SECRET SANTA (DVD Review) - Wild Eye Releasing

Canada/2015
Directed By: Mike McMurran
Written By: Mike McMurran
Starring: Annette Wozniak, Geoff Almond, Keegan Chambers
Color/78 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: December 13, 2016

The Film
A house of college students get together for a Christmas party where Olivia plans to introduce them to her new boyfriend, their Professor Ramsey. Hoping to break the awkward tension they hand out their secret Santa gifts but everyone finds their gift replaced by an object that the masked intruder stalking their party plans to kill each of them with. SECRET SANTA is giving the gift of death and the co-eds must fight for their survival.

SECRET SANTA is a throwback to holiday slashers of the 70s and 80s and it's obvious that writer/director Mike McMurran loves the genre. When he's keeping things straight forward he has an interesting group of characters from the goofy funny guy, to the sexy girl creating trouble with the guy she likes that's already taken, and everything in between, this house of students is generally pretty likable and diverse. The kills are well done and at times pretty gory creating the memorable moments that slasher fans latch on to. The thumping synth score drives the violence and tension and McMurran creates a really well done slasher film.

Unfortunately all too often SECRET SANTA is handled as a spoof on the genre and gets unnecessarily goofy and intentionally cheesy. One of the gifted weapons is a hair dryer and the murder scene with that weapon starts out with a moment looking for a big laugh and I don't think this movie really needs those moments. There's enough lighthearted comedic moments with the Dwayne character and a few moments scattered throughout that I don't think they needed to spill the comedy over into the killer and the kill sequences.

That doesn't stop SECRET SANTA from being an entertaining and well acted film. The core group are all solid in their roles from the goofy Dwayne (Geoff Almond) to Annette Wozniak who plays Nicole and is a worthy final girl type character. The cast is a strong point. The killer's motive reveal is a mixed bag however as I think the scene plays out well but the motive feels like they pulled it out of a hat filled with various motives.

SECRET SANTA is a holiday slasher that takes a step back for each step forward. I think there's a great slasher hidden in there but you have to wade through some spoofy moments that frankly aren't needed and kill the mood. I do enjoy the movie and think Mike McMurran is really capable of creating a top notch slasher film and look forward to seeing what he does next. Until then SECRET SANTA is worth adding to your Christmas horror collection.

The Audio & Video
SECRET SANTA has an intentional imitation aged style and look with fake grain and damage to give it the throwback look of drive-in horror films from decades past. WILD EYE RELEASING has given us a DVD that faithfully maintains that style but also manages to keep the film looking sharp and pleasing to the eye. Colors are natural and don't look artificially altered. Detail is decent and black levels are handled well with no artifacting. The 2.0 English audio sounds good with no background noise or distortions. The mix is good but the score could have been pumped up a tad to really let it come through and shine because it is excellent.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary with Director Mike McMurran
-Behind The Scenes Documentary
-Trailers

The Bottom Line
SECRET SANTA is flawed and would have benefited from a more straight forward approach but it remains an entertaining holiday slasher that slasher buffs will surely be adding to their Christmas horror rotation.

SECRET SANTA is available HERE

FISTS OF FURY (DVD Review) - Full Moon

USA/2017
Directed By: Charles Band
Written By: Charles Band
Starring: Cynthia Rothrock
Color/109 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE

The Film
FISTS OF FURY is a trailer compilation of some classic and not-so-classic Kung-Fu films from the 70s and 80s hosted by martial arts expert and film star Cynthia Rothrock. Rothrock not only gives lead ins to each section of the film such as Femme Fatales and Brucesploitation but she sheds a little light on martial arts films and gives us a little bit of action from would be attackers as well. There's not much else to say, Rothrock's scenes are all filmed in a gym and they're campy as hell but they're entertaining fare to help break up the trailers a bit. The trailers are the main attraction however and act as a damn good checklist of some lesser known Kung-Fu from the golden era of the genre.

The Audio & Video
The scenes with Cynthia Rothrock that were produced for this release look great. They're sharp and clear. Full Moon didn't restore the trailers used for FISTS OF FURY so naturally this compilation of trailers runs the gamut from great condition to pretty rough and filled with scratches and other damage. I find the damage in some of the trailers to be part of the charm and they're all quite enjoyable. The 2.0 audio matches the video, with crisp audio for Rothrock's scenes and more of a mixed bag for the trailers. Overall a very pleasing release.

The Extras
A short behind the scenes making of featurette and an interview with Cynthia Rothrock are included.

The Bottom Line
Kung-Fu is cool and it's about damn time more people get on board with the genre. FISTS OF FURY is something you can sit and enjoy while taking note of the films you still need to track down and see or something to put on in the background of a party.

