2018 October Horror Challenge Day 4

I love companies like the American Genre Film Archive who have made it their mission to preserve weird, off beat and often micro budget regional films. Both of today's viewings were from releases they were a part of. 

First up was NINJA ZOMBIE which was shot in 1992 on Super 8 on a budget that I would estimate consisted of paper clips and pocket lint. Honestly how can you resist a Super 8 film from the 90s with that title? I couldn't which is why I bought the DVD. To my surprise I had a strange sense of deja vu with the first 15 minutes of the film and had to ask a buddy if this was shown at a VHS swap meet convention we attended a couple years ago. He confirmed my suspicions that I did in fact see part of it while in a dehydrated hungover haze but slept through most of it. That's alcohol for ya. I may have been on the right path because the movie is entirely too long for what it is and has long spells of fuck all going on. When it's good it is incredibly entertaining Z-grade cheese. This is good at 70 minutes, not 90. 

Then there's the 1973 killer goat movie GODMONSTER OF INDIAN FLATS. You read that correctly, a killer goat. And not just any goat, an eight foot tall mutant goat. Sounds awesome right? Well the five minutes of killer goat action we get are awesome. The rest is intermittent scenes of this weird goat being worked on as it grows and surrounded by the redneck townspeople of this small Nevada town creating all sorts of problems with a perspective land buyer who happens to be black and that doesn't sit well with them. It's not a terrible movie but I wanted a giant killer goat running amok and it's barely there. 

I have nothing but love and respect for the AGFA but these are two films that had every chance of being amazing nonsensical exercises in schlock and instead they both left me restless and distracted from bouts of boredom.

Today's Rundown

Ninja Zombie - 4.5/10

Godmonster of Indian Flats 4/10

Cult Epics Set To Release Limited NEKROMANTIK VHS Editions - Pre-Order Now!

 JORG BUTTGEREIT’S  “NEKROMANTIK” RETURNS ON IT’S ORIGINAL FORMAT “VHS” IN 3 LIMITED EDITIONS and MORE

Release Date: DECEMBER 1, 2018

Los Angeles, CA (October, 2017) Synopsis:

A street sweeper who cleans up after grisly accidents brings home a full corpse for him and his wife to enjoy sexually, but is dismayed to see that his wife prefers the corpse over him.

Over 25 years ago Film Threat unleashed NEKROMANTIK on VHS to US Audiences, and horror was never looked upon the same again. Now it’s back in it’s original format, with no less than 3 cover designs by David Royal, and Parker Richardson in a limited edition of 25 copies each. Including a Collector’s Edition Box Set with VHS, T-shirt, Lobby Cards, Sticker, and Signed & numbered certificate by Jorg Buttgereit, designed by Martin Trefford. Also available Nekromantik Enamel Pin, 250 made. A Cult Epics website Exclusive, available at www.cultepics.com only.

NEKROMANTIK VHS-A & VHS-B

Price:                            $29.95 each

NEKROMANTIK VHS-C BOX SET

Price:                                      $99.95

Release Date:                        December 1, 2018

NEKROMANTIK

Production Year:                 1987

Country:                                 Germany

Video run time:         Approx. 75 Mins

Language:                              German language w/optional English subtitles

Aspect Ratio:                         1.33:1

Audio:                                     Stereo

Label:                                      Cult Epics

Rating:                                    Not Rated

SPECIAL FEATURES NEKROMANTIK VHS-C BOX SET

Feature film VHS with original German Cover Art

Numbered Limited edition of 25 copies in Clamshell Case

Design Parker Richardson

Numbered & Signed Certificate by Jorg Buttgereit

Exclusive Nekromantik T-shirt, one size (M, L, XL) art by Martin Trafford

Exclusive set of 7 Lobby Cards (8.5”x11” inches) with art by Martin Trefford & Justin Talarski (color painting), and Parker Richardson

Exclusive Nekromantik Sticker

All housed in box with art by Martin Trefford

NEKROMANTIK ENAMEL PIN

Special Features

Antique silver 3D Enamel Pin (1.25”X1.25” inches)

250 Made

2018 October Horror Challenge Day 3

Sometimes your love for medieval shit and boobs makes you buy shitty movies at the flea market for a dollar. I mean STAG KNIGHT is about a vengeful Knights Templar and the cover of the DVD screams "Babes, Booze, and one killer knight out!" I love babes, booze and puns so I plopped down a buck and just found out that unsurprisingly it isn't good. Hell they even found a way to piss me off about my love for paintball in it too. I guess it was better than Clownhouse but there were no boobs, and the killer knight was wack.

