TALES OF HALLOWEEN (2015) - Epic Pictures

USA/2015
Directed By: Various
Written By: Various
In Theaters and on VOD October 16, 2015

Halloween and horror movies go together hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly, tricks and treats, lamb and tuna fish. There are endless amounts of horror films that take place during the Halloween season and a few of them really manage to capture the spirit of the holiday from the childlike wonder and imagination the holiday invokes to the Mardi Gras-esque party vibe that adults love. Then there's the scary side to the holiday which TALES OF HALLOWEEN blends together perfectly with the adult and kiddie side of things.

Through its 10 part anthology TALES OF HALLOWEEN is perfect viewing for the season. Whether it's tricks or treats that you're looking for they're both here. Starting with the radio broadcast voice over from Adrienne Barbeau who has an absolutely perfect voice for such a part, to the pop-up storybook styled opening credits which are more stylish and well thought out than any opening credit sequence I've seen in recent memory, the spirit of Halloween is embodied in every second of this movie.

Of course in a movie consisting of so many different stories, which loosely intertwine here, there's going to be some winners and some losers so here's a look at each of the stories.

Sweet Tooth (Dir: Dave Parker) - This short creates a unique original urban legend and makes it fun and gory. Don't forget to leave a little something out for ol' Sweet Tooth after you're done trick or treating! This is one of my top three chapters

The Night Billy Raised Hell (Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman) - Features a lot of full on violence and a great twist. Certainly adheres to the darker side of Halloween.

Trick (Dir: Adam Gierasch) - A gory piece filled with violence as a group of teens take out some adults. The story is weak though and offers little besides the ahem... eye candy.

The Weak And The Wicked (Dir: Paul Solet) - A decent morality tale with a mean spirit. A jarring shift to Go Pro footage and an out of place metal soundtrack hold this one back though.

Grim Grinning Ghost (Dir: Axelle Carolyn) - Perhaps the thickest atmosphere of any chapter as a woman walks home alone late at night and fears a pissed off spirit is following her. Simple and effective.

Ding Dong (Dir: Lucky McKee) - My fears came true that my least favorite chapter would be from Lucky McKee. This was by far the weak point of the film for me as the story of a witch who desperately wants to take a trick-or-treater to be her own child is thin and boring along with below par effects.

This Means War (Dir: John Skipp & Andrew Kasch) - A couple of polar opposite characters carry this one as the new metalhead neighbor's loud and graphic Halloween display is at odds with the traditional decade's old display and things end in a bloody battle for neighborhood supremacy. This one is exciting from the start but is an obvious one note composition. Fun nevertheless.

Friday The 31st (Dir: Mike Mendez) - Another one in my personal top 3. Starting out with a traditional slasher film love letter to Friday the 13th, this one takes a quick turn as our slasher's victim gets some intergalactic powers and battles her attacker. The turn this one takes was unexpected, welcomed and even a bit cute. The classic body count style quickly gets an Evil Dead 2 style energy that can't be faked. Either the filmmakers believe in it or it doesn't work. It works here and I loved it.

Bad Seed (Dir: Neil Marshall) - This short is from the most experienced name in the bunch and features the most recognizable names in the cast. The story of a killer pumpkin could have easily turned into something shitty and awful but instead it is cheesy and wonderful. There's even a bit of a Halloween 3 moment at the end. I want a feature length version of this one! This is the final entry in my top 3 (don't make me choose!)

10 parts and only one real stinker? I'll take a 90% success rate with so many different voices to be heard and stories to be told. I'm writing this with a full week left in September and I have that giddy feeling in my stomach that Halloween lovers get as the leaves turn orange and fall from the trees. The season is upon us and there's one way to get in the mood this year and that is TALES OF HALLOWEEN.

8/10

NIGHTMARE WEEKEND (Blu-ray Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1985
Directed By: Henri Sala
Written By: George Faget-Benard, Robert Seidman
Starring: Debbie Laster, Dale Midkiff, Debra Hunter
Color/86 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: September 22, 2015

The Film
Bonkers. That's the only way to describe this film about a scientist who shares his great invention that  can transform bad personalities with a fellow scientist who is secretly using the invention to turn people into raving bloody thirsty mutant maniacs. It's bonkers.

