October Horror Challenge 2014 - Day 16

Day 16 was a busy one with movies, one of the busiest of the month. It all started with CHOPPING MALL. Let me just say if you've never seen CHOPPING MALL you're fucking up. This is 80s cheese at its finest. Killer robots designed to protect a mall turn on a group of teens who are partying after hours and we get it all, tits and exploding heads. What else do you need?

Then came the sequel to the Mexican vampire film I watched a few days ago called El Vampiro. This one, EL ATAUD DEL VAMPIRO or The Vampire's Coffin is a disappointing sequel as far as I'm concerned. While the first film wasn't anything remarkable or original it was an atmospheric and moody gothic horror film. This sequel loses that atmosphere and gives us a bland and frankly quite boring story of a vampire escaping his coffin in a hospital. There's one scene where he stalks the woman of his desires while she rehearses her musical play which is the best part of the film as the musical play's set provides an interesting and eye catching maze of set pieces, stairways and catwalks. The finale also provides an interesting look but it plays out a bit on the uninspired side.

Things got back to being awesome with THE BLOB remake from 1988. I haven't watched this in years and forgot just how awesome it is. It really takes the campy B-movie from the 50s and ups the ante in almost every way. The only thing the original has over the remake is the awesome theme song for the monster alien blob itself. Don't get me wrong I really enjoy the original film but this remake is just better. The new Blu-ray is awesome too, a purchase well worth the money. It's gory, it's silly, it's funny and gross... It's THE BLOB.

Then the wheels fell off for the night on the last two films. The first being THE INSIDE, a 2010 found footage horror film about a man that buys a video camera from a pawn shop and finds the tape inside to have footage of a group partying in some undisclosed location that looks like an abandoned warehouse. The group gets terrorized by a few psychos who murder the guys and fuck around with the women eventually chasing them down into some subterranean tunnel system where they fight to survive. The man that bought the camera retraces the steps on it to find the location and investigate the crimes, ya know, instead of just turning it over to the cops. This movie was painful and I'll go into further details when I give it a full review.

And then there was CRYPT OF THE LIVING DEAD. I shouldn't have been surprised by the presentation of this movie given that I was watching it on a DVD from a really cheap public domain set but good fucking lord I was not ready for this. The film involves a 700 year old vampire who is unleashed on some island where she's hunted by a blind man, a school teacher who warns her kids not to play in the cemetery of they'll be put in the corner and Andrew Prine. That's about all I got out of the movie. There's also a guy running around that looks like a Neanderthal but I never gathered what his deal was. Now you may be wondering why I have virtually no fucking idea of what I watched. Was I distracted and not paying attention? No. Was I really drunk? No. I watched this movie and paid attention but I simply couldn't follow it. It wasn't a surreal film and it didn't progress in some non-linear fashion. No, that wasn't the case. The case was this is a movie, made in the early 70s that was simply destroyed in this DVD presentation. It was cut by 10 minutes, cropped from widescreen to full screen. The picture looked like it was ripped from a shoddy VHS and then compressed to hell and back to fit on the disc. It looked like I was watching the TV through a muddy screen door. The audio sounded like everyone was talking through a paper towel roll about 3 rooms away from a microphone which made the vast majority of the dialogue (I'd estimate 80-85%) completely indecipherable. It sounded like garbled bullshit. A movie made up of actors doing their best impression of the teacher from Charlie Brown. Perhaps the most baffling of all was that despite being filmed in color, on Eastman film stock according to IMDB, this was black and white. I don't fucking get how that even happens. Whatever, there was nothing going on that really made me want to seek out a proper version anyways.

Today's Rundown
Chopping Mall - 8/10
El Ataud Del Vampire - 5/10
The Blob - 8/10
The Inside - 2/10
Crypt Of The Living Dead - 3/10

October Horror Challenge 2014 - Day 15

GUROZUKA is a 2005 Japanese horror film about a group of girls traveling to a lodge in the woods to rehearse for their film club. They find an old tape showing a masked woman murdering other girls and find out that seven years earlier girls had gone missing or ended up insane in this cabin from the film club. Eventually bodies and supplies start to disappear as the masked killer is back. GUROZUKA isn't very good. The mask worn in the film is creepy but aside from that its rather boring and uninspired. 