THE UNBORN was next and thankfully it was better. This slow burn horror thriller centers around a couple that has visited a new doctor after years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive but as the pregnancy progresses strange things start to happen and the mom-to-be finds out that this is not a normal child she's carrying. Around the hour mark I was on board with it but it could have easily went either way but I was totally sold after *SPOILER the baby stops breastfeeding, grabs a knitting needle and shoves it into its father's eye after hearing him call it hideous. *END SPOILER. This was the type of wacked out mutant baby type shit I was hoping for. Overall it wasn't a masterpiece but the slow burn was satisfying and I dug it. 

A creature feature can be good in a number of ways. It could be a genuinely scary and well made film or it can feature cheap schlocky thrills and laughs or it can feature a fishman with hotdogs hanging out of its mouth. In the case of FROM HELL IT CAME it's some sort of combination of both... cheap schlocky thrills and a wacky monster design. The monster in question here is a native to a Pacific island tribe that has been wrongfully executed and vows revenge on those that betrayed him. He returns in the form of Tabonga, a big lumbering tree man who throws his victims into a quicksand pit. Once you get beyond the American scientists acting like they're God's gift to the world (especially this Island) and you get to the tree man stuff it's a lot of freaking fun. I mean the last 20 minutes of this thing are perfect B-movie creature feature cheese and I had a blast. The first 50 were boring and fail at being a pseudo-intellectual warning of radiation and atomic and hydrogren bomb usage (a popular theme for science fiction and horror films of the era) but the end is totally worth it. 

Few series have as many entries as the Amityville Horror franchise. To be honest I'm not much of a fan of the original. I find it to be just "okay". I much prefer Part 2 for taking the prequel story in a sleazier and more exciting direction. I even prefer Part 3 over the original for allowing itself to be a cheesy haunted house type affair. After those three I haven't made much of an effort to check out the series in recent years as most of my memories of catching various sequels on cable or in rentals from the video store are not good ones. So my interest in seeing one of the most recent entries, AMITYVILLE: THE AWAKENING, surprised me and I chalk it up to having a decent cast with the film starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Bella Thorne and was directed by Franck Khalfoun who helmed the Maniac remake that I once held in quite high regard (it hasn't held up to multiple viewings). So with a chance to see it for free On Demand I figured no better time than now and pressed play. And by the end of it I had a couple of thoughts. One was that at least it looked decent. Nearly 20 entries in and they at least tried to make a decent movie here which surprised me but more importantly I thought "yeah, I think I'm good on this series". Honestly there's just not a damn thing going on here. An embarrassing attempt at making this movie meta and tie into a real world version of the original two films goes nowhere and there's characters who just disappear. The story takes almost the entire runtime to even attempt to get scary aside from a couple of random shadows or doors shutting on their own and the whole idea of the brother waking up from a coma is a wasted effort. The whole thing is a wasted effort really. Yet somehow I don't think I was let down because my expectations were that low. 

Today's Rundown

Stag Knight - 3.5/10

The Unborn - 7/10

From Hell It Came - 5.5/10

Amityville: The Awakening - 3/10

October Horror Challenge 2018 - Day 2

I had a rough time trying to sleep so a 4am showing of LEPTIRICA was in order. I chose this film based on its runtime hoping that a film barely an hour long would help relax me and get me back to sleep and what I found was a really pleasant surprise out of the first horror film from Yugoslavia/Serbia. LEPTIRICA aka She-Butterfly is a vampire type tale based on a story called After Ninety Years from 1880. This film is definitely schlocky and even with its very modest runtime it has a good bit of padding but there's just something intangible about this movie that connects with me. I'm not sure if it is the director trying to create something Jean Rollin-esque, or the makeup effects that make Paul Naschy's wolf man design look like a million bucks but this movie is just endearing and simplistic in its execution. It is not only a piece of horror history but worth seeking out.

