the credits for cast and crew is shown  on a naked woman who dances. The names are carved into her skin. There is a full frontal male nudity but I think it´s a fake cock... There are a couple of rape-scenes but they are all lame by any standard if you compare with both exploitation and mainstream movies.
This review is based upon the region 2 DVD release from Another World Entertainment..
Rating: 0½ out of 7. Inside the Whore is a vertiable sleeping pill, it´s obvious that Reinert Kiil attempts to provoke the politically correct viewers but he fails even with that. The only thing I found offensive is that I actually paid 149 sek for it... I can´t recommend this movie for anyone, instead I´ll suggest that you spend your hardearned money on something else.

/JL








Monday 26 November 2012

DVD review: Terror at Black Tree Forest (2010)


A young mother is brutally raped and murdered in front of her own child in the woods during the Summer of 1970. Twenty years later a group of college friends head off to the same woods – “Black Tree Forest” to do some hiking and camping. However, Brian Mellows, the young child who was left scarred twenty years ago, has recently escaped from the Vestron Hospital for the Criminally Insane. The young campers out for a fun-filled weekend end up in the fight for their lives as they encounter a mysterious masked Killer who stalks the forest in search of innocent victims. They play a terrifying game of “cat and mouse” with the Killer…until it is time for the last Terror at Black Tree Forest! Terror at Black Tree Forest is written, shot, edited and directed by Dustin Ferguson. The acting is bad, some of it quite awful. It´s badly shot and edited but the electronic soundtrack is actually pretty good. Some scenes looks like they actually been shot at night, they are too dark, but for the most part the filmmakers have used a filter and shot the scenes during daylight. After a violent start the flick quickly loses it´s pace and becomes boring, it seems to take forever to pick up the pace again. Terror at Black Tree Forest is surprisingly graphic, some of the fx are pretty bad but now and then something happens and we get a good gore-fx, the high light being a big knife getting plunged into an eye. There is a brief moment of topless nudity in it, if you blink you´ll miss it. The rape of the young mother in the beginning of the movie is amongst the most pathetic rape-scenes I´ve ever seen in a movie.
This review is based upon the region all (Region 0) DVD release from RHR Home Video.
Rating: 0½ out of 7. Despite a running time of just 65 minutes this is a overlong and boring slasher feature.

/JL

DVD review: Death on Demand (2008)


Twenty years ago, ice climber and adventurer Sean McIntyre (Jerry Broome) savagely murdered his family and hung himself in the attic. The murders are an unwelcome and unspoken oart of a town´s history until Richard (Dan Falcone), a savvy college student, convinces three couples to spend Halloween night in the house and solve the mystery during a live webcast. As they move through the abondoned house they soon realize they are not alone. In this web of horror, the night becomes a fight for survival. Death on Demand is written by Brian O´Hara, Kevin Burke and Adam Matalon who also is the director. The acting is semi-decent and there are a few highly annoying characters in this, the camerawork and editing is good. It never gets especially scary and there quite a bit of intentional comic relief (made me think of American Pie), mostly consisting of cheap laughs. There are some good gore on display here, we get a couple of on screen kills. There are sex scenes and gratiuitous topless nudity, courtesy of Anne McDaniels as Tammy, Krista Gotte as Velvet Luv and Sarah Christal as Haydn.
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from MTI Home Video.
Rating: 2½ out of 7. Death on Demand is pretty decent and you could do a lot worse... It has the hallmarks of a slashers, you get nudity, sex and gore. I just wish that they would have taken it a bit easier with the comedic relief.