THE SLAVE isn't a horror film but I needed to review it so I counted it on my list. Sue me. Here's the full review of the gorgeous disc

AUTUMN BLOOD isn't a horror film either according to IMDB or some other sites but it is as much a horror film as many other movies of the sort. A full review of this one is coming as well so I'm not not going crazy on it here but it is a movie that had potential if the idea had been thought out and something actually happened. There can't be more than 500 words of dialogue in this entire movie.

Today's Rundown
Gurozuka - 4.5/10
The Slave - 7/10
Autumn Blood - 4.5/10

The Slave (Blu-ray Review) - Mondo Macabro

Italy/1969
Directed By: Pasquale Festa Campanile
Written By: Renato Ghilli, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi
Starring: Rosanna Schiaffino, Haydee Politoff
Color/100 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: September 9, 2014

The Film
Silvia is a beautiful woman in her late 20s. She has intense sexual fantasies, desires and dreams where men and women adorn various weird and exotic costumes. Silvia meets Margaret, a very wealthy movie star. Margaret has Silvia stay with her and begins training her to become a model until their relationship takes a much different turn with their sexual desires.

Sex is one of the driving themes of THE SLAVE but it is not by any means explicit or really even an erotic film. It is a very artistically driven drama about fetish, wealth and the human psyche. Margaret comes to demand to be known as "Mistress" and pays the folks in her mansion to act as her slaves with her favorite being Silvia. There's everything from turning Silvia into a human sculpture at a dinner party to bondage.

THE SLAVE is a beautiful film. Beautifully lit, shot and performed. There are a few moments with heavy doses of trippy colors and lighting and a perfectly 60s jazzy pop soundtrack from Piero Piccioni, one of Italy's most notable composers. THE SLAVE was new to me and from what I can tell it isn't very well known in the states but that should change with this release as it is quite good. It is just a matter of time until people discover it.

The Audio & Video
Mondo Macabro's debut Blu-ray is a home run when it comes to technical presentation. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer has a gorgeous film look with a healthy and natural looking grain structure. The overall clarity is excellent with closeups showing great detail in skin tones and textures. Colors are vibrant without looking artificial and it is largely a very clean transfer with just minor speckling occasionally. The HD mono audio track is in the film's native Italian with English subtitles. The audio is limited with just the single side mix but sounds excellent nonetheless with crystal clarity, no background noise and it works perfectly for the film. The subtitles are translated very nicely and are timed perfectly.

Note: Screen grabs taken from DVD version of film and while they're nice they don't fully represent the gorgeous HD presentation.

The Extras
-Interview with Roberto Curti
-Interview with Justin Harries
-Text summary documenting the production of the film
-Text cast and crew profiles
-Selection of Mondo Macabro trailers

The Bottom Line
Mondo Macabro makes it known to the world that the great work they did on DVD will only be surpassed by their great work on Blu-ray. Fans of Italian genre cinema will want to see THE SLAVE and there is only one way worth doing so... this BD. 

THE SLAVE is available HERE

October Horror Challenge 2014 - Day 14

CLONUS (aka Parts: The Clonus Horror) is the film that got Michael Bay and his production company sued over plagiarism for essentially stealing the idea of the government making clones to harvest organs from to prolong their own life. The movie at question was The Island and the case was settled out of court. The idea may not be unheard of but apparently it was an extremely close copy of CLONUS which is a pretty decent low budget horror thriller, much better than its 3/10 rating on IMDB. The budgetary constraints show in certain moments like when a beer can plays a pivotal plot point to the film. There's some good effects work at hand which is a bit surprising but overall it just plods along a bit too slowly and doesn't provide enough of a punch at the end to elevate it to something truly special.

Few actors have the insane legend that Klaus Kinski has. He was known to be abusive, intense and a downright asshole. His on-going love/hate relationship with frequent collaborator Werner Herzog is well documented and a film entitled My Best Friend was made about it. Those two men made some incredibly beautiful and powerful films together but often wanted to kill each other as well. One of Kinski's most infamous tantrums was on the set of VAMPIRE IN VENICE (aka Nosferatu In Venice) the pseudo-sequel to Herzog's remake of the classic vampire tale, Nosferatu. Kinski was nothing short of a raving lunatic, forcing numerous directors off the production and even taking over the job himself. There's about a half dozen directors attached to the picture... think about that for a second. That's is a new director every 5-7 days on average assuming the production was 4-6 weeks long. That's wild. What we end up with is a film that is disjointed but still dreamy and engaging with Kinski turning in a decent (and surprisingly restrained) performance of the titular vampire.

