Stitches (2012)

Stitches the clown is hired to entertain Tom and his friends at his birthday party. The rather nasty looking clown is ridiculed and taunted by the children who are more amused by their own jokes than his juggling and balloon animals. When a prank involving tying Stitches' shoelaces together goes wrong, Stitches ends up face down in the dishwasher with a butcher knife through his face, leading to his death. While spying on the funeral for Stitches Tom witnesses an ancient clown ritual inside one of the buildings and is discovered by the clowns who tell him that no clown who dies during his show can ever rest in peace until he can finish the show.

Six years later the kids are now in high school, having grown up and gone on to their separate cliques Tom is a quiet kid, with a long standing crush on Kate, one of the girls from his party. When his friends find out he will have the house to himself on his birthday weekend they plan a big party inviting everyone they know and then some. While the party rages on around him, Tom does his best to strike up conversation with Kate when a fake clown scare sends him crashing to the ground and cracking his head. The bigger problem is that an invitation to the party found its way to Stitches' grave and now he has found his way to the party to claim the lives of all the kids that were at the party where he lost his.

It is surprising how many horror movies have been made revolving around killer or evil clowns and how few of them are any good. STITCHES isn't anything groundbreaking but it does rise above many clown horror films and is an entertaining slasher flick. The special effects, part practical and part CGI are all well done, filled with blood and rather amusing. The cast is full of high school character cliches but everyone does a good job in their role from "emo" girl to gay boy and everything in between.

If you're looking for a new horror flick, or a slasher in particular, I suggest grabbing a bowl of popcorn, a few beers and a couple friends and enjoying STITCHES.

Maniac (2013)

A while back when the idea of remaking William Lustig's MANIAC came about the idea was largely met with shuttered feelings and jeers. I was among the naysayers. Then the casting news came out that Elijah Wood was taking on the role of Frank Zito portrayed in the original by Joe Spinell. Many were appalled at this casting choice, how could Frodo from The Shire portray a mentally disturbed psychopath? I was among the critics once again.Then several months ago the trailer was released. The reaction was mixed but still largely negative. This looked very little like the 1980 splatter fest we loved. I again was among the critics voicing my disapproval for the trailer. I didn't like too much about the production, I didn't have high hopes and I certainly didn't think it would be good. Well now that MANIAC has finally been released to limited theaters and On Demand programs how does it stack up?

MANIAC follows Frank Zito, a young man, probably in his mid to late 20s, carrying on the family business of mannequin restoration and sales. Frank cares a great deal for his work in restoring these antiques which he seems to care for more than people. Frank also cares for beautiful women, but his encounters with them usually ends up with their bloody scalp in his hands. Frank comes in contact with a beautiful young woman named Anna, a photographer who wants to use Frank's mannequins as a center piece in her next gallery opening. Frank and Anna have a blossoming relationship both in their work and personally until Frank's secrets come spilling out.

While following the same basic plot of the original some critical changes were made to set it apart and make the film work. The Freudian ideas of the original are left behind while the seedy streets of New York City have been traded in for the glitz and glam of Los Angeles. NYC at the time of the original is a place that can't be recreated, and it would've been a mistake to try. The street and surroundings of L.A. work perfectly for the very clean looking cinematography. This was one of the main points I was worried about, Lustig's MANIAC is very much a film of it's time and place while Frank Khaloun's remake takes the idea and makes it work in what is a very different type of setting. The physical change in our lead lends a bit of credibility to the story that you can argue the original lacked. Joe Spinell certainly had a look to him that would make your skin crawl and make sure you don't find yourself alone in a dark alley with him but it also made his love story with Caroline Munro a bit hard to believe. Elijah Wood not only looks like he would be able to start up a relationship with the beautiful Anna his performance also adds a bit of sympathy to Frank.

The sparkling clean cinematography and artistic flashes in the direction are exactly what I was afraid wouldn't work and they totally spun me on my ass as they work very well. The first person view through much of the film and seeing Frank's hallucinations let us inside his head and allow us to connect with the character a bit more. The violence in MANIAC won't disappoint any fans of the original as there is no shortage of it and it is particularly nasty. The score is largely synth-driven which adds a feeling of the 80s and it works very well within the context of this remake.

Lustig's MANIAC is one of my favorite horror films of the 1980s and I was never excited to see this remake, but damn if I'm not a fan of it now. The changes that were made were all successful in bringing the film to a modern day audience and setting without losing its personality and soul of where it came from. MANIAC sets itself apart just enough that it should pick up fans of the original and new fans alike. It isn't a perfect film but I have to say it is one of the better new horror films I've seen lately.

Body Melt (1993)

The Australia and New Zealand area were making some fucking crazy and messy horror movies back in the late 80s and early 90s and BODY MELT is right up there with all of Peter Jackson's early offerings.