/JL



DVD review: Boggy Creek (2010)


When Jennifer´s (Melissa Carnell) father dies in a horrific accident, she finds herself drawn to his small cabin in Boggy Creek, Texas. She brings a few friends along for a weeks´ stay, but their vacation soon turns deadly. They are warned of an evil that has lurked near the water for three decades, a terrifying creature that murders the men and abducts women. While camping, Jennifer and her friends encounter this evil, finding themselves on the feeding grounds of a giant beast. What began as a journey of self discovery becomes a desperate fight for survival along Boggy Creek as they soon learn the legends are true. Boggy Creek is written by Jennifer Minar and Brian T. Jaynes who also is the director. The acting is good, much better than expected. The flick is professionally shot and edited. The setting looks great, both beautiful and mysterious. The soundtrack is good. While there is gore, good looking make-up fx, the kills themselves aren´t graphic instead we see the grisly aftermath. The creature design fx, man in suit, is top-notch, going more in the wildman direction. There is a sexscene but there is no T & A in this, female characters appear in bikini and underwear and that´s it which is kind of a shame as the female cast are great looking, Melissa Carnell, Stephanie Honore and Shavon Kirskey are all hotties. I guess I should mention that there also is some male "eye-candy" for those who are interested.
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Hannover House.
Rating: 6 out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot! But I must point out that there are a few plotholes and the relationships between the characters takes up too much of the running time, the reason I´m watching a creature feature is to see creatures wreak havoc not some drama. I loved the ending, it took me by surprise. Recommended to fans, like me, who love a good Bigfoot movie!

/JL




Sunday 25 November 2012

DVD review: Killing Heat (2012)


When JD (Kenny Wang) is fired from his dull desk job, two of his old college buddies invite him to Thailand for some old fashion R&R. Landing at Bangkok airport he meets his old pals John Walker and Gordon Goldman, who both have become successful international businessmen in Thailand. Straight to Pattaya, the city of sin, his friends promise him a vacation he'll never forget. JD quickly learns the ropes of the bar-life and is having the time of his life. His friends get a crisis-call from their biggest client, Mr. Suntory, and abruptly leave JD alone in the world's biggest red-light district. Not wanting to miss out on any fun, JD continues his heavy drinking until he passes out. Hungover and thirsty, JD wakes up in the boiling hot jungle with no idea where he is and no memory of how he got there. With no mobile reception, no money and only Viagra in his pockets, JD starts his journey back to civilization. Battling both heat and humidity, he finds himself more and more on the brink of total meltdown, all the while getting mixed up in a dispute he understands nothing of. Killing Heat is written by Kenny Wang and Daniel Dahl who also is the director. The acting is decent, the camerawork and editing is pretty good. Killing Heat does take it´s time to get going as JD and his friends visit bars, get drunk, pick up hookers and so on. Not sure but some of the nightlife footage looks like it might have been shot with a hidden camera. Things look authentic and it´s refreshing (at least for me) to see a new and exotic setting. This flick is not for the politically correct and there are some scenes that many might find "a bit" offensive but as I hate spoilers I won´t go into any details. There are also some comic relief, some of this due to cultural differences. When the action gets going it, JD goes into Rambo-mode as he takes on countless locals in shootouts and hand to hand combat. It´s quite evident that the actionscenes are inspired by classic John Woo movies, for instance we get two fisted gunplay and some guns seem to have limitless magazine capacity. Our hero gets to do some fancy moves while shooting guns and so on. Even if I hesitate to admitting it the gunplay actually does get a bit repetitive and boring but it seems that the filmakers were aware of this and therefore added fightscenes, there are some martial arts on display and it looks pretty good  (actually much better than expected) and I actually wished that they would have had more of it on screen. An added bonus to the fightscenes is that the blood splashes freely as people gets punched and kicked. Most of the gore consists of computer rendered squibs and there are a lot of them but there are some practical fx in it also. There is T & A (mostly petite looking thai actresses) and sexscenes in this.
Support independent filmmaking and order your copy here . It´s available on both DVD and Blu-ray.
This review is based upon the region 0 (Region All) dvd release from 3 F. The dialogue spoken is in english and thai.
Rating: 6 out of 7. I enjoyed this. It´s a politically incorrect violent shoot 'em up flick and in my opinion the filmmakers have made the most out of their limited budget. It looks good, much better than I was expecting, and kept me entertained throughout its running time.

