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The Moster Squad : 20th anniversary edition

2007-09-06T03:48:00.000-04:00

The Monster Squad: 20th Anniversary Edition
Director: Fred Dekker
Starring Andre Gower, Duncan Regehr, Stephen Macht, Stan Shaw,& Tom Noonan

After being neglected by the DVD format for the last 20 years, Lionsgate has released one of my childhood favorite films, The Monster Squad and they didn't skimp on the extras one bit.

The Movie:
I was in the 4th grade when I originally saw The Monster Squad way back in 1987 and my memories of it are very fond and warm. So it was with much enthusiasm that I picked up this 20th anniversary edition and after 20 years the film still holds up well. The story is basically all of Universals Classic monsters coming back to face off with a group of kids that call themselves the Monster Squad. That's right Dracula, The Creature from the black lagoon, the Mummy, Frankensteins Monsters, and the Wolf man are after a special artifact that will give the monsters power over the world. But they're going to have a little trouble thanks to a group of kids that are making it their mission to stop them before its too late!

I remember loving this movie as a kid but I never saw it again in the 20 years since its release. I have to say that it is stil a lot of fun and a great way to spend 90 minutes. The Storyline is pretty much what you expect. An ensemble of kids ranging from cool to geeky that come together and start their own club called the Monster Squad. Much like the Goonies this film is a prepubescent kids dream only with monsters instead of pirates. Where this film excels above Goonies in my opinion is that the kids really aren't annoying one bit. They all seem pretty real and very reminscent of kids I knew in 1987. There's no constant screaming and yelling and the characters are all very likable. Unfortaunatly the movie didn't do well when it originally came out. It was too scary for kids and to kiddy for adults so it never did well. However the following for the movie grew on video and that following only got stronger over the years.

PICTURE:

This remastered wide screen version of the film looks amazing. Definitely the best this movie has ever looked. The colors are sharp, the blacks are black and the pastel clothing is bright!

Extras:

This film definitely deserves some love after being neglected for so long but Lionsgate may have given it a bit too much love. The feature contains 2 full length commentaries with the stars and the director. The Second disc is jammed with extras. The first a feature length documentary on the making of the film from idea to last year at a special screening of the film in Cherry Hill NJ. The documentary tells you all you need to know about the making of the film from conception to marketing to revival. Interviews with the stars, special effects personnel, director and producers provides more insight in the film then you could ever imagine. While it does seem a bit overlong and at times can drag but it was still a lot of fun to watch.

Rounding out the disc are deleted scenes, an interview with Tom Noonan as Frankenstein which is a bit weird, still galleries, trailers and TV spots. This is the definitive Monster Squad.

If you grew up in the 80's then this disc is almost required to own. The movie has held up very well and the extras are amazing. The monster Squad is one of the greatest Monster movies ever made and is easily better than modern monster fare such as The Mummy and Van Helsing. It's a perfect movie for a dark October night!

Movie: 4 out of 5 Bloody Axes
DVD Extras: 5 out of 5 Bloody Axes

Behind the Mask : DVD REVIEW

2007-07-09T17:05:00.000-04:00

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Directed by Scott Glosserman
Starring: Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, & Robert England

Behind the Mask is one of those films that had so much buzz behind it early on that I knew it was going to be hard for the film to live up to it all when I saw it. And I was right. The film is basically a behind the scenes look at a masked serial murderer. In the world of Behind the Mask characters like Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers aren't just stories, they're real events that have taken place and are admired by people such as the films main character Leslie Vernon. An amatuer film crew led by Taylor ( ANgela Goenthals) is following Lesie around in the weeks leading up to the big event where he'll lure some sterotypical sex crazed teens to an old abandoned house where he'll proceed to pick them off one by one. Leslie is played with gleeful enthusiasm by Nathan Baesel. He sets up all the details needed to be the perfect masked killer. We're shown the work that goes into creating a mythology and preparing a location for the hunt. Finally leading up to the big night when he'll get to slash his way through victim after victim of unsuspecting teens.