NIGHTMARE WEEKEND is several types of film depending on what part of the film you're watching. It's a science fiction film, an erotic thriller with plenty of softcore porn stylings, there's a crime film in there as well but at its heart it is indeed a horror film. A really bizarre, stupid and frankly pretty shitty horror film. I mean that in the best way.

Filled with goopy and slimy gore and make up effects along with plenty of nudity there's nothing going on here but a big pile campy fun. The acting is quite hammy but particularly bad. All of the actors are dubbed and the dubbing isn't that bad either. The direction and photography are both competent which hold the film together enough to allow for the other qualities to be total cheesefests and still work out.

Oh, and did I mention there's a talking hand puppet. And that his name is George? Yeah, there's a talking hand puppet named George. And a metal ball that flies around and kills people. Are you following? No? Just see the movie. It's so weird and just plain out there that I can't help but love it. I didn't even mention the roller skating, bikers, public sex scenes, theme song... I can keep going on but I don't think I need to. Just enjoy it.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome gives NIGHTMARE WEEKEND a beautiful HD transfer for its Blu-ray debut. The transfer has strong detail and nice colors. Dark scenes are a bit heavier on noise than lighter scenes but black levels are inky and deep with no traces of compression or blocking. The English DTSHD Master Audio sounds crisp and clear with no background noise or damage noticable. The mix job is quite well done as well as the soundtrack and dialogue compliment each other nicely.

The Extras
-"Thank God It's Monday" - An interview with special effects creator Dean Gates (23 minutes)
-"Killer Weekend" - Interview with Marc Gottlieb (13 Minutes)
-Alternate R-Rated edits
-Theatrical trailers
-DVD copy of the film

The Bottom Line
Vinegar Syndrome has plucked NIGHTMARE WEEKEND from obscurity, restoring all of the cut footage and release it on an attractive Blu-ray release for us to enjoy. Now all you have to do is enjoy it. Go get it!

NIGHTMARE WEEKEND is available HERE

JURASSIC PREY (DVD Review) - Wild Eye Releasing

USA/2015
Directed By: Mark Polonia
Written By: John Oak Dalton
Starring:  Houston Baker, James Carolus, Danielle Donahue
Color/87 Minutes/Not Rated
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Region FREE

The Film
"You played a tattered ass Bigfoot and you think you know about bears!"

If the rest of the film was as great as that line is this would be a cult classic. Even though it will never reach the status of cult classic, JURASSIC PREY does play itself into the hands of drunken entertainment. The story of a prehistoric dinosaur being freed after an explosion in some mines and terrorizing a forest where some bank robbers are hiding out is both stupid and ridiculous in a mildly entertaining way.

The acting is okay, the writing is a ham and cheese sandwich with some laughs scattered throughout and the dinosaur looks to be somewhat poorly rendered stop motion animation with shitty CGI blood effects that are good enough for a chuckle each time it's on screen. Even though the movie is short enough to not overstay its welcome you'll be thankful to see the credits when they start to roll.

I wouldn't put JURASSIC PREY on as the night's only entertainment. I'd save it for the tail end of a night of drinking when you need something that doesn't require your undivided attention or your most stable and sober mindset.

The Audio & Video
Wild Eye Releasing's DVD release of JURASSIC PREY is pretty standard and passing grade material. The 16x9 transfer is relatively sharp and the digital photography is obviously free of any dirt or debris. Meanwhile colors are decent. The English 2.0 audio fares about the same. It gets the job done without being anything to write home about. There's no damage and the levels are mixed adequately.

The Extras
-"Making Of" featurette (7 minutes)
-Audio commentary with the director

The Bottom Line
What can I say, it's worth a drunken watch to laugh at.

JURASSIC PREY is available HERE

MADCOW (DVD Review) - Troma

South Africa/2010
Directed By: Michael Wright, Michael J. Rix
Written By: Michael Wright
Starring: Tanya Van Graan, Greg Viljoen, Andile Mngadi
Color/85 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: September 8, 2015

The Film
What do you get when you mix a chainsaw wielding mancow or cowman, copious amounts of superimposed fart and poop sounds, raunchy humor, blood squirting everywhere, tainted meat, zombies and a South African setting? The film that could only be MADCOW.