/JL



DVD review: The Deadly Spawn (1983)




A group of campers stumble upon the remnants of a meteorite and discover some fanged, worm-like creatures have hitched a ride to Earth. After the "camper" appetizer, the alien spawn take refuge in the basement of an isolated house… and get ready for the main course! With the people in the house now becoming the entrees of an intergalactic monster buffet, a group of teenagers, led by a small boy, decide to take this matter into their own hands… to stop the aliens from reproducing and rid the world of THE DEADLY SPAWN once and for all! The Deadly Spawn is written by Tim Sullivan, John Dods, Ted A. Bohus and Douglas McKeown who also is the director. The acting is pretty decent  but some of it is mediocre. The camerawork and editing is pretty good. It features a fair amount of tongue-in-cheek humor. The pacing is pretty good but the flick seems to lose its momentum a few times and those scenes are pretty boring. This is wonderfully gory fun with glorious creature special effects (all done practical) which looks original and is greatlooking. One of the many gory highlights is when the monster gnaws the skin right off of characters face.
There is no T & A in this even though one of the female characters have a see-through négligé.
This review is based upon the region 0 (Region All) DVD release from Synapse Synapse Films.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. The Deadly Spawn is a great independent creature feature, it isn´t scary but it´s very entertaining and fun to watch. The special effects are impressive and the kills are gruesome. Make sure to check to out this flick if you haven´t already. Highly Recommended!

/JL





Saturday 24 November 2012

DVD review: End of the Line (2007)


Karen (Ilona Elkin), a young nurse who works in a psychiatric ward, boards the last subway train of the night only to have it stop suddenly in the middle of the tunnel. As those around her are brutally murdered, Karen and a handful of survivors must face supernatural forces, homicidal religious cult members, as well as their own fears and suspicions of Armageddon, in order to survive. End of the Line is written, produced and directed by Maurice Devereaux. The acting is pretty good, with one or two exceptions. It´s nicely shot and edited, the setting of the subway is used to great effect. It has a nice and creepy atmosphere. The soundtrack is very good. It´s violent, it´s pretty gory and it´s all practical fx which for the most part looks great. The highlight is a  half-decapitation. The creature fx design is also sweet-looking, it´s man in suit fx for the most part but I think there might be some computer rendered creatures in it. No T & A in this but there are a couple of sexual situations.
This review is based upon the Swedish region 2 DVD release from Noble Entertainment.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. End of the Line works, it´s entertaining from start to finish and gorehounds will not be disappointed. I guess I should mention that Christians cultists probably might wanna stay away from this flick as they probably will be offended by it. This one is definitely worth checking out!

/JL


Tuesday 20 November 2012

DVD review: Edward's Julia (2012)


The crazy comes out in Edward Yames, (Jody Dean) after finding out Julia, (Kelly Novinski) the woman he loves is having an affair, when the relationship becomes fatal he finds himself falling apart and the voice of Julia threatningly haunting him. After a strange visit from a young physic Sara Middlestone, (Stephanie Walk) things start to get crazy, as Julia sends messages through her messagener, the only question is will the love of a new woman bring Edward back to normal or will the voice of Julia drive him off the edge before he has a chance to live a regular life once again. Edward's Julia is written, produced, shot and directed by Jody Dean who also plays the main character. The acting is bad, the camerawork and editing is pretty bad but the soundtrack is good. The pacing is pretty good, the running time is approx 60 minutes. There is no gore (although Jody Dean does get credit for make-up fx) and no T & A in this. This is very disappointing as there actually is a warning card before the film starts stating that "The following film contains violence, profanity and brief sexual content." 
Support independent filmmaking by heading over to Sickafyed Films official website here and grab a copy of the Don’t go on The Trail/Edward´s Julia DVD.
This review is based upon the region all (Region 0) DVD release from Sickafyed Films.
Rating: 1 out of 7. I do like the concept but it´s badly implemented with pretty bad camerawork and bad acting. The warning before the movie certainly raises the expectations but the violence is very lame and sexual content is so brief and lame that if you´d blink you´ll miss it. The only really positive things I have to say is that the plot and the soundtrack is good. It´s quite possible that Edward's Julia would have been a better flick if Jody Dean had not been involved in so many different parts of the filmmaking and instead might have focused on, for instance, writing and directing. 