Behind the mask is almost entirely filmed from the perspective of the documentary crew that's following Leslie. And in many ways this works very well and to the benefit of the film. Where it doesn't work is in scenes such as one in the library where the Leslie and the crew and scoping out their "survivor girl" the one lone girl that will come to the party and survive the night to kill Leslie at the end. Here the documentary style is dumped and its suddenly filmed in the style of a really mediocre slasher film. I get the joke but it happens so abruptly and comes across so cheesy that it just feels like it shits on all that it built up to that point. It only gets worse at the end of the film when the documentary camera is dumped entirely for the final act and we're treated to your typical slasher movie ending.

Where the film fails in its inconsistancies in direction it succeeds in the casting of Nathan Baesel as Leslie Vernon. Baesel plays the part like a well trained athelete training for the big game. There's not a hint of moral dilemma for him and he's so excited about what he's doing that its hard not to want to see it all go his way. Angela Goethals plays Taylor who is leading this documentary. She's the perfect balance of wide eyed innocence and journalistic integrity. She becomes very wrapped up into what Leslie is doing and even sympathizes with him until she's forced to decide if she wants to let him kill these people or not.

The concept of Behind the Mask is a great one. The problem is that its inconsistent. It can't decide whether it wants to be serious or make fun of itself and that's unfortunate. It builds up this serious take on a masked killer through the eyes of a documentary camera which in itself has its own level of humor but it works well. The problem really lies with the cinematic camera and its slasher cliche's that do nothing to set the film apart as anything more than a slightly more intelligent slasher movie.

2.5 out of 5 bloody axes

The Messengers DVD REVIEW

2007-06-29T01:59:00.000-04:00

The Messengers
Directed by the Pang Brothers
Starring Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller, John Corbett & Kristen Stewart

The Film:

The Pang Brothers might be the most overrated directors in Asian Cinema. Last I checked they only had one good movie called The Eye which had one scene in particular with a ghost in the hallway that almost made me lose control of my bowels! However that was then this is now. Since the Eye the Pang Brothers have continued to make movies that are overall uneven and by the numbers. The Messengers is their first US release and was produced by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert who of course brought us the Evil Dead films.

Even with the Pangs behind this movie I thought that maybe, just maybe, that this time Raimi would get a good horror movie for his Ghost House production label but I'm sorry to say that its another strike.

The Messengers starts out with promise with a family being terrorized by a seemingly invisible entity that is trying to kill a mother and her son. From here we're introduced to a new family that is moving into the same house some time later. Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller are sort of sleep walking through their rolls of Mom and Dad to teenage daughter Kristen Stewart and young son that can see ghosts and can't speak conveniently. Apparently McDermott's character has been out of work for 2 years and decides to risk it all on starting a sunflower farm in the country. That's right... a sunflower farm. It doesn't get more random than that does it?

Soon after moving in the little boy begins seeing ghosts everywhere in the house and dauther, jesse is soon being attacked by invisible forces. The parents play the part of the typical oblivious bad parents that think their daughter is lying and hurting herself for attention. John Corbett shows up out of the blue and wanders around as a farm hand for a long time and appears to serve no purpose until the last reel of the movie where the plot and his involvement all come together. However if I imagine most viewers have figured it out by this point and are already getting pissed.

The Messengers is derivative of so many other recent movies that it almost seems schizophrenic. Ghosts float above the floor, crawl around in fast speeds and strut around like your typical Asian dark haired ghost all in the span of 10 minutes. There seems to be no real design for them. its Almost like the directors changed their mind on how to portray them from day to day making the movie seem very uneven. From what I understand about the Pang Brothers they often tag team direct a movie. One stays on set to direct, the other goes to the editing trailer to work on the film. Then the next day the switch. This would explain a lot.

The only stand out in this film is Kristen Stewart as Jesse. Her fear is very believable and its hard not to be sympathetic towards her character. I just wish we could have seen her in a better horror film than this. The rest of the characters really seem very thin and the acting is mediocre at best.

