Coming soon! The Woman (2011)

"When a successful country lawyer captures and attempts to civilize the last remaining member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast coast for decades, he puts the lives of his family in jeopardy."

I really don't know where to begin with reviewing "The Woman" because, although it's quite unlike anything that I've seen before, it's still somewhat derivative of a lot of other dysfunctional family stories in places.

With anything written by Jack Ketchum, you know it's going to be a little bit "out there" and, by having Lucky McKee direct it, it's likely to be even more so. Paradoxically, everything is extremely very well reigned in here and doesn't ever become bizarrely unrealistic or comical. I find that to be a very welcome and refreshing change.

Now as much as I want to say that "The Woman" is unique, it isn't. If you've ever seen "The X-Files" season one episode called "Jersey Devil" then the idea of a feral human being won't be much of a surprise to you. It was even done more recently in "Shiver", a Spanish film from 2008.

Demented, dysfunctional families aren't all that new either. You only have to look up "Spider Baby" (1968) to see how that all began. But, as I've said, "The Woman" is no comedy or, at least, not a comedy that I can categorise as one. It's amusing in places but there really aren't any major chuckles to be had out of it unless you are as sick and twisted as I am.

Combining the two elements by having a dysfunctional family kidnap a feral woman, and then to have their characters being further revealed by their interactions with their captive, is an ambitious idea which actually works fairly well. Of course there are flaws and quite a few moments which are too reminiscent of Dario Argento's "Jenifer" (from the "Masters of Horror" series) for comfort.

One thing which I'm puzzled over is whether or not "The Woman" is a kind of feminist movie or a totally misogynistic one. I wondered the same thing about Lars Von Trier's "Antichrist" (2009) although I gave up ever trying to analyse that director's mind a long time ago.

If I had to pick a side, I'd say "The Woman" is very feminist yet it shows misogyny in all its ugliness. I'll leave all the stuff about whether the message of the film is that women can only survive against men by reverting to their animal natures to people who actually give a damn plus I don't want to give away any spoilers.

For me, the nudity, torture and gore are far more important when rating a horror movie plus the effect that the characters have on me. "The Woman" isn't the most brutal movie that I've ever seen but the effects are certainly worthwhile and the acting is pretty decent too.

Angela Bettis stands out (as she always does when directed by Lucky McKee) but Sean Bridgers isn't too shabby either. Think of "The Stepfather" (1987) but take it up several notches and you have Chris Cleek. Although none of the characters are very much more than caricatures, it's how the full extent of their relationship is slowly revealed that makes the drama so engrossing.

The star of the whole thing though is, of course, Pollyanna McIntosh as the nameless feral woman. She may not look as pretty here as she did in "Exam" (2009) but she certainly knows how to pull off a purely animal look. Getting to see her completely nude is a bonus too.

Neither Pollyanna McIntosh or Angela Bettis are the best looking women in this film though. That honour belongs to Carlee Baker whose acting, unfortunately, is so bad that she can't even pronounce her own character's name properly. You never know with Lucky McKee so the bad acting and mispronunciation may well be intentional.

If you've already seen "The Girl Next Door" (2007), "The Lost" (2006) or "Offspring" (2009), Jack Ketchum's style will be quite familiar. Although I don't think that "The Woman" is nearly as controversial as any of those, it still continues the same style of dealing with taboo subjects in a more horrific format than some people will be used to.

You can read as much or as little into "The Woman" as you like but it won't change the fact that it's an immensely satisfying experience.

"The Woman" opens on October 14th.

Apollo 18 Review (2011)

When they released the trailer and that picture I was pretty excited to see this film.  Hell if they encountered a monster in a rubber suit I think I would have enjoyed it more but overall I was disappointed by the film.

Plot:  Decades-old found footage from NASA's abandoned Apollo 18 mission, where two American astronauts were sent on a secret expedition, reveals the reason the U.S. has never returned to the moon. imdb.com/title/tt1772240/

     They were really pushing the cover up  and conspiracy angle when promoting the film.  Even by having a supposed website of hours of footage from this mission that the film says was edited down to make this film.  If that was the case I wish they went back and reedited it and put some monsters or creatures in it and made the film scary.  Unfortunately the site is down now so I have no idea what was on it.  Maybe the government took it down.  Either way it worked for the publicity of the movie.

     Let's start with some positives as the look of the film I thought was great.  All the cramped shots and the vast feel of when they were on the moon was well done.  Did they shoot it in the desert,on a sound stage or really on the moon?  I didn't even want to look the answer up because it makes it more impressive not knowing.  The acting did not lack either,Warren Christie was really good in his role.  I was also intrigued by what these astronauts were going through and dealing with on this mission. Especially towards the end when you realize that the government can not be trusted.  But didn't we know that already.