/JL


Thursday 15 November 2012

DVD review: Fright Flick (2011)


On the set of the low-budget slasher film ‘Fright Flick’, people resent the director Laurent (Richard Curtin) having cast the talentless Debbie (Jennifer Garner) as the lead actress solely because of her big chest. Debbie is then attacked and killed in her room, although her body is never found. Two years later, the same film crew sign into a motel to make ‘Fright Flick Part 3’. There are resentments among the crew, including the accusation that Laurent has plagiarised the idea for the original film’s script. As shooting begins, a mystery figure begins killing the film crew one by one. Fright Flick is written by Todd Jenkins and Israel Luna who also is the director. The acting is pretty good, it´s nicely shot and edited. While it is a slasher at heart it does have plenty of tongue in cheek comedy. A couple of the kills are quite creative and there are noticeable homages to Halloween II and Friday the 13th.  It´s gory, it´s all impressive practical fx and I love it but a couple of the kills do occur off screen. The gore fx looks good although there is one exception when a head is being popped off by an accelerating car. There is plenty of T & A, almost all of it occurs in the opening scenes courtesy of busty (looks like silicon valley) Jennifer Garner and we´re talking gratuitous topless nudity....
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Vicious Circle Films.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot, it´s very entertaining. Fright Flick is pretty straightforward, it makes the most of its limited budget and manages to deliver most things you’re looking for from a slasher movie. Recommended to fans of the slasher genre.  

/JL



DVD review: Don't Go on the Trail (2012)


After Hellady Marie James, is raped and murdered, she comes back to life seeking revenge on any and everyone that walks the trail. Don't Go on the Trail is written, produced and directed by Jody S. Dean who also plays a character in the film.The acting is pretty decent, some of the cast is certainly better performers than others but it is pretty decent overall. The camerawork and editing is pretty good. I did like the soundtrack, especially the instrumental and is composed by Jody S. Dean. The pacing is good, things happening more or less non stop and the flick as a unconventional structure which actually works in its favor. It´s violent but there is only some brief gore but a lot of blood. The fx, handled by Jody S. Dean who is something of Jack of all trades in this flick, is okay even if a bit amateurish. It has a high bodycount but mysical stuff/the on hand carnage happens off screen. In the T & A department there is a very very brief shot of actress laying nude on her stomach while speaking on the phone. If you blink you´ll miss it. There is two rapescenes, sort of, but neither is very strong in it´s content for the jaded viewer but I guess that some mainstream fans might find some of the stuff disturbing but that particular scene ends quickly.
Support independent filmmaking by heading over to Sickafyed Films official website here and grab a copy of the Don’t go on The Trail/Edward´s Julia DVD.
This review is based upon the region all (Region 0) DVD release from Sickafyed Films.
Rating: 2 out of 7. It´s pretty decent but I have to say that I had high expectations after reading the warning card before the flick began telling me that "The following film is Unrated And Contains Violence, Profanity, Nudity And Strong Sexual Content." Sure it´s violent, it has a high bodycount, there is profanity but there is hardly any gore, no nudity to speak of and no strong sexual content.