SLEEP NO MORE, a straight to DVD psychological horror film based around the idea a study group has that after 200 hours without sleep the human body will never again need sleep. Of course this leads to all sorts of problems as their inner nightmares, fears and demons begin to torment them as their brains turn against them leading to the entire group trying to find a way to maintain their sanity. By this point in the day I was fighting off sleep as the long night and busy day had caught up to me. This has nothing to do with the movie itself as it was engaging and pretty decent all around. The physical manifestations of the inner demons were a bit clunky looking and it never got above that hump that separates good movies from great movies but it met my expectations and it had a neat little score.

SLEEP NO MORE was released on DVD by RLJ Entertainment today and can be found on any major online movie retailer and is currently on Wal Mart store shelves

The day wrapped up with the 1984 slasher FATAL GAMES. And all I can ask is where the hell is the blu-ray of this thing? Hell it didn't even get a DVD release. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a top notch slasher. It's on the cheap side, and the kills are a bit one note with a mysterious killer in jogging pants running around an athletic facility killing people with javelins but there's enough of them to keep it dirty and the skin factor is next level because there's constantly naked women. The killer's motive and reveal was crazy and there's an awesome opening theme song. This is one of those slasher films that keeps me excited about discovering slashers I've missed out on.

Today's Rundown
Leptirica - 6.5/10
Sleep No More - 5.5/10
Fatal Games - 6/10

October Horror Challenge 2018 - Day 1

October already? Honestly it has felt like more than a year has gone by since last year's challenge and I'm just happy to be able to take part in another and to the fullest of my ability. A lot has happened since last year and being able to kick back and turn my brain to mush and share the results with all of you yet again makes me very happy.

I decided to make the first movie count somehow so I chose a movie I'd been meaning to cross off the list for years. CLOWNHOUSE. An infamous chiller from convicted pedophile director Victor Salva. I was pretty convinced that without the disgusting history of the production of the film (Salva molested one of the young actors during production) bringing it notoriety and a rather rare DVD keeping it talked about in the digital age this movie wouldn't have half the reputation that it does and after watching it my suspicions were confirmed. A few escapees from a mental ward kill off some circus clowns, steal their outfits and invade a house where three brothers are alone for the night but nothing really happens. The most effectively creepy scenes involve the clowns running around unnoticed in the background and that's pretty much it. It's incredibly dull and not the least bit interesting. 

Another movie I'm surprised I'd never seen is ONCE BITTEN, the vampire comedy starring a young Jim Carrey and it was good fun for a silly high school movie drenched in 80s aesthetic from tacky, heavy mansion decor to neon soaked downtown LA. I enjoyed getting a taste of an upcoming Jim Carrey that made him a superstar in the 90s and Lauren Hutton was delicious as the vampiress but the real star of the show may have been Cleavon Little as the sassy butler to the vampire queen. 

Thanks to all of these recent movie theater plans my theatrical viewing spiked to an all time high this year and AMC's new A-List has replaced MoviePass for me after their fiascos. I used A-List for the first time today on HELL FEST, a slasher film set within the confines of a sprawling haunted house attraction. It breaks down to two noteworthy kills, some well designed sets and an entire main cast of unlikeable characters. The pacing was very uneven and felt incredibly rushed in the third act. And the main/final girl had the audacity to throw away a $5 soft pretzel. That bitch deserved to die. 

Everyone has friends that talk about how weird certain movies are and eventually you watch those movies and find out your friend is full of shit. Or in the case of FAUST: LOVE OF THE DAMNED that they're pretty spot on. When you know that Brian Yuzna, the man behind the butt faced Society and Beyond Re-Animator there should be no doubt that it's doing to be weird. Well the classic special effects of Society are rivaled at times by the giant tits and ass concoction that one of the characters inflates and sort of melts in to. The story itself isn't all that enthralling but there's a lot of nu-metal in the soundtrack which plays to my inner 7th grade self and a lot of weird special effects that were pretty damn cool.