FISTS OF FURY is available HERE

BORNLESS ONES (2017)

USA/2017
Directed By: Alexander Babaev
Written By: Alexander Babaev
Starring: Margaret Judson, Devin Goodsell, Michael Johnston
On VOD February 10, 2017

Emily is moving into a new home with the help of her friends so that she can better take care of her brother Zach who has Cerebral Palsy and is paralyzed. Shortly after arriving the group begins to find out the evil secrets the house holds and it begins to take hold of them one by one.

BORNLESS ONES is a straight forward demonic possession style horror film that had potential to be pretty good but it falls in to too many cliches of the genre and there are a few too many moments where everything is so over lit that I was wondering if there was anyone looking through the lens of the camera while filming. The cast is good, it's unfortunate that there's a lot of all too typical pitch-shift demon voices that I would have liked to see the actors emote their demonic possessions instead of relying on the voice change. The cast is likable with good comedic timing when it's asked for and I think the acting is the high point of the film.

The script by writer/director Alexander Babaev is a mixed bag. There are some interesting ideas I thought were really different and something I don't think I've seen before but there's also way too much reliance on poorly rendered CGI (but hey, it was better than The Bye Bye Man!) scares and stabbing scenes. It may sound like an odd complaint but there's so much stabbing at the end that everyone gets stabbed repeatedly. It does make for a bloody violent finale but good lord there could have been something else tossed in. The CGI scenes were a poor decision as far as I'm concerned, similar scares could have been achieved with less flashy but more atmospheric and simply better looking practical effects.

I didn't particularly care for BORNLESS ONES but I do admire how Alexander Babaev fit in some interesting idea in the confines of a familiar demonic possession horror film. If you have a particularly strong love for these types of horror films you might want to seek out BORNLESS ONES but I think Babaev's best efforts are ahead of him.

HUNTING GROUNDS (2015)

USA/2015
Directed By: John Portanova
Written By: John Portanova
Starring: Bill Oberst Jr., Jason Vail, Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, D'Angelo Midili, David Saucedo
Release Date: February 07, 2017

Recently widowed Roger (Jason Vail) and his son Mark (Miles Joris-Peyrafitte) retreat to his brother-in-law's remote cabin deep in the woods after losing their home. There, when they are visited by two friends for a weekend hunting expedition, they discover that they are not the only ones living there. A group of Sasquatch also call the woods their home and are on the offensive since a logging company began destroying it.

I love Bigfoot movies, but I'll be the first to admit that most of them are complete and utter trash. There are definitely more than a few gems in this sub-genre, but before you can get to them you have to dig through a whole lot of garbage. HUNTING GROUNDS falls somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. The story mostly seems to focus on the meek Mark and his tenuous relationship with his father since his mom passed away. His father is battling with depression and possibly alcoholism which is enabled by his arrogant buddy Sergio (David Saucedo). Mark's uncle, Will (D'Angelo Midili), is on the opposite side of the spectrum, trying to help Mark put himself into a better situation rather than letting his father's self-destructive behavior drag him down as well. Most of the first half of the movie deals with this dynamic, which tends to make it drag a bit. All of the actors do a fine job with the material, but it just wasn't particularly the movie I was looking forward to.

About halfway through the movie, the bigfoot action really starts to ramp up and this is where the movie does what it does best. A lot of recent bigfoot movies have been CGI-heavy, and I really appreciate the fact that HUNTING GROUNDS is not. The effects are nothing incredible, but are used extremely well in a way that never feels silly. The movie never feels like it's trying to hide it's creatures either. Though they are in shadow a lot, we see enough that we never feel cheated. As the group fends off the group of sasquatch, the movie builds to a pretty tense climax. Unfortunately, I think the ending kind of drops the ball and leaves the viewer with a conclusion that feels unsatisfactory and rushed.

When all is said and done, I feel like HUNTING GROUNDS is a solid film that's probably worth checking out if you're a bigfoot movie enthusiast like me. But if you're just looking for a fun creature feature, you might do better with something else.

Review by Shawn Wolfe

DEAD WEST (DVD Review) - RLJ Entertainment

USA/2016
Directed By: Jeff Ferrell
Written By: Jeff Ferrell
Starring: Brian Sutherland, Megan Karimi-Nasar, Jeffrey Arrington
Color/114 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: February 7, 2017

The Film
A nameless outlaw is driving across the country leaving a trail of blood behind him each time his search for love fails. His journey may come to an end when the brother of one of his victims tracks him down and puts him at gun point.