/JL

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Review: Treasure Chest of Horrors (2012)


First I´d like to thank James Cullen Bressack for contacting me and providing me with a screener.
Treasure Chest of Horrors is a no-budget short film anthology consisting of four stories.
ROTTEN CLASSMATES written and directed by Doug Wash. nerdy student is constantly by a quartet of punks... however, there's a kid sitting in the back of the library who just can't have such behavior - so he turns into Gasmask Man. Awful acting, badly shot and edited. Some amateurish gore fx but it at least offers some unique kills, hthe high light being a characters getting his head crushed by a mop wringer. No T & A in this.
VAMPIRE`S LUST written and directed by Shawn C. Phillips and M. Kelley. One day when walking home, Tobias (M. Kelley) is bitten by a vampire bat, which - duh - turns him into a vampire. He soon wants to suck the blood of his best friend, with whom he usually hangs out to make horror movies...  Really bad acting, badly shot and edited. The make-up fx are ridiculous. No T & A in this.
RESIDENT EMO written and directed by Doug Wash. Ernie is your typical emo who seems to be living for nothing other than cutting himself. Then he cuts himself with a haunted blade and turns into a zombie, and soon he zombifies the entire emo-population in school. Abyssmaly bad acting, badly shot and edited. The comedy is of the pee and poo variety and fails miserably. It´s gory but the gore fx is VERY amateurish, they even use spaghetti as guts... It looks like it was made by a kid, it makes me think that Andreas Schnass probably isn´t as bad as I thought all this time. No T & A in this. Made by kids for kids?
MAMA, IT`S A MANNEQUIN written and directed by Doug Wash. For her 18th birthday, mom  buys Patty a mannequin - but the mannequin appears to be cursed, and starts killing people at Patty's birthday party... Awful acting, badly shot and edited. No gore to speak of even if it has a few violent moments, the high light being when a character gets his balls ripped off. No T & A in this.
This review is based upon a passwordprotected online screener provided by James Cullen Bressack.
Rating: 0 out of 7. This was just awful, awfully bad. I love independent flicks, I love low budget flicks so that´s not a problem but I do have a problem when they don´t even try to make an effort, don´t even seem to have a script, when they don´t even make an effort to hire competent actors. This was a pain to sit through, a tedious experience and as the flaws are so many I won´t even make an effort to name them all. I can´t find any quality or entertainment value in Treasure Chest of Horrors, it´s just horrid . After this I´ll stay away from the intentional bad flicks for a long time.

/JL

Saturday 10 November 2012

Review: 2 Hours (2012)


First I´d like to thank the filmmakers for providing me with a link where I could watch their movie.
A nameless survivor (Josh Merrill) is ambushed and infected with the virus, a beautiful gift to the world. 2 Hours is written by Josh Merill and is directed, shot and edited by Michael Ballif. The acting is good, Josh Merill´s nameless main character more or less carries the whole film on this shoulders and manages to do so which is quite impressive. Very nicely shot and edited, there is a fair amount of point of view footage but the flick doesn´t rely only on it and I think the pov scenes works well in the context of the film. The soundtrack by Keaton Andersson is very nice. The running time is about 25 minutes and it´s a nice 25 minutes. There is some brief gore, some practical stuff like zombies biting, ripping through intestines but mostly it´s computer rendered squibs as zombies gets shot. In my opinion the fx looked good, the make-up fx design for the living dead is also nice. There is no T & A in this.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. A very nice short film in the living dead genre. Quite an accomplishment based on the fast that it was shot by a skeleton crew of only three people. I´d love to see them develop this into a feature film.