And day 1 comes to a close with a movie that is going to be hard to top in terms of unexpected goodness. 1988's CURSE OF THE QUEERWOLF from director Mark Pirro (Deathrow Gameshow) is a spoof of the classic Universal monster movie The Wolf Man along with horror in general. It's exactly what it sounds like - a werewolf movie except that when you're afflicted with the curse you become a crossdressing gay man. And it's actually hilarious. There are some points where they're definitely reaching for content and jokes are repeated but more often than not it's light hearted and over the top and filled with wacky characters, stupid situations and horror parodies that fans will love.  It's far from perfect but I would buy a Blu-ray of it the second it was released. 

Today's Rundown
Clownhouse - 3/10
Once Bitten - 7/10
Hell Fest - 4.5/10
Faust: Love Of The Damned - 5/10
Curse Of The Queerwolf - 7.5/10

Full Moon "Bunker Of Blood" - Puppet Master: Blitzkrieg Massacre

FULL MOON UNLEASHES 

“BUNKER OF BLOOD”

WITH FIRST FILM

“PUPPET MASTER: BLITZKRIEG MASSACRE”

Available on Amazon Prime and Full Moon Streaming on September 25, 2018

HOLLYWOOD, September 25, 2018 – Full Moon’s BUNKER OF BLOOD is an 8-part feature film series designed to shock and scare. Drawing from nearly three decades of cinematic splatter and freakish filmmaking, BUNKER OF BLOOD is a gory "Greatest Hits" of the legendary studio's strangest and sickest sequences framed by an all new, outrageous narrative.  Using lavish illustrated comic book panels to tell the twisted tale of the masochistic drifter and the mad "guru of gore," the series will drive viewers deep into the dark, dank depths of a madman's macabre lair.  This stomach-churning adventure starts off with PUPPET MASTER: BLITZKRIEG MASSACRE, in which The Gore Collector culls the sickest moments from the 11-film deep PUPPET MASTER series, mashing them together with macabre music and brand new moments of body-breaking mayhem.  

PUPPET MASTER: BLITZKRIEG MASSACRE goes LIVE on Amazon Prime and Full Moon Streaming (www.FullMoonStreaming.com) on September 25th, 2018.  DVD releases of each BUNKER OF BLOOD title will follow soon after, which - when all 8 are collected - will reveal a secret mural painting on the spine. 

Synopsis: In an unknown dystopian future, a drifter with an unusually high-tolerance for pain is held captive in a horrific hospital by The Circle of Psycho Surgeons, a clandestine crew of M.D.'s (that's medical deviants) who are experimenting with human suffering. Suddenly, our shackled hero hears the call of The Gore Collector, a sadistic curator of carnage who is well past his prime and now seeks an heir to take over his evil operation. Escaping from the lurid lab, the drifter enters the underground lair of The Gore Collector – there the perverse programmer pops in a vile videotape and begins the process of trying to warp the man's mind with some of the goriest and most gruesome moments from Full Moon's iconic film franchises. It's an all-out assault to the senses that makes A CLOCKWORK ORANGE's "Ludivico Technique" look like outtakes from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood!

Can our hero survive the BUNKER OF BLOOD?