Vimuville is a new trendy health spa that is releasing a line of dietary supplements with the same name. Their test market is a single small town neighborhood on Pebbles Court. They receive free samples of the drink mix and pills in their mailboxes and who can resist trying a free sample? A former test subject at the Vimuville headquarters tries desperately to warn the residents of Pebbles Court but ends up in a car crash and dies at the doorsteps of the soon to be victims he was trying to warn. The police investigating the man's death begin to patch together a trail leading to the headquarters of the new dangerous drug that will causes hallucinations before far more deadly and disgusting side effects such as cellular mutation, elongated tongues, literally melting from the inside out, and various other brightly colored nastiness.

As the police piece together the puzzle more and more residents of Pebbles Court begin taking the supplements and one family even takes a vacation to the new health spa. As the addiction to the pills grows within each character the ooze and gore piles up, even taking over a police station until almost everyone has been effected in some way. It is up to the team of police to try and stop the distribution of these incredibly unhealthy supplements before they reach any more of the public.

BODY MELT will fit right along side Bad Taste and Dead Alive for sure. It is similar in tone with a rapid, fast paced slapstick element and filled with satire and humor. Director Phillip Brophy obviously pulls no punches in his view on the image obsessed society we continue to live in and how dangerous these "cure-all" pills are. The gore is used as a platform to showcase the damage they can do to a person, and while it is incredibly over the top and full of entertainment it certainly brings the viewers attention to the deeper issues at hand. The frantic pace of the cinematography is matched with the soundtrack from Brophy himself (former member experimental electronic group Tsk Tsk Tsk) to add to the feeling that the viewer is on pills themselves. The cast does a good job blending the humor and the drama of the film which really brings the writing to life.

If you're looking for a fun horror film that is extremely sloppy in the gore department look no farther than BODY MELT.

8/10

Universal Pictures Presents THE PURGE - A Contest!

I'm all for hooking you guys up with free stuff and Universal Pictures is having a big giveaway promotion for the upcoming release of their thriller THE PURGE, in theaters June 7.

The Prize: A T-Shirt and mask from THE PURGE.

How To Win:
- Take the Survive The Night Quiz and post your outcome in the comment section (Click HERE to take the quiz)
- Tweet me @celluloidterror using the #SurviveTheNight hashtag 
- Share this post on Facebook from the Celluloid Terror page.

The Rules
- Open To US residents only
- Winner have their address in to me by June 21st, 2013
- No PO Box addresses allowed
- Contest ends on June 10th at noon. I'll pick a winner and contact them at that time. 

Everybody will get an entry for each of these methods they do and I'll randomly pick a winner of the prize pack

If, on one night every year, you could commit any crime without facing consequences, what would you do?

In an America wracked with crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity--including murder--becomes legal. The police can't be called. Hospitals suspend help. It's twelve hours when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this particular night in 2022, plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking.

When an intruder breaks into James Sandin’s (Ethan Hawke) gated community during the yearly lockdown, he begins a sequence of events that threatens to tear his family apart. Now, it is up to James, his wife, Mary (Lena Headey), and their kids to make it through the night without turning into the monsters from whom they hide.

We Are What We Are (2010)

With the release of an American remake imminent, I decided to watch the original Spanish production of WE ARE WHAT WE ARE (Somos Lo Que Hay).

After the sudden death of their father, Alfredo, Julian and their sister Sabina must rise above their negative, gloom and doom mother to keep the family, and its traditions together. Alfredo is the oldest and smart, but shy and naive and is next in line to be the man of the house. It doesn't take long for the family to reveal that they are cannibals. However the fact that they live in a busy city is a bit different from the normal backwoods, or jungle cannibal family.

Most of the potential for thrilling, scary or exciting situations based on the setting and plot are wasted as the film revolves around the families incredibly grating Lifetime Channel drama. I wanted nothing more than the mother to get slapped across the face for being an obnoxious piece of shit throughout the entire film. For a starving family of cannibals she sure is a picky bitch when it comes down to what type of person she'll eat. There is also a half assed police investigation subplot that never comes together to make the screen time it uses worth it. The brother Alfredo and his sister Sabina are the bright spot of the film, as he deals with who he is in the face of trying to provide for his family in this insane scenario and she is the brains of the family trying to play puppet master to everyone to make it work.

WE ARE WHAT WE ARE is directed by Jorge Michel Grau in his feature debut. He is perhaps best known now for his entry into The ABCs Of Death with the entry for the letter I, which apparently didn't stick with me for better or worse as it doesn't ring a bell to me at all. This movie is capably directed but again, it is a wasted opportunity. While not terrible, it does leave the door open for the American remake to surpass it. I'll be interested in checking that out when it is released.