/JL



Review: Laughter (2012)


First I´d like to thank Adam Dunning for providing a screener.
Joey is a confused and tortured teen! When losing his mother, who he was very close with; it drives him to the edge. His father blames him for his mother's death. A group of bullies from school torture him because of his obsession with clowns. As graduation approaches, Joey and some friends plan a prank on a group of classmates during their last get together. The prank goes wrong leading to tragic accident! The group takes an oath of silence and agrees not to say anything! Six months down the road, the group begins getting hunted down one by one. Evil begins with a laugh. Laughter is written and directed by Adam Dunning. The acting is pretty decent, the camera work and editing is pretty good. One thing struck me as weird, it is a scene where the killer holds a man prisoner and his voice sounds really weird, I think they´ve added it in postproduction, but in all other scenes his voice sounds normal. Now this is one of those slashers where we get witty one-liners from the killer and I´m not a big fan of that. The pacing is pretty good even if I thought it could have used some editing. I had some technical problems with the audio, some of it was pretty loud and I had to adjust the volume and towards the end some of the dialogue was really hard to hear even if I raised to volume to maximum. There is gore but frankly it wasn´t as graphic that I expected. The fx are all practical and pretty decent. I did like the look of the killer. There is no T & A in this.
This review is based upon a DVD-screener provided by Adam Dunning.
Rating: 3½ out of 7. I have a soft spot for killer clowns and low budget slashers and if you´re also than I´m pretty sure that you´ll enjoy this.

/JL




Friday 9 November 2012

DVD review: Murder University (2012)


A series of brutal, cult-like murders are taking place at a New England college. Josh Greene (Jamie Dufault), a shy freshman, is the lone survivor of a series of murders that are reminiscent of a similar string of killings some twenty years prior. As he seeks to uncover the secret behind the attacks, he is joined by Detective Forrester (Michael Thurber), who was instrumental in halting the bloodshed before, and his daughter Meg (Samantha Acampora), who had barely escaped being a victim previously. Murder University is written by Lenny Schwartz and is directed by Richard Griffin. Good acting, especially from the main characters Jamie Dufault and Samantha Acampora who have genuine chemistry. Michael Thurber is great as the hard as nails detective. The flick is professionally shot and edited. The soundtrack is great! The pacing is good and we get a nice mix of frights, gore and funny moments. It´s gory, mostly practical fx but there are some brief computer rendered fx but these are used in conjunction with the practical stuff. The fx look great! There is quite a bit of T & A and sexual situations.
Support indie film making, visit Scorpio Film Releasing and order a copy asap, http://scorpiofilmreleasing.net/ .
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Scorpio Film Releasing Video.
Rating: 7 out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot! Heck I more or less loved this from the fantastic opening title sequence until the end credits this is a joy to watch. A well made, very entertaining, funny, gory and not totally predictable flick that gets my highest recommendations. If you are a fan of 1980s slashers you must check this out.

/JL




Tuesday 6 November 2012

Review: My Pure Joy (2011)


First I´d like to thank James Cullen Bressack for contacting me and providing me with a screener.
On the outside Adam (Alexei Ryan)  appears to be a normal teenager, but underneath...his mind has been so rotted by trauma from his past and the gory films he watches, that he has blurred the lines between reality and pretend! This prompts Adam to start killing people in similar ways to films he watches, making sure to put his own little spin on it. My Pure Joy is written and directed by James Cullen Bressack. Good acting, especially from Alexei Ryan who is very good, he gives an impressive performance and really shines/dominates the scenes he´s in. He´s portrays a truly chilling character. it´s nicely shot and edited and it is atmospheric and some scenes a really creepy and I´m not  necessarily speaking of graphic violence but scenes where the facade of Adam is cracking up, you see and realise the madness. The look of the killer is simple but very effective and I think it looks awesome. It´s gory, it ain´t a gorefeast but the gore that there is is very effective and it´s brutal/sadistic stuff. Some scenes are not for the squemish. There is several sexual situations and plenty of T & A in this, including a scene of gratuitous topless nudity from Laura Meadows taking a shower. I must say that Lisa Frantz who plays Adam´s mother Jane is a real hottie but she keeps her clothes on.
This review is based upon a passwordprotected online screener provided by James Cullen Bressack.