Visually the Messengers is interesting at times. Many shots are very well framed and executed but the shots that really count, the ghost shots, seem poorly thought out and almost always out of focus or obscured. Once scene in particular is ruined by focusing to closely on The characters of Jesse and the little boy to the point that you can't see the ghost walking up in the background at all. There are several scenes that just make you ask what the hell were they thinking?

I suppose teens might find this movie fulfilling but older horror fans are just going to turn it off in disgust. What could have been a decent horror film is nothing more that a rip off of many Asian horror films packed in to one bloated and glossy package.

DVD Extras:
I didn't even bother with watching them. I was too pissed to care.

FILM: 1/2 out of 5 Bloody Axes

Book Review: World War Z by Max Brooks

2007-06-22T08:38:00.000-04:00

World War Z by Max Brooks

I’ve always been a zombie movie fan ever since I was just a tyke. And, unlike other horror films, I was always terrified by zombie movies. Even today I’ll often have nightmares after watching or reading a good zombie tale. There’s a couple reasons why I think it has this effect on me and many other people. First is the horror of the dead roaming the earth in swarms and eating people. Then there’s the concept that if it happened the world as we know it would end. It’s that fear of losing everything and being hunted that gets me to my soul.

This is why I jumped on Max Brooks latest Zombie epic, World War Z. The book details from outbreak to all out War to recovery of a world ravaged by a virus that reanimates the dead. The story unfolds from the perspectives of many people in countries all over the world. Meticulously researched, Brooks grounds everything in reality. There are no wild leaps here in logic, no magical happy ending or glossing over of mistakes made by bureaucrats and politicians. World War Z takes an uncompromising look at a disaster and a worldwide scale and how each country deals with and tries to contain the outbreak.

The most interesting thing about World War Z is how you can take out the word “Zombie” and replace it with just about any natural or artificial disaster you can think of and the details of the story wouldn’t change that much. Brooks has captured the unpreparedness of not only our own United States to deal with this disaster but also countries all over the world. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that some type of viral outbreak could in fact occur on a world wide level and World War Z offers a lot of Insight into how unprepared the world is for such a disaster.

While the book goes into some very dark territory telling the story from perspectives and cultures from all over the world it does offer hope. While the world falls apart the human spirit certainly gets to thrive in this book and we see not only the willingness to survive but the willingness to help others. In stark contrast to that we also witness the rise of new dictators, witness the horrors of survivalist militias, and the general BS of the famous politicians.

The parallels from events such as the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina, and even terrorism can be drawn from this book. But the must inspiring aspect of it is the simple fact that the world, while divided up by politics, religion and other BS that shouldn’t matter, can come together in the face of a crises. I just hope it doesn’t take the end of the world as we know it to get to that place.

World War Z has already been optioned for a film but I highly recommend any fan of the zombie sub genre to pick this up immediately. Even people who aren’t horror fans can get a lot from this story just from the socioeconomic standpoint. World War Z is by far the best zombie story I’ve ever read.

Halloween to Be Re-released in August

2007-06-21T00:18:00.000-04:00

Here's the link!

... to a news release. Thank you very much Anchor Bay. You have a crumby logo, but I loves ya!

Pelts : Masters of Horror Season 2

2007-06-19T21:13:00.001-04:00

After a pretty good start with "An incident on and off a mountain road" Masters of Horror soon degraded into mediocre Tales from the Crypt - esque stories without the twist. Some ranged from decent while others were just unbearable.

In season 1 Giallo master Dario Argento made Jennifer you basic deformed child in the woods comes home with a man, has sex with him and eats animals and neighbors story. While it was certainly nothing to write home about it was still a pretty decent episode for the series. For season 2 Argento decided to phone it in with Pelts, a story so incomprehensibly stupid I literally was pissed after viewing it for having wasted my time with it.

The Story begins with sex deprived, stripper humping, fur salesman played by Meat Loaf. Yes Meat Loaf. He wants to get into the pants of a hot stripper at his favorite local titty bar and after trying to rape her in the champagne room he vows that one day he will have her. Thus we're set up for the introduction of drunken fur trapper, played by the once great John Saxon, and his young friend who seems to be way too interested in raccoon fur.