MADCOW was written and produced with a very obvious Troma state of mind. It's only appropriate that they have picked it up for distribution. Had I not known otherwise I would have thought this was an actual Troma production. It's silly, a bit gross, cheaply made and poorly written. It's also mildly entertaining, but only at times. The film is intentionally stupid to play up that side of the comedy which is what the film really relies on. Make no mistake, MADCOW is a comedy first.

From a quality standpoint there isn't much. The acting is hammy and the effects are shitty. The cow monster design looks like a high school mascot, which I actually thought worked for his look but he by no means looks like an organic creature. MADCOW has some sporadic entertaining moments but for the most part didn't leave me feeling much of a reaction either way and that might be even worse than making me hate your movie.

The Audio & Video
Troma's DVD of MADCOW is a bit wishy-washy with the color palette as it looks decent at times and totally washed out at others. I feel this can more likely be attributed to how the movie was photographed though. The DVD suffers from slight compression issues which doesn't make sense as it isn't a long film and there's not enough special features to really need to squeeze it down. Nevertheless there's slight blocking that is evident throughout. The picture is clean otherwise on the anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) transfer. The English audio is weak. The mix is poorly done as audio is often muddy and low in the mix and almost totally lost at times with louder effects or soundtrack moments. The track is clean and free of damage of background noise but it's a shitty mix nonetheless.

The Extras
-"Making Of" featurette (11 minutes)
-Trailer
-"Sunny Acres Farms" - Short film by Troma and Peta (2 minutes)
-American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years Of Troma
-Radiation March
-Tromatic trailers

The Bottom Line
Troma by way of South Africa and it turns out to be very similar in both tone and results to many of Troma's actual productions. It has its moments but overall I'm as wishy-washy on this one as the transfer is.

MADCOW is available HERE

PULSATING FLESH/SUPER SEX (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1987
Directed By: Carlos Tobalina
Written By: Ray Hardin, Carlos Tobalina, Edgar G. Warren
Starring: Ray Hardin, Tamara Longley, Vanessa D'Oro
Color/159 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: August 15, 2015

The Films
SUPER SEX follows the dirty goings on at a Psychiatrist office when a younger doctor fills in for the older experienced head of the practice and has some new methods to try out on the ladies who come to him with sexual hangups. He even lets his (obviously quite attractive) secretary help out! Everything could fall apart when he's interrupted by the old doctor until he joins in as well and is a full on supporter of the method!

There's not much sleazier in the medical field than taking advantage of your patients in a sexual manner and that is what this film is all about! The film never leaves the not-so-safe confines of the doctor's office but where else would we rather be with such hot action going on? It may be too much for the old uptight secretary but for everyone else it's time to play! And who are we to judge a doctor's methods if they work, right?

Then it's time for Superman... I mean Supersperm... well, it's time for PULSATING FLESH which chronicles the character Peter Longfellow, a man hired to impregnate women who may otherwise be barren. You see, Peter's seed is so strong that he can impregnate ladies who are even on the pill. He can do two at once too. And for a small fee you can sample his work!

This movie is a blast (pun fully intended)! It's a silly adult romp filled with attractive women, a variety of situations and scenarios, including one where a live interview with Mr. Longfellow leads to him fucking and impregnating the host in front of a live audience! A live audience with children present, mind you. What kind of parents bring their kids to a raunchy sex seminar? I guess everyone, regardless of age, needs to know of the great and powerful Peter Longfellow! Who am I to judge? There's some funny moments in here, including the host's reaction after Peter was finished with her which gave me a good belly laugh.

SUPER SEX will get you warmed up and then PULSATING FLESH will come in as the main event and proves to be quite the enjoyable film.

The Audio & Video
Both films have been restored with 2K scans from the original 35mm camera negative by Vinegar Syndrome and it is obvious the negatives have been kept in good condition as each film looks fabulous. The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers are squeaky clean and quite sharp for a DVD presentation. Colors are strong and skin tones fleshy and healthy. The 2.0 audio tracks are nothing special but have well done mixing and handle the job with ease and without any complaints.

The Extras
A theatrical trailer is included for each film

The Bottom Line
A lighthearted duo of adult films from Carlos Tobalina that still ramp up the kink factor just enough to keep it extra juice. Recommended.