Comet TV September Giveaway

Are you ready for a Spacey-week? I hope so, because COMET TV has so many cool things in September! COMET TV is the new home of the cult classic Space: 1999! The out of this world series starring Martin Landau is a fun retro adventure, you’ll love! Plus, there are Godzilla Double Features, Dr. Who and more!    Plus, we can’t forget the action network CHARGE! There is a Rocky marathon featuring the classic film series all month long! CHARGE! is an action network showing the most “kickin’” and “punchin’” films ever created. And we want to give you the opportunity to have an awesome September of your own! The COMET TV and CHARGE! September Prize Pack is perfect for binging some classic films and TV Shows! The Comet TV and Charge! September Pack has: 1 - Limited Edition Space: 1999 COMET TV T-shirt: Exclusive to this month, we’ve created an exclusive shirt celebrating the retro goodness of this classic series! 1 - Rocky Exclusive Charge! Clamshell Box: While there may not be a VHS tape inside, this pack has some of the classic Rocky artwork. Yo Adrian! 1- Rocky Viewing Kit: When you’re working up a sweat in the gym and feeling the Eye of the Tiger, this kit will help you get into the Rocky mood. There is a Charge jump-rope, a gym towel and a die-cut Rocky sticker!  1- Godzilla Funko Pop Figure: Who doesn’t love Funko Pops?!? This Godzilla will be the fire breathing center of your collection and a perfect way to celebrate the Godzilla double features, Sundays on COMET TV! TO ENTER  EMAIL CELLULOIDTERROR@YAHOO.COM WITH "September Comet Giveaway" AS THE SUBJECT AND TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE CLASSIC SCI-FI SERIES AND YOUR FAVORITE ROCKY MOVIE. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR ADDRESS. US ENTRANTS ONLY.  CONTEST OPEN UNTIL SEPTEMBER 24.  Airing on COMET in September YOU DON’T NEED A SUBSCRIPTION TO WATCH THESE GREAT MOVIES… THEY’RE AIRING FOR FREE ON COMET! Space: 1999 (series) Space: 1999 officially crash landed on COMET! The residents of Moonbase Alpha were just minding their own business when the nuclear waste stored there suddenly exploded, causing the moon to hurtle into space. After passing through a black hole and a couple random “Space Warps,” you begin to wonder, is there a mysterious force guiding them? In September, look out for back-to-back episodes on Saturday and Sunday evenings starting at 10/9 C.  Godzilla DOUBLE FEATURES  Godzilla wanted to move to Saturdays. We said OK! Through September, catch the mega monster films that rocked the planet and featured Godzilla going head to head with his infamous foes. Destruction begins Saturday, September 8 with Rebirth of Mothra and Rebrith of Mothra II.  Catch Godzilla Double Features on Saturday, Sept 8 starting at 2/1 C. Saturday, Sept 15, 22 and 29th starting at 1/NOON C. 9/8 starting at 2/1 C Rebirth of Mothra (1996) Rebirth of Mothra II (1997) 9/15 starting at 1/NOON C Godzilla VS. SpaceGodzilla (1994) Godzilla VS. Megaguirus: The G Annihilation Strategy (2003) 9/22 starting at 1/NOON C Godzilla VS. King Ghidorah (1991) Godzilla VS. Destoroyah (1995) 9/29 starting at 1/NOON C Godzilla VS. Mothra (1992) Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-out Attack (2001) -------- Q (1982) Aztec Gods? Female Lizards? And a takeover of New York’s famed Chrysler Building? What’s a New Yorker to do? Rely on a criminal who has dreams of being a jazz pianist to find the creature’s lair and blackmail the city for directions! What, those aren’t on the subway map? Friday, Sept 7 at 8/7 C Sunday, Sept 9 at 8/7 C Wednesday, Sept 12 at 4/3 C Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) Dr. Who heads to the big screen and in color! After accidentally being transported to another planet Dr. Who and his friends come across a vial of drugs and head to a nearby city to investigate and find missing components of their Tardis. Say no to drugs kids! They come across the Daleks who take the components all while the good Doctor and his group suffer from radiation sickness! What can cure them? The mystery drugs they found… But an evil Dalek plot threatens the group and everyone who opposes the evil cyborgs!  Sunday, Sept 9 at Noon/11 C Wednesday, Sept 12 at 10/9A C Monday, Sept 17 at 8/7 C Dr. Who: Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966) Peter Cushing stars in the role of Dr. Who and he discovers, after traveling to the future, that the Daleks have taken over the Earth! A band of resistance fighters are trying to stop the attack but everyone is brainwashed! Sunday, Sept 9 at 2/1 C Wednesday, Sept 12 at Noon/11 C Tuesday, Sept 18 at 8/7 C ------- Airing on CHARGE! in September Rocky DOUBLE FEATURES Yo Adrian! Catch up on Rocky I-V all month in September on CHARGE! There’s a double dose of boxing goodness every Thursday. Watch the blood, sweat and tears as Rocky battle foe after foe and continually forges on against all odds! He clearly has the Eye of the Tiger! Get pumped and watch the first five films in the Rocky saga and relive all the action, guts and glory! CHARGE! Is proud to feature Rocky I-V in September, starting with a Labor Day marathon on Monday 9/3 starting at 10/9A C.  Then catch a Rocky Double Feature every Thursday after that starting at 2/1 C and 8/7 C.