5/10

A Labor Of Love (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

1975/USA
Directed By: Robert Flaxman, Daniel Goldman
Written By: N/A
Starring:  Henri Charbakshi
Color/67 Minutes/Not Rated

The Film
In the early 70s  Henri Charbakshi set out to make a film that was a "combination of Fellini, Truffaut, and Bergman" about a couple that couldn't have a baby due to the man's inability so they go to a brothel. Different from the traditional sense, this brothel is all men prostitutes and the woman is to choose her man to have their baby. This film is known as The Last Affair.

A LABOR OF LOVE is the very real documentation of the production of The Last Affair, a film that the producers, that is the money behind the film, felt needed to be filled, with up to 60 percent real sex in order to make money. This documentary is over an hour of the humanization of a group of actors, many first timers and young, dealing with all of the issues and emotions being in such an uncomfortable situation can bring along with a director trying to make a film as close to his vision as he can while dealing with the pressures of his financial backers and his cast and crew's emotions throughout the shoot.

This film is rather amusing as far as the encounters between the cast and crew are concerned and a bit eye-opening as the youthful group hopes, and expects to break their careers open after giving in to pressures from the producers to essentially star in a porno.

A LABOR OF LOVE closes stating that the producers rescripted the film, shot new material, and released the film with no explicit sex scenes.

The Video 
Vinegar Syndrome presents this documentary in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer that looks good for what it is. This was never meant to be a beautifully filmed, feature film, instead it is the documentation of filming a feature film. The film is grainy and sometimes soft but colors look fine and the image is stable and seems to have been maintained well. 

The Audio
While dealing with small amounts of its own background noise and noisy cameras and other equipment on set,  A LABOR OF LOVE actually sounds pretty good. The dialogue and interviews with cast and crew is what drives the sound of this disc and it is always crisp and clear. 

 
The Extras 
The main extra is a taped interview with director Robert Flaxman from a recent screening of the film in which he goes in to great detail about how the project came to be and memories from making the documentary. Also included is the original theatrical trailer.

The Bottom Line
Anybody interested in the film making process, whether in front of the lens or behind, owes it to themselves to take the 67 minutes and watch this documentary. While being entertaining it is also a candid look into how difficult making a low budget independent film can be when you have investors who interfere in the artistic process in order to try and guarantee a profit.
A LABOR OF LOVE is available HERE

Massage Parlor Murders (Blu-ray Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1973
Directed By: Chester Fox, Alex Stevens
Written By:
Starring: Beverly Bonner, George Dzundza, Anne Gaybis
Color/80 Minutes/Not Rated

The Film
A madman is on the loose in New York City and his targets are the girls working at massage parlors around town who offer more than just muscle rubs. Two policemen are assigned the case of discovering who the maniac is and why he's killing these women. After questioning the first victim's roommate one of the cops begins to date the girl who is also a working masseuse, however she doesn't go beyond a massage. As the bodies pile up in gruesome killings including stabbings, acid burns and strangulation by a girls bra, the cops begin to get closer to the killer but will they find out before it affects their own lives?

Having never heard of this film before this release was announced I could only go off of my assumptions from the title and time period as to what to expect, and they weren't too far off. MASSAGE PARLOR MURDERS, or as it was originally titled MASSAGE PARLOR HOOKERS isn't as sleazy as you'd probably think but it is still successful in what it is, purely an exploitation film. From the film showing that just about any woman giving you a massage will just as easily spread her legs for you for a $20 bill, to the copious nude women, including a swimming pool full, to the violent killing of these women this film is a mean one. Filled with several (rather poor) red herrings, a car chase scene where a food stand gets demolished, and exterior shots of seedy NYC streets, MASSAGE PARLOR MURDERS doesn't push the limit as much as it could have but it will still satisfy your hunger for good old fashioned 70s genre fare.  

The Video 
MASSAGE PARLOR MURDERS looks pretty damn good on Blu-ray thanks to Vinegar Syndrome. A film that probably wouldn't have seen a release from any other company ends up with a nice HD presentation. The detail level is high with a natural grain structure. Colors have a bit of pop to them in the more artfully lit scenes and the large amounts of skin you see has a nice healthy look to it. Some scenes feature a grainier look than other but look no farther than the exterior shots to see how beautiful this film looks. The DVD/BD combo is region free on both discs.

Please Note: Screen grabs are taken from DVD copy of the film.  

 
The Audio
The audio fares well also, with the sometimes odd soundtrack shining, sometimes a bit too much over dialogue but overall it is a very decent mono audio track. There isn't too much that needs to challenge your sound system anyways so this track does the job just fine with just a bit of background noise throughout.

The Extras
The disc features a pair of trailers, outtakes and some radio spots. Also included is a nice booklet with some history and analysis of the film and a replica film reel card. A very nice package overall for this film. 

The Bottom Line
This combo pack release needs to be in every genre fan's library, and for the price there is no excuse that it isn't.

MASSAGE PARLOR MURDERS is available HERE