PULSATING FLESH/SUPER SEX Peekarama double feature is available HERE

ALL AMERICAN BULLY (DVD Review) - Wild Eye Releasing

USA/2011
Directed By: Jason Hawkins
Written By: Jason Hawkins
Starring: Daren Ackerman, Alexander Fraser, Alicia Rose
Color/90 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: June 23, 2015

The Film
A small group of friends who like to spend their time playing role playing games every weekend are the target of a local group of bullies led by an old friend turned enemy who is terrorizing the group by destroying valuable books, and beating them up. When the group tries to fight back in their own way the bullying quickly escalates into a place you can't return from.

ALL AMERICAN BULLY is a raw film, not only in its production values as an independent film that is far from polished but in its delivery and execution which gives a grave realism to the film. The characters are written with actual everyday people in mind. Our group of nerds (and I use the word lovingly) could be found at any high school across the country and our bullies are more of the popular group who like to continually prop themselves up by putting everyone else down. I'm sure many of us have experienced these types of people during our days in grade school and it's that easy type of connection that makes ALL AMERICAN BULLY a successful film.

The movie could have easily ended up as nothing more than a respectable attempt at making a powerful drama pulled down by weak writing, inexperienced acting and amateur directing. Instead the acting is quite competent with one of the worst performances surprisingly coming from one of the more experienced actors in Adrienne King of Friday The 13th fame.

ALL AMERICAN BULLY plays on its aforementioned rawness to make the audience feel like they're more a part of situation as opposed to just watching it. And that's the power of a movie such as this, there's nothing fictional about ALL AMERICAN BULLY. Things like this can happen every day in any school in any town to anyone and lives are lost because of it. I think ALL AMERICAN BULLY is a very good film and turns disadvantages to advantages but I can't say I had a lot of fun watching it. It punches you in the gut and causes visceral reactions.

The Audio & Video
Wild Eye Releasing delivers a ALL AMERICAN BULLY on DVD with an anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks good. The digital photography is clean and in very good condition and there's little to no compression or artifacting which was a pleasant surprise. The 2.0 audio is perfectly clear with good mixing and steady levels. There's no damage or background noise to speak of.

The Extras
-Extensive cast interviews
-Trailers

The Bottom Line
I think ALL AMERICAN BULLY is a truly great independent film that deals with a major issue plaguing America's youth.

ALL AMERICAN BULLY is available HERE

CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF FRIDAY THE 13TH (Blu-ray Review) - Image/RLJ Entertainment

USA/2013
Directed By: Daniel Farrands
Written By: Daniel Farrands, Peter Bracke
Color/400 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: September 8, 2015

The Film
Friday The 13th has become one of the most successful horror franchises in history and has spawned arguably one of the most beloved and recognizable movie monsters in history in Jason Voorhees. The hockey mask clad, machete wielding killer has dispatched of more horny teens than you can shake a stick at and 35 years after the first film there is no sign of a popularity drop in sight.

Inspired and based upon the fantastic book of the same name, CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF FRIDAY THE 13TH is one of the finest film documentaries ever made. Documenting the 12 films and TV series under the FRIDAY THE 13TH banner that span three plus decades, this doc features sit down interviews with over 150 different cast, crew and executives from the series talking about the films, their experiences, the reception and legacy of the films they worked on.

Filled with great stories, outtake footage and more information then you can possibly soak up in a single viewing CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES has significant rewatch value and may only be trumped by the Nightmare On Elm Street series documentary "Never Sleep Again". CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES would be just a bit better if less time was spent discussing the plot of each film and more time was invested in behind the scenes stories and rare information nobody else besides cast and crew would know. This is a minor gripe and doesn't detract from my opinion on this documentary much at all. Oh and then there's Cory Feldman's narration that goes full blown Frog Brothers at points and it gets a little annoying... blah blah, just watch it and love it!

The Audio & Video
RLJ/Image Entertainment deliver a beautiful Blu-ray and it should be no different. Sit down interview segments should look sharp and pristine and they do here. There are some rougher areas throughout the film such as rare cut footage from the films that are in beaten and battered shape but the newly produced footage looks as it should. And it sounds as it should, with a simple but very well done mix job.

The Extras
An audio commentary track is included with the filmmakers of the documentary

The Bottom Line
This is an essential companion piece to your Friday The 13th collection and is heads and shoulders above the other Friday The 13th documentary called His Name Was Jason.

CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES is available HERE