The two trappers capture a bunch of raccoons in a part of the forest surrounded by strange ruins so of course you know immediately that these raccoons must be cursed or something right? The two talk about how amazing the pelts are and it becomes clear that Saxons young friend seems to be enamored with the pelts and for what seems like an eternity he strokes the pelts and smiles while really hokey music plays in the background.

To make a long story short Meat Loaf comes into ownership of said pelts and decides that these pelts are so perfect that they'd make the greatest fur coat ever to take to some tradeshow. Since I'm not much the fur lover I really didn't know if this was supposed to be taken seriously or not. I mean they're raccoon pelts! Do they even make coats out of Raccoon? there's all this talk about how amazing the pelts are and its enough to bore you to tears. Even with the implied supernatural-ness of the raccoon pelts There still appears to be absolutely no logic in play here at all.

The only redeeming value here, if there's any to be found, is the gore effects. If your a gore hound you might find this to be a pretty cool entry in the series. I'm not so much the gore hound. Don't get me wrong, I like gore if it works in conjunction with the story. I don't like gore for the sake of gore. While the gore in Pelts does follow the story the ridiculousness of the plot points playing out on screen just completely demolish any power the gore could have had. Its bad folks! Avoid this like the plague.

I don't have showtime but I added it to my Directv when Masters season one started just to watch it. After about 4 episodes I shut it off and after watching Pelts on DVD I have no regrets for doing so.

Masters of Horror: The Screwfly Solution

2007-06-19T18:03:00.000-04:00

Masters of Horror: The Screwfly Solution

Dir: Joe Dante

Okay. I'll admit it. Before The Screwfly Solution, I'd never seen an episode of the Masters of Horror. Don't ask me why. I don't have a good answer. Other than that I like my horror like I like my women: without commercial breaks and more than an hour long.

I've tried that joke out for three hours and I still can't make it work. Moving on.

Needless to say, when a friend of mine said that he had picked up The Screwfly Solution on DVD, I was hesitant. But as details began to creep forward, my interest started to perk up.

"Elliot Gould is in it? M*A*S*H* is one of my favourite movies! Jason Priestly? Well... he's a very competent actor... Joe Dante directed? Joe DANTE??? Man! I loved Gremlins! I loved Innerspace! I... hated Small Soldiers, but that's almost forgivable! GREMLINS! What a great movie.

The Screwfly Solution is loosely about a madness that slowly drifts north from the equator that makes men kill women in a violent rage, spouting religious epitaphs as they do so. That's pretty much the premise. The scientists (of whom Jason Priestley and Elliot Gould are two) know what's happening, but they're powerless to stop it. I could basically just skip everything in the middle and give you the end, but then I wouldn't be a very good reviewer, would I?

Or would I?

You see... the problem is... there isn't that much else to go on. Screwfly, like a lot of Dante's other works, seems to suffer from the problem of trying to be too much at once. Is it a relevant social commentary or a dark comedy or a horror flick? He's able to pull off this sort of balancing act in Gremlins, which is actually ABOUT something (curiosity vs. banal existence) and pretty much gets it right in The 'Burbs (curiosity vs... uh... banal existence?) but this time around, there's nothing there.

It could be that there wasn't enough time to sort out all the details in Sam Hamm's (writer of Batman and Monkeybone) adaptation of James Tiptee Jr.'s short story. It could be that they were focused on making it a cool, survival horror story in the style of a zombie flick. It have been a lot of things. But it's not.

Worse yet, it's almost entirely devoid of tension. Certainly, there are some real "uh oh, he/she is in trouble now" moments. There's some really gripping imagery. But on the whole, it doesn't gel.

And I have no idea what Elliot Gould was doing on this project. He couldn't have been phoning it in more. In fact, I think he was texting it in. I genuinely enjoy Gould in most things he does. But I suppose I should face it. It's not 1975 and Robert Altman didn't direct this.

If you'd like to see a movie that's similar and funny and scary, I would like to suggest renting a copy of Undead. You'll have more fun, I promise.