     To me the plot kind of fell apart towards the end.  I don't believe this plays well as a horror film.  As a conspiracy film with some creepy elements yes that will work but as a horror fan the horror element was not there for me.  There were maybe 3 jump scares which you see coming so it was effective to some extent.  When we find out the reason that we supposedly stopped going to the moon a lot of viewers I think will become upset.  It is hard sometimes to come up with a scary creature or something in a film that makes the viewer really say holy hell that's insane.  So that part was a let down and then the movie to me copped out and went with a basic ending.

     I would say that if you are looking for some sort of creature film or a film where they encounter something so disturbing that it will stay with you forever then this will not be for you.  If you like the conspiracy aspect and are more for the visual look and feel of this film then you will probably enjoy the film. 

Source for trailer  youtube.com/ Machinima

The Road Killer by Jon Craig

Article by Jon Craig (co-writer and co-director of The Road Killer).

The Road Killer is not a family-friendly Disney film. It's about a serial killer who would probably enjoy running over a family who just watched a Disney movie.  Lieutenant Henry Meyers is the one in charge of finding the killer.  His sanity slowly breaks down as the police effort to find and stop the mysterious killer becomes increasingly futile. A group of a college kids find themselves increasingly targeted, and the rest of the town is also terrorized by this vehicular madman. The situation grows more dire and dim as the week carries on. With no clues and no lead, Meyers pushes himself to the edge trying to solve a case that grows more and more personal each day. With time running out, a madman on the loose, and an entire town at risk, The Road Killer promises to be a heat-pounding thriller that'll keep you guessing until the end.  After all the terror that takes place within a few days, the killer just thinks "It's a nice day for a Sunday drive."

When I watch films, I always have a different feeling after the movie ends.  When I watch brainless films like the recent Captain America, I felt a bit underwhelmed.  When I watch a Gaspar Noe or David Fincher film, I feel impacted by the whole experience.  Great visual fx and typical formula story telling certainly can be enjoyable, but I don't think that most big blockbusters have any impact on you, and that's what I really want to do as a film maker.  I think that when you’re afraid to be alone after watching a movie, laughing your ass off just thinking back to one of the film's scenes or analyzing the plot to find the true meaning, the film maker has done a good job of impacting you.

Movies are very sexual; they look nice and make you feel good.  They can be horrifying and gross at times too, and that's when you look away or close your eyes and just deal with it.  When there's no element of sexuality, or it is so subdued that you want to fall asleep, you end up with your Captain Americas and slasher re-makes, which are very non-sexual experiences.

Perhaps some appreciate the classiness of the 40s, but there's no realism in a war being fought with lasers and no blood.  I think there is always a connection between the viewer and the film, and the level of intensity of that connection can define the overall impact it has.  Whether a horror movie has 2 deaths, or 200 deaths, the connection that you have with those characters is what makes it scary or hard to watch.  The character and plot development usually determines that connection, and that's something that’s missing from a lot of modern horror movies (especially the slasher re-makes) …and that's also something I hope to change.

Of course, movies are about entertainment too, and the silly and absurd grindhouse flicks like Machete and the original Death Race do have a very big place in my heart.  There are all different ways to make films that people will enjoy, and there are also ways to take various aspects of extremely different types of films and combine them into a new medium.  This is something that, in my opinion, Tarentino does very well.

The movies I make are not Hollywood blockbuster formula films.  With my movies, I really hope to give people an enjoyable experience, but I also hope that they will viscerally impact people, give them a personal connection to the film that will haunt them for years and make them think.  Since I'm producing and directing The Road Killer, I really have full artistic control and no 3rd parties can corrupt my vision, which really excites me.  There are way too many potentially awesome movies end up being mediocre because they are made only to make money.  I hope my movie will open people's eyes and start a big independent film movement that will eventually rival Hollywood.

Those interested in finding out more about this extremely ambitious project can follow this link: http://www.indiegogo.com/roadkiller

A final word to the wise: look both ways before you cross the road…

The Road Killer is helmed by co-writers and co-directors Chris Ryves and Jon Craig, and stars, among others, Jack Holtz, Michael Belveduto and Maria Olsen (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief).

Clive Barker sets the record straight about Hellraiser: Revelations

With the new Hellraiser film due to be released on October 18th, Clive Barker has already given the definitive answer on Twitter about what he really thinks of it.