DEAD WEST is one of a slew of gritty, violent thrillers set in the American west being released these days. Brian Sutherland stars as the lead who changes his name with each new encounter. He's decently threatening and charismatic enough to get the job done. The best performance in the film is that of Roxy, played by Megan Karimi Nasar who plays the lead protagonist and main love interest of Sutherland. She's likable and easy to care about, giving a very sympathetic performance. The rest of the cast is competent except for the entire scene at Sug White's house which is down right awful. It feels like a spoof but they're dead serious about it.

There's not enough to the script to support nearly two hours of a movie and that doesn't include what was inevitably cut from the final product. The plot is thin and frankly the synopsis that the drifter is looking for love is bullshit since he has no intention on giving many of his encounters a chance and disposes of them very quickly. The drifter seems more into killing than he does finding love. It doesn't make him seem more dangerous or maniacal, it just makes the entire film feel like a cheap excuse for murder sequences. Even my favorite part of the film, Semih Tareen's score, became repetitive and overused because of how often it cues in to the drifter's attitude.

DEAD WEST is a well shot thriller with a pair of leads that were let down by a lackluster script. It has its upside but falls well short of what it could have been.

The Audio & Video
RLJ Entertainment gives DEAD WEST a nice looking 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The picture is clean and colorful and black levels are fairly deep. The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo mix sounds crisp with a steady mix that allows the score to shine without making the dialogue muddy or hard to understand.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary with Director Jeff Ferrell, Actor Brian Sutherland, and Composer Semih Tareen
-The Making Of DEAD WEST - A feature length making-of documentary clocking in at over 68 minutes.

The Bottom Line
DEAD WEST is thinly plotted and one note. If you're extremely interested in seeing it I suggest renting it.

DEAD WEST is available HERE

THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (Blu-ray Review) - Vestron Video

UK/1988
Directed By: Ken Russell
Written By: Ken Russell
Starring: Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg
Color/94 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date: January 31, 2017

The Film
When Archaeologist Angus Flint (Peter Capaldi) unearths a strange serpent-like skull while excavating the site of an old convent on the grounds of a bed and breakfast he quickly learns of the tale of the D'Ampton Worm, a mythical snake-god from said to have been slain a thousand years earlier by John D'Ampton, the ancestor of current land owner James D'Ampton (Hugh Grant). The old tale seems to come true when a couple of women go missing and the group discovers that a local woman named Lady Sylvia Marsh is in fact an ancient priestess to the snake-god.

THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM is loosely adapted from the Bram Stoker novel but Ken Russell has greatly changed most of the story and details making for a wildly entertaining, purposely campy mashup of horror, fantasy and comedy. Hugh Grant is quite good as James D'Ampton and he has good chemistry with Peter Capaldi as an odd couple type pair who go about investigating the legend in different ways. Amanda Donohoe is captivating as Lady Sylvia Marsh, giving a sexy and domineering performance of pure evil. From seducing a Boy Scout to turning townspeople in to vampires with a single bite, she is a leather clad vixen that owns her sexuality and strength and the film is better off for having her in it.

Arguably the film's most interesting scenes are after those snake bites from Marsh when they lead to these trippy LSD induced visions of the snake demons, orgies, medieval battles and more bizarre scenes. This is purely Ken Russell being the brilliant director he's been known to be. The hallucinations wouldn't have felt out of place in his masterpiece from 1971 The Devils. Russell seamlessly mixes these elements of horror with very organic and natural comedic moments that never feel out of place and wrap the entire film up in a fantasy film shell. These ingredients make for such a wildly entertaining hour and a half filled with interesting and lovable characters, a giant B-movie monster, and a strong sense of aesthetic. Russell's eye for detail in sets, costumes and props is on full display from the blue body paint serpent scene, to the Victorian mansions decorated floor to ceiling with all sorts of gaudy yet elegant dressing and even massive underground snake/dragon monster look appealing to the eye and not at all corny.

THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM would have benefitted from a slightly larger budget as it would have allowed the film to have a more expansive feeling and allowed for more special effects but THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM is a charming, funny and well made fantasy horror film based in folklore. It has held up to multiple viewings over the years and will remain in rotation for years to come.