Ever wonder what a mid to late 50s gothic horror film would be like if it was made in Mexico? Well that is what you get with EL VAMPIRO (The Vampire). And it is pretty standard fare. There's nothing out of the ordinary, unexpected or particularly special about the film. That isn't a bad thing though as it is a well done gothic vampire horror film. It just fails to set itself apart in any way. I enjoyed it and I look forward to watching the sequel soon.

I had a free Redbox rental code and decided to give OCULUS a shot. First let me tell you that this is easily the highest quality film WWE Studios has done in terms of production value. OCULUS just looks and feels like something bigger and better than any other WWE movie has. There's also no wrestlers in the movie thankfully. I'm a huge professional wrestling fan but let's not fool ourselves and think that they belong in movies. Outside of the 80s and 90s cheesefests that Hulk Hogan did and the summer blockbusters of present that The Rock can handle there aren't really any wrestlers that succeed in films (plus I'm always disappointed I never see wrestling moves in the movies). OCULUS is a horror film about a haunted mirror, responsible for driving dozens of people insane and to their deaths over the last few centuries and now two young adults who lost their parents a decade ago to the mirror have vowed to prove its power and destroy it in a series of experiments but the mirror proves to be too powerful. OCULUS isn't really bad per se, it's just bland and is just there. It simply exists. I was very indifferent through the whole thing and honestly didn't care too much about what was happening. I guess I can see how people have enjoyed it more than I did but for me it didn't resonate or strike any chords.

Today's Rundown
Clonus - 5/10
Vampire In Venice - 6/10
El Vampiro - 6/10
Oculus - 4.5/10

The Squad (Blu-ray Review) - Scream Factory

Colombia/2011
Directed By: Jaime Osorio Marquez
Written By: Jaime Osorio Marquez
Starring: Juan Pablo Barragan, Alejnadro Aguilar, Mauricio Navas
Color/100 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: October 21, 2014

The Film
A nine man military squad is sent to investigate a military base in the mountains believed to have fallen under guerrilla rebel control. The group arrives to find only a single woman, bound in chains behind a wall with a type of prayer scrawled across it. The woman doesn't utter a single word under the pressure of interrogation. The squad loses all communication with their support groups and food rations run out. The isolation and claustrophobia with the inability to escape leaves the men paranoid and short fused, ready to snap at each other at any given moment. The mysterious woman's true identity and nature are called in to question- is she a rebel informant? A prisoner? Or something supernatural and evil causing the squad's plight? It is an isolated fight for to maintain their sanity and to survive.

THE SQUAD has a lot of things going for it, most of all a great cast that carries the film. Everybody involved is on point with their performances. The setting is both scary and scenic but the interiors are dark, damp and moody. A perfect place to lose your mind. The director manages to capture emotion on camera with intense closeups and a good style. Unfortunately Jaime Marquez' writing wasn't as strong as his direction and lets the film down with a script that doesn't pay off on the suspense and tension that are ready to boil over. A well crafted and wonderfully acted film doesn't take the ball and run with it unfortunately. The good still vastly outweighs the bad here and THE SQUAD is definitely worth checking out.

The Audio & Video
Scream Factory nails this Blu-ray release with a gorgeous anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) transfer that takes the atmosphere surrounding the outpost and makes sure to enhance it with strong detail and great skin tones. There's no evidence of edge enhancement or DNR. Colors are vivid and natural. The Spanish audio track features optional English subtitles and a HD Master Audio track. It is a very well mixed track with sound effects playing into the film nicely without being lost in the shuffle. No audible annoyances or hiccups are present.

The Extras
-The Making of THE SQUAD featurette
-Theaterical trailer

The Bottom Line
With a stronger script THE SQUAD could have been a modern classic but as it sits it is still a quality movie that I will recommend all horror fans check out.