Will you still watch "Hellraiser: Revelations" anyway?

Chillerama NYC midnight showing Recap and Review *Might Contain Spoilers*

Well first things first as you can see in the poster the Blu-Ray, Dvd and Digital Download is set to come out November 29th 2011 so if you can not see it in the theater you will get a chance soon.  So for the midnight showing there was a good sized crowd, Director Joe Lynch and Kristina Klebe who starred in the Diary of Anne Frankenstein short was in attendance to watch the film with the audience and also Lloyd Kaufman was in attendance as well so it already was starting off great and we didn't even get to see the film yet.  Joe Lynch introduced the film and talked a little about how himself and the other directors got together and talked about how they miss exploitation type films and actually going to the theater or drive-in and seeing these films on the big screen with actual audience reactions.  So the idea was set in motion, hit a hiccup to get funding, got some funding and bam they went with it and made this film happen.  I will say that what they created is fun,over the top, wrong on a bunch of levels and I absolutely loved it.

 Directed by: Adam Rifkin  "Wadzilla"
                     Tim Sullivan   "I Was A Teenage Werebear"
                     Adam Green   "The Diary of Anne Frankenstein"
                     Joe Lynch   "Zom-B-Movie"

Synopsis:  It's the closing night at the last drive-in theater in America and Cecil B. Kaufman has planned the ultimate marathon of lost film prints to unleash upon his faithful cinephile patrons. Four films so rare that they have never been exhibited publicly on American soil until this very night! With titles like Wadzilla, I Was A Teenage Werebear, The Diary of Anne Frankenstein, and Zom-B-Movie, Chillerama not only celebrates the golden age of drive-in B horror shlock but also spans over four decades of cinema with something for every bad taste.   imdb.com/title/tt1727252/

Now actually Zom-B-Movie is the wrap around film so the actual first part that leads up to the drive in and after every short film shown we are taken back to the characters watching these films is part of Zom-B-Movie.  The actual last film that was supposed to be shown was Deathication introduced by Fernando Phagabeefy (Lynch) which is literally a shit filled masterpiece when the film gets eaten up then the Zom-B-Movie invasion fucking (seriously) begins.

 Wadzilla:  It has the classic 50's monster invading a city look and feel down pact.  It just so happens that the creature attacking New York is a giant mutated sperm.  A man who has a very low sperm count starts to take special pills(which happened to be next to a radioactive canister) to strengthen the sperm he does have and well as you can probably guess from the title, leads to a huge load of a problem to say the least.  The acting,look and story was great.  Definitely funny and all the innuendo in the short was perfect and you have to listen to catch all of them.  If you don't mind semen this one has you covered.

I Was A Teenage Werebear:  This short mixes your beach surfer party films with a little Lost Boys vibe in it.  But just imagine if in Lost Boys David was trying to get Michael to let his inner gay Werebear out then this would be that movie.  You have some musical numbers, male on male wrestling and of course your werebears.  Again the key to all of these shorts are the the twist these directors did to the classic schlocky exploitation films of the past.  The only problem I had with this short was that the pacing is slower then the other shorts.  So after the beginning and Wadzilla it feels like you hit a speed bump.  But the overall story and innuendo is still there and I found it to be hilarious.

The Diary of Anne Frankenstein:  Now for myself and I believe a lot that see this movie this short steals the show.  It is so well done and so damn hysterical.  I can watch it a million times and laugh just as hard every single time.  The main catch is that the actors actually speak German in the short and their words are subtitled.  However Joel David Moore who plays Hitler knows no German and only speaks gibberish but his subtitles are real sentences.  Listening to all the things he says is great and you can actually here some familiar words or people names, see how many you can catch.  The acting in the short is fantastic all around, Joel David Moore, Kristina Klebe, Kane Hodder, the nazi soldiers, the Frank's everyone does a great job.  I feel that some of the best scenes are in this short.

Deathication/Zom-B-Movie:  Like I said before Deathication was supposed to be the last film which is a shit filled splatter fest but gets interrupted and we go into the end of the wrap around film Zom-B-Movie.  The line that's said in the trailer "When there's no more room left in Hell the dead shall fuck the earth" pretty much let's you know that this last short will be a zombie orgy that you will definitely not forget. If The Diary of Anne Frank had some of the best scenes that I watched this short doesn't let that momentum slip and also throws in some of the most famous and memorable one liners from movies past and adds them to a whole new context for everyone to enjoy. 

Also don't forget to stay for the credits and you will be entertained a little by each film again.