Rating: 7 out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot!! It´s well made and horrifying, James Cullen Bressack proves himself yet again to be a very capable writer and director. I must say that 19 year old James Cullen Bressack is quickly establishing himself as one of my favorite directors, he´s very talented and I look forward to see more from him.  I´ll be buying My Pure Joy on DVD and see it again with my friends. This flick gets my highest recommendations!! Check it out, you will not regret it.

/JL



Monday 5 November 2012

Review: Theatre of the Deranged (2012)


First I´d like to thank James Cullen Bressack for contacting me and providing me with a screener.
Theatre of the Deranged  is a horror anthology containing five short films. Andy the Arsonist (Cory Jacob) invites us to his private theatre of the macabre, where he tells us five tales of terror. They are LUST FOR BLOOD: A fortune teller tells her young customer (Shawn C. Phillips) that he will turn into a homicidal monster before too long ... not knowing of course that he will turn into this homicidal monster right then and there ... BAD DENNIS: Four teens go on a camping trip to the country - but their trip just happens to coincide with a local legend coming to life.  SPEAK EASY: Two friends are having a conversation. DOLL PARTS: Rebecca  thinks it's a good idea to give abode to Travis, a suspected but never convicted serialkiller, mainly because this way she can make him do her bidding. To keep him from killing her, she has her boyfriend Jacob  for protection. CANNIBAL BLOOD GIRL: A gang of rapists think it's a brilliant idea to bring a couple of girls to a back alley where only a year ago, a pornstar was brutally raped and murdered. LUST FOR BLOOD is written and directed by M. Kelly and Shawn C. Phillips. It looks like it was made on a Zero-budget and is badly shot and edited. The acting is so awful that I kinda hope that it´s intentional and tounge in cheek.  There is a prolonged dance scene that is hilarious. There is some amatuerish gore fx. No T & A in this, it has a very awkward sexscene where the characters simulate sex while wearing clothes (perhaps they´re just dry humping). One guy who is just about to be killed gives a big smile in the same moment as he´s about to be killed. Yup this is bad, dumb and silly. BAD DENNIS is written and directed by Liz Gilbert, we get more bad acting. The camerawork and editing is decent. I do like the concept but it´s very unoriginal. There is some gore, there is no T & A in it. It´s has a pretty bad twist ending. SPEAK EASY directed by James Cullen Bressack is a very minimalistic short film, featuring two actors sitting on a couch talking. The acting is good,  nicely shot and edited. It has a twist. It has some gore. No T & A in this. It´s without a doubt one of the best short films in this anthology. DOLL PARTS directed by Brian Dorton, the acting is decent, The camerawork and editing is decent. It´s pretty nasty and sleazy. It also has a twist. It features the best gore fx of all the short films included in Theatre of the Deranged. There is female topless nudity and full frontal male nudity. And implied necrophilia and incest. I thought this was pretty good. CANNIBAL BLOOD GIRL is written directed by Creep Creepersin. The acting is pretty bad, the camerawork and editing is decent. The whole short film is very over the top with a "demonic avenger" from hell squirting some magic/corrosive mist from her mouth, nipples, vagina and ass.
There is plenty of T & A in this including full frontal female nudity. There is some amateurish gore, the fx is pretty bad, the melting fx lacks any punch.
This review is based upon a passwordprotected online screener provided by James Cullen Bressack.

Rating: 1½ out of 7. Theatre of the Deranged was shot on a shoestring budget, the stories are very uneven, a couple are good and some are pretty bad. My favorites are SPEAK EASY and DOLL PARTS which in my opinion could serve as a basis for further development into a feature flick.