And with that, I think I'll skip Masters of Horror for the time being.

5/10. Passable and some of the ideas of the story resonated with me for a few days, but it probably made a better short story than a teleplay.

REVIEW: 28 Weeks Later

2007-05-26T14:50:00.000-04:00

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Starring: Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Amanda Walker

28 Days Later was one of those movies that really seemed to divide fans of zombie films. I liked the movie and thought that its take on a infectious disease called "Rage" that causes people to go insane and want to tear people apart and eat them was interesting and enjoyable. While I saw a few sequences that paid homage to Romero's zombie films I certainly didn't see enough to make me feel that Danny Boyle had completly ripped off the master for his story. The film did suffer from appearing as a low budget horror film shot of DV and of course it suffered from the same affliction almost all zombie films suffer from: The Humans are the real monster syndrome.

Thankfully director Juan Carlos Fesnadillo saw the same problems and decided to avoid them. 28 weeks Later manages to improve on the original in just about every way. The story starts off with a couple Don (Robert Carlyle) and his wife Alice (Catherine McCormack) who are hold up with other survivors in a secluded farm house. When the zombies attack Don cowardly abandons Alice and escapes. 28 Weeks Later the the US government has taken back control of London after all the infected have died from starvation. Slowly the troops are moving people back into the city. Don has survived and is living back in London. His two kids Tammy (Imogen Poots) and Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton) are also returning to the city via military transportation. Upon reuniting Don explains that their mother was taken off by the infected and died. The children are upset but accept thier fathers story. The kids decide they want to retrieve photos of their mother from their home outside the quarantined safe zone and sneak past security checkpoints. The find their mother hiding out in thier house and not infected. When they are returned to the quarantined zone the Alice is found to be immune to the effects of the virus but a carrier. After reuniting with Don and kissing him Don becomes infected and then all hell breaks loose as the virus starts infecting people one by one and the fight for survival begins again.

While the movie doesn't offer that much in the way of plot it certainly makes up for it in exciting escape sequences as the childres Tammy and Alex escape the quarantine zone dodging zombies and the government to get teh kids to safety and possibly find a vaccine to the virus with the help of Alex who a military medic believes may also be immune to. This film tries to avoid the "humans are the real Monsters" syndrome. When the US military decides they have to take out all the people in the city they really have no choice do to how fast the virus spreads. The soldiers certainly don't like having to do it but the alternative is to allow the virus to escape the quarantine and possibly spread.

The film accomplishes to combine the fear of disease with the zombie genre and does a pretty damn good job of it. The biggest problem with the film is Director Fresnadillo's over reliance on shaking camera movement during the action sequences to make it seam like more is going on than there is. While it at times certainly aides in creating that anxious feeling in the audience it also can make the audience nauseous. I would have liked to see a better balance in the use of the technique.

Overall 28 Weeks Later is one of the best Zombie films I've seen since Land of The Dead and it certainly overshadows the original 28 Days Later.

4 out of 5 Bloody Axes

DVD Review - Game Box 1.0

2007-05-21T13:50:00.001-04:00

Game Box 1.0

David & Scott Hillenbrand (dir) featuring Nate Richert, Danielle Fishel and Patrick Kilpatrick.

I had the pleasure to take a look at Game Box 1.0 this weekend. A friend of mine had been dying to see it based on a trailer found online. I have to admit, the premise is pretty cool. Professional video game tester receives mysterious package in the mail containing a helmet that inserts the wearer directly into a game world, where he must save a girl who looks like his dead girlfriend from a game-generated version of the man who killed her.

Fun, right? Well... almost. As a concept, this movie has some interesting ideas. But in the genre of "is it real/is it fantasy", it has less to do with films like eXistenZ or Videodrome (two movies that Game Box 1.0 directly references) than it does with WestWorld.

It's merely a matter of the little things that get in the way. Once the lead character enters the game world, some interesting effects attempt to simulate a Grand Theft Auto type of style. And while greenscreen is liberally employed here, the sheer lack of creativity in the construction of the shots and scenes ruins the potential for something more engrossing.