The Audio & Video
Vestron Video gives a beautiful HD presentation to this new Blu-ray of THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM. The anarmophic widescreen (1.78:1) transfer looks gorgeous. There is a very tiny bit of speckling otherwise the picture is quite clean and sharp. Colors are beautiful and shine while black levels are handled nicely. Detail levels are strong with surfaces and textures and skin tones are healthy and handled naturally. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo mix takes the film's original  audio mix and makes it sound pristine. The track is crisp and has crystal clarity. There's no damage, imperfections or background noise. Levels are mixed nicely so that dialogue and music are complimentary.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary with Director Ken Russell
-Audio Commentary with Lisi Russell and Film Historian Matthew Melia
-"Worm Food" - Interview with Special FX Artists Geoffrey Portass, Neil Gorton and Paul Jones
-"Cutting For Ken" - An Interview with Editor Peter Davies
-"Mary Mary" - Interview with Actress Sammi Davis
-Trailers From Hell with Producer Dan Ireland
-Theatrical Trailer
-Still Gallery

The Bottom Line
THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM is an overlooked and underrated piece of 80s horror. I hope this Blu-ray allows the film to be rediscovered and gives this great piece of work from Ken Russell the credit it deserves.

THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM is available HERE

PARENTS (Blu-ray Review) - Vestron Video

USA/1989
Directed By: Bob Balaban
Written By: Christopher Hawthorne
Starring: Randy Quaid, Mary Beth Hurt, Bryan Madorsky
Color/82 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date: January 31, 2017

The Film
PARENTS is a film set in the idyllic 1950s, a time straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting and the Laemles want nothing more than to blend in and be that picture perfect family with their ten year old son Michael. Unfortunately Michael isn't the All-American boy but rather a very quiet, distant and frankly somewhat odd child. His father (Randy Quaid) is disapproving of the boy, commonly more concerned about the bottle of wine he chooses for dinner than bonding with his son. Their mother is a typical housewife interested in getting a hot meal on the table for her family and babying her son. Michael usually goes to bed early without eating his meat because he knows there's something wrong with his family... they're cannibals.

Bryan Mardosky plays Michael and at first his performance comes across as wooden, stilted and rather bland. I feel that this is all intentional from director Bob Balaban as he is using Mardosky's performance as Michael to show the effects an abusive and overall poor home life can have on a child. I think Michael has become the shell of a healthy child and is very introverted and keeps mainly to himself. PARENTS shows a very twisted version of that 1950's idealism with a family that feasts on human meat without too much in the way of graphic gore or imagery to really make a horror film. He also fits in some dark comedic moments throughout. Don't get it wrong though, PARENTS is a weird movie that does a damn good job at making the viewer feel uncomfortable and squeamish. This is done with gratuitous and repetitious shots of the food that plays such a big role in the film as many scenes revolve around it. The meat seems to get slimier and more and more undercooked every time we see it. It's disgusting.

The film really succeeds because of Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt's performances as Michael's father and mother. Mary Beth Hurt wants nothing more than to live the American dream with a happy family living in Suburbia but is stuck in between her husband who has made the family a house of cannibals and is an abusive man. Without laying a hand on his son he haunts him and broods over him, sitting in dark rooms or in the shadows waiting for Michael to curiously search around to uncover the truth his family hides. Quaid's performance is THE scariest thing of the film. He makes me extremely uncomfortable and is a perfect metaphor for the mask America put on the 1950s hiding the uglier social issues the country faced with a post-war economic boom, paintings of apple pie and a widespread idea of "The American Dream".

PARENTS is well made and has aged just as well. It is a movie that never quite clicked with me until this viewing but I get it now and I think if you go in expecting a strange horror film that relies more on characters and relationships rather than shocks and gore you'll be pleasantly surprised.

The Audio & Video
Spine #7 in the Vestron Collector's Series looks and sounds quite good. The 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer has a nice overall picture quality with strong detail throughout. From the textures in clothing to the nasty, slimy quality to the meat at every meal there is good attention to finer details. Colors are vibrant and natural. There are small sections of the film that have a softer look than the rest of the film but these are vastly in the minority of scenes. The audio is handled with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo mix that sounds excellent. It's a crisp and clear mix with stable levels and a quality mix. There's no damage or background noise. Optional English SDH subtitles are included.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary with Director Bob Balaban and Producer Bonnie Palef
-Isolated Score And Audio Interview with Composer Jonathan Elias
-"Leftovers To Be" - Interview with Screenwriter Christopher Hawthorne
-Mother's Day" - Interview with Mary Beth Hurt
-Inside Out" - Interview with Director Of Photography Robin Vidgeon
-Vintage Tastes - Interview with Decorative Consultant Yolando Cuomo
-Theatrical Trailer
-Radio Spots
-Still Gallery

The Bottom Line
PARENTS is a film that has aged extremely well and is deserving of this stellar release from Vestron. I consider this the definitive edition of a film that deserves to be re-discovered in HD.

PARENTS is available HERE