THE SQUAD is available HERE

October Horror Challenge 2014 - Day 13

The first movie was one I wanted on to entertain me while I was doing a few things so I went with something short, fast and easy. THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH THE DEAD was that movie. Cory J. Udler's piece of sleazy horror is very entertaining and a wonderful piece of super low budget independent movie making. This is a movie that your mother would question you about if she saw you watching it.

I've had Argento on the brain ever since I heard about his upcoming film The Sandman and donating to the Indiegogo campaign just really made me need to watch something from my favorite director. The first Argento film of the month was PHENOMENA from 1985. I love this crazy piece of Italian horror. Razor wielding monkeys, Jennifer Connelly controlling insects, Donald Pleasance, a crazy deformed little monster, a disgusting pit of decaying corpses and a fantastic German/Swiss countryside setting. Love!

The day wrapped up with RAW FORCE as the great guys at Vinegar Syndrome were kind enough to send me a copy of the new Blu-ray/DVD combo pack to review. I'll wet your appetite for that full review by saying this is a cheesetastic mix of karate, explosions, cannibals, and zombies with samurai swords. And that's not all. RAW FORCE is the definition of "so bad its good".

Today's Rundown
The Girl Who Played With The Dead - 7/10
Phenomena - 8.5/10
Raw Force - 7/10

Werewolf Rising (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ

USA/2014
Directed By: BC Furtney
Written By: BC Furtney
Starring: Melissa Carnell, Matt Copko, Bill Oberst Jr.
Color/80 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: October 14, 2014

The Film
Emma returns to her childhood home in the mountains of Arakansas after city life in Boston has worn her down. Unfortunately her recurring nightmares of being stlaked through the woods by a man  have followed her. Her father's friend Wayne has fixed up the house for Emma and warns her of his nephew Johnny Lee, a troubled man who has just escaped from prison with another man. Emma has met Johnny Lee already and has become friends with him when she finds him on the brink of death as he was attacked by some sort of wolf. Emma brings him to her house and tends his wounds which heal remarkably fast. Johnny Lee and his uncle Wayne have a confrontation after Wayne drunkenly comes on to Emma, while Rhett, the man Johnny escaped with, makes himself known to Emma and tells her that he knows about the nightmares she's having with him in them. Emma runs into the woods looking for an escape only to find a woman waiting telling her that she's been writing to Rhett in jail and that he promised her he'd come for her and now he will choose which woman he wants when they're attacked by the beast.

There's a decent movie somewhere in WEREWOLF RISING. What we end up with isn't it, but there is one in there somewhere. Some tinkering in the writing and a few different decisions would have helped. Fleshing out the werewolf monster so much and so frequently was a mistake. The suit is cheap and goofy looking and looks closer to something out of a corny 70s or 80s Bigfoot movie than a terrifying werewolf. Not giving more time and focus to Bill Oberst Jr was a mistake. Most of the cast is stiff in their delivery but remain competent while Bill is the bright spot in the film. As he does in every project I've seen him in he puts his full effort forward and brings credibility, believability and class to the performance while elevating the material in the script.

The other high point of the film is the music in the film. It ranges from tense to serene and is very well done. Unfortunately WEREWOLF RISING wants to be a serious film (and it could have been) but that gets thrown out the window every time we see that fucking werewolf costume. It is far from the only problem in the film, as the script is weak and full eye-roll inducing cliche moments, but that damn suit equals something corny and shitty every single time we see it. As I said, there was a decent movie in there somewhere but some changes would need to be made in the script because this wasn't it.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ present WEREWOLF RISING on DVD in a very attractive looking anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) transfer. Colors are strong and vivid while black levels are handled nicely with no crush. Details are good for a DVD and I have no real complaints. A 5. 1 channel audio mix handles the sound on the disc and it is also quite good. There's no problems with the mix or the quality of the track. The soundtrack pulses when it wants to and lulls when it needs to. There's no background noise or audible hiccups.

The Extras
None.

The Bottom Line
If you're a werewolf super fan that needs to own every film in the genre then go ahead and pick this one up. For the rest of you give it a rental if you're curious about how ridiculous the suit is or to see a great performance from Bill Oberst Jr.

WEREWOLF RISING is available HERE