/JL

Sunday 4 November 2012

Review: A Chance in Hell (2011)


First I´d like to thank Tony Wash for providing me with a screener.
Set in the winter of 1944 in Nazi-occupied Germany.  US soldiers stumble upon a secret Nazi facility that has been overrun by creatures that were created in the lab of the nefarious Dr. Bücher. A Chance in Hell is 35 minutes long short film written by Johnny S and Tony Wash who also is the director. The acting is pretty good. I do like the fact that the actors playing german characters speak german (I hate when they speak english with a german accent). Very nicely shot and edited, the setting is very good. The soundtrack is very good. The only negative remark I have is that the german uniforms are somewhat based in Hollywoodland but I´m sure that some compromises had to be made while shooting this. There is gore, the fx varies somewhat in quality but there are some really good looking fx on display and the high light is as scene where a guy is ripped apart. That scene looks freaking great! The creature fx design is good and reminded me of Lamberto Bava´s Demons. There is no T & A in this.
You can buy a copy of the flick from http://www.scotchworthy.com/ .
This review is based upon a passwordprotected online screener provided by Tony Wash.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot, it´s ambitious, well made and is based on a very cool concept.

/JL





Friday 2 November 2012

DVD review: Blood Trails (2006)


Anne (Rebecca Palmer) and Michael (Tom Frederic) have problems in their relationship, and to solve them, they decide to go on a cycling holiday in the mountains. What Michael does not know is that Anne recently been unfaithful with a guy named Chris (Ben Price). What Anne does not know is that Chris is a demented serial killer who wants her for himself. Blood Trails is written by Florian Puchert, Kai Schneppel and Robert Krause who also is the director. It is German flick intended for the international market so all characters speak english. The acting is pretty good. It´s professionally shot and edited. The locations are very good. Blood Trails has its flaws, for instance there are some scenes that are lacking continuity and in one or two scenes I really do start to question the sanity of the Anne character as she makes some incredibly stupid choices but we might be able to explain it by her having a nervous breakdown. There is gore and quite a lot of blood, the make-up fx are practical.. There is T & A, sexual situations and implied rape in this.
This review is based upon the swedish region 2 DVD release from Cinematic Vision
Rating: 3½ out of 7. I enjoyed this,  not bad at all. It looks very good but it is somewhat hampered by some flaws and characters that I find myself having difficulties feeling sympathy for...

/JL




News update: New movie in the making from from the makers of velvet road



Copiii pierdere: the first entry is the title of a forthcoming feature flick currently in the making from the makers of the highly praised short film Velvet Road.

The film is based on a Romanian folklore that dates back to the 1500s. It was used by parents as a way to keep children from sneaking out or acting up. The story itself is about a gypsy woman named Alina Patkavior who was the victim of a brutal rape. The act drove her insane, forcing her to attempt to take her own life. When the woman was ready to commit suicide, a vengeance demon appeared. The demon told her that he would wipe away her pain by giving these men the truly horrible fate they deserved. In return, he would return to claim her child after one year. A year later, Alina had grown to love and care for the child. When the vengeance demon returned to claim her child's life, she double-crossed him by refusing to turn the child over. The demon cursed Alina and her people, making it impossible for them to bear children. The group of gypsies came to be known as Copiii Pierdere, meaning 'the loss of a child' or 'lost children' in Romanian. When Alina's child became a man and married, he wanted desperately to be a father. The man summoned the same demon that his mother betrayed, in attempts to make amends and lift the curse. The demon told him that while he would not lift the curse, there was a way he could still raise children of his own. The only way he or any member of the Copiii Pierere could have children was to shed blood in the demon's name, in the form of a cursed ritual. This ritual was named Din Burta de Sarpe, Romanian for “belly of a snake”. The first time the man performed the ritual, he was horrified to find that it drove a loving couple of villagers insane to the point of death, leaving the unborn child unharmed beside their corpses. Disgusted as he was at his own actions, he took the infant and raised it as his own, and passed this gruesome act through his family's bloodline. This year will be the 500 year anniversary of the creation of Copiii Pierdere, and the Din Burta de Sarpe. Some believe that their power is growing stronger because of this occasion.
For more information visit the official website http://www.thefirstentry.com/ .

This sounds very interesting and I will keep you updated.

/JL