I would say that anyone thinking about seeing this film see the trailer.  If you don't find it funny then you will probably not like the film.  However if the trailer tickles your fancy then you will be in for a great ride of fun,debauchery, semen,shit,cleavage,sexual innuendo,blood and whatever else that you can think of and it's in this film.


2nd chillerama poster obtained from:   geektyrant.com

Rise Again - A Novel by Ben Tripp

The Walking Dead television series gave me a new-found appreciation for the zombie genre, so I decided to give a zombie novel a try. After searching around Amazon, and reading a few reviews, I settled upon Rise Again, by Ben Tripp, and fortunately, I wasn't disappointed.

The story centres around Danielle (Danny) Adeleman, an Iraq War veteran and sheriff of small American town, Forrest Peak. During Fourth of July celebrations, a mystery contagion spreads through the town leaving the population of locals and visiting tourists decimated within hours.  When the deceased begin to rise again and attack the living, Danny takes on the responsibility of a small band of survivors and flees the town, only to discover that nowhere is safe from the ravenous walking dead.

Okay, so the basic premise is pretty familiar zombie apocalypse fare, but it's the strong characters that really take this story to the next level. A warrior and natural leader, Danny is also a functioning alcoholic, scarred both physically and emotionally by her time in combat. She's not instantly likable, but the way she tenaciously faces each soul-crushing trial, while at the same time searching for her missing sister, and attempting to protect those in her charge, made me care about her despite her faults. It was also interesting the way the book focused on Danny's military mindset and her constant need to create some kind of order amidst the anarchy.

Danny's little band of survivors are also engaging, and satisfy the most important requirement for any horror tale in my opinion, and that is, you really want them to survive. Some of these supporting characters, like a gay interior designer from Los Angeles, and a town drunk, could so easily have been stereotypes, but the author peeled away the superficial facades and created real human beings who quickly became my favourites. In many ways, the novel is primarily about the manner in which a broken society brings out the best and the worst in humanity. The most unlikely characters emerge with extraordinary nobility, while the actions of others are in fact far more disturbing and monstrous than the zombie threat.

Great characters aside, Rise Again is ultimately a zombie apocalypse novel, and as such, it also contains plenty of the requisite violence, gore, and scares that the zombie genre demands. The sights, smells, sounds, and tactile sensations are vividly described, and the pace is excellent with plenty of nail-biting tension but just the right amount of respite between the big horror set pieces. Plus, without giving anything away, there is a stunning cliffhanger of an ending, and happily, from what I understand, a sequel is on the way. This book would have made a great television series if The Walking Dead hadn't got there first.

Rise Again is available here.

Macabre: Dead But Not Yet Buried

POV: A Family Undertaking

This documentary is horrifying and fascinating at the same time. It follows families as they design and build coffins, plans for burying their own family members in their gardens. It seems quite shocking at first and as you see interviews with the dying family members, you realize this is the most beautiful gift of all. It's unsettling and riveting at the same time.

What are death masks?



They are molds made upon the dead person’s face to forever hold their image in three dimensions. “The making of a death mask is a messy business – literally. They are difficult to make and the best position for the corpse is not lying down but sitting up. The shift from sculpture to masks came about in the Middle Ages when the art of waxwork and plaster casting became more sophisticated. The tradition evolved from royalty to eminent people and continues to this day. Another use, rather than in memoriam for an individuals was for the scientific study of human physiognomy. It was said that experts could tell criminals from the shape of their heads. Casts were also used to record and collect data on the racial differences in the human head.”

What are Post Mortem Photos?





They were very popular in the Victorian era when photography was relatively new. Families felt comforted to get a picture of their lost loved one, often times the only record they have of their existence since photos were rare for many families. Often times, the baby would be held in the parent’s arms or photos taken in a coffin or with family members around. As macabre as it seems, it put a reality on the loss.

What are hair mementos?



They were mementos made for the grieving families including wall hangings made with designs done in the dead one’s hair woven throughout it and funeral flowers.

If you're still in the mood for death, you might try a couple of horror movies based on mortuaries...


Phantasm


Mortuary

Stephen King reads from the sequel to "The Shining"!

At the George Mason Awards ceremony, Stephen King read a 10 minute excerpt from a new story he's working on called "Dr. Sleep". It's a story about what happened to little Danny Torrence from "The Shining".

What's it all about then, eh?

Have you ever wondered what's hot and what's not in the horror blogosphere? Have you been looking for a review of a new horror movie or book only to encounter dozens of sites reviewing some boring old crap with a cult following from the 1940s instead?

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