In fact, if I had to choose the worst part of this viewing experience, it would have to be that the lighting and the camera work are exceptionally amateur. Hair buzzes with mottled flashes when in the world of the game due to improper greenscreening, hot spots from lights glare distractingly from surfaces... it's a lot of that. There are also some moments where you're BEGGING the scene to change because you've been staring at the same two-shot for what seems like hours.

The real problem is that if you can look past the minor technical stuff and get to the meat of the story and the philosophy behind it, there just isn't much there. I'd address this more, but there's literally nothing else to address. It just isn't there. For a character driven dramatic premise, the characters are painfully underdeveloped and, ironically, are far more 2-dimensional than Lara Croft ever was.

All in all, I'd recommend Game Box 1.0 for one of those nights that you're feeling a little silly and you're looking for a distraction for an hour and a half. It's a no-brainer that will have you rolling your eyes and laughing in all the wrong places.

But it is a neat gimmick. I hope that 2.0 gets made, because I'd like to see more.

Horror Movie Saturation

2007-05-19T12:57:00.000-04:00

A recent article in the Shanghai Daily (of all places) reports that horror movies are finding a bigger home at the Cannes film festival this year.

Citing Tarantino's "Death Proof", which is in the running for the coveted Palme d'Or, as an example of the higher end of genre's spectrum, the article goes on to quote industry insiders as saying that this trend is cyclical. Horror, just like any other genre, will keep brushing up against the mainstream audiences before returning to the background.

The article also mentions the anticipated latest Troma release of "Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead" as a film not distributed by "niche" companies. I don't know if the journalist who wrote the article is familiar with Troma and their impressive catalogue, but one would hope that they've heard of "Terror Firmer" or "Tromeo and Juliet" if not "The Toxic Avenger".

Ending on a sour note, the article mentions that the market for horror might be over saturated. That could be good news for fans of the genre. Nothing breeds better movies than a glut of bad ones. Nothing inspires film makers more than a movie that "almost" gets it but can be done better. And given the current trend in movie making, with low production costs due to digital video, one can only hope that the next wave of horror film makers will take this as a cue to get ready for the next upswing in market demand.

Probably in about 3 years. See you in 2010.

DVD REVIEW: Saw 3 Unrated

2007-01-26T14:31:00.000-05:00

Saw 3
Directed by Daren Bouseman
Starring Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell, Behar Soomeki

The Most amazing thing about Saw 3 is its actually a pretty good movie. The premise of the Saw Movies seemed to me like one that would never really work beyond one film but I was surprised at how good Saw 2 was and even more surprised at how Saw 3 really seemd to bring it all together and make a really good Horror trilogy.

Saw 3 finds our favorite cancer patient Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) laid up and unable to have much of an active role in his games. Amanda (Shawnee Smith) has taken the reins and is running a new game while trying to keep jigsaw alive. This time the story revolves around a doctor brought in to care for Jigsaw and a man who's is put through a series of test to forgive his son's killer. Surprisingly Saw 3 manages to take events that happened in the first 2 films and weave them into this story in a way that certainly makes it seem like this story was planned out years ago and always meant to be a trilogy which we know to not be true. Credit has to be given to story creators Leigh Whannel and James Wan to have made all this work and tie together.

Director Darren Bouseman returns to the Saw franchise again after a successful turn directing Saw 2 and does a very coherent job of making sense of all of Saw 3's storylines. I have to say the only real story problem of the film is that it is so complicated and demands quite a bit from its audience. So much from the previous films is tied into the storyline of part 3 that for those who only watched the first 2 once it could be hard to remember all of it. Bouseman is a very competent director and I'm hoping he now moves on to something other than a Saw film next time.

Say what you will about the saw movies. I know its popular in many horror circles to rag on these films but they movies are really better than they deserve to be. The powers that be have kept the franchise, thus far, from falling into Freddy or Jason's often comical territory. Now that Leigh Whannel and James Wan have implied they they will have limited to no involvement in Saw 4 the next question is will the streak continue or will it become a joke next time out?

I liked Saw 3 but it is starting to feel played. About midway through it seems to drag a bit and the finally lacks the punch that the first 2 had. Shawnee Smiths performance kind of rides of the line of being good to being over the top. She does well but there's a couple times where I just wanted to slap her character for being so irritating. However its still better movie than it really desrves to be so its worth checking out.

DVD Extras:

The DVD contains behind the scenes documentaries on the props and effects of Saw 3 which are pretty interesting if a bit brief. There's a director's diary for Darren Bouseman that gives viewers some incite into the making of the film and his responsibilites as the helm. Again it's a bit too short to really get much out of it and it shows more comical horseplay between the actors and director than all that much else.

Finally there are not 1 but 3 commentaries on this movie. The best one features the producer, director and writer discussing the ins and outs of the story and directing. Its provides a lot of incite into the characters and the story although like most group commentaries, differentiating betweeen who's speaking takes some time. The Director several times talks about alternate cuts of the film and an original cut that was over 3 hours. I imagine we'll see a directors cut released in time for Halloween 2007 when Saw 4 hits theatres so if you hate double dipping you might want to wait out for that one.

Film: 3 1/2 out of 5 bloody axes

DVD Extras: 3 out of 5 bloody axes

REVIEW: Altered

2007-01-26T13:39:00.000-05:00

Altered

Director Eduardo Sanchez

In 1999 Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick together brought the world The Blair Witch Project. Say what you might about the film, but there’s no denying the impact and the success the movie had. From its unrivaled grass roots marketing campaign to its “mockumentary” movie tie ins, the film had millions duped into believing it was real. The Film was extremely successful however for these 2 first time directors the bar of expectation had been set pretty high.

The Duo went on to write the follow up to the Blair Witch, Book of Shadows, which is an underrated psychological horror gem. But since then both directors have been pretty quiet. Finally, in 2006 both directors announced plans to direct new films. Eduardo Sanchez first film since Blair Witch is called Altered and with it he’s proven that he’s not a “one-note” director.

Altered is the story of 5 friends that were abducted by aliens. Only 4 of them ever were returned, the sixth friends' fate unknown. Forward to 15 years later all 4 survivors are living broken lives. None of them have moved on from the experience and their all haunted by the memories. Three of the friends, Cody, Duke and Otis (played by Blair Witch Alum Mike Williams) have taken to conducting weekend hunts in the woods in order to capture one of their tormentors. The film opens with the capture of an alien by these 3 characters. With the alien tied up in their truck they go to the 4^th survivors home, Wyatt, who has taken to living a solitary militia type existence secluded deep in the woods.

Altered takes itself very seriously and that’s a good thing. The concept here can easily slip into silliness if not properly cared for. Luckily that never happens. The actors are top notch and on their game here. They truly seem like haunted people that simply can’t cope with what has happened to them. Cody, played by Paul McCarthy-Boyington, is the typical hot head you find in a group like this but with good reason. It was his brother that never returned from their abduction. Cody was suspected by his own family of killing his brother and burying him when he came back with his wild alien abduction story. Duke and Otis are both men who seem lost and completely altered by their experiences. Wyatt has become something of a hermit secluded in the woods in a house that doubles as a fortress. He has guns hidden throughout the house and seems prepared to take on anything that might come after him.

Sanchez effectively ratchets up the tension in this film as it progresses. From the opening scenes he manages to make a flash light shining through the darkness a frightening thing again. Shooting through doorways and from behind objects he creates an ominous and dark atmosphere that easily permeates dread from his subjects. Altered is a slick and polished horror / Sci Fi film with characters that are very believable and well acted. The only major flaw this film has is the captured alien itself. The creature when fully revealed looks more like a rubber monster from the 60’s than an alien. While the scenes involving the alien are frightening, it is diminished a bit by the aliens appearance. Its hard to really get lost in the moment with an alien that looks like a rubber suit but the acting and the directing greatly make up for it.

Eduardo Sanchez is definitely proving he can do more than hand a camera to some kids in the woods and call it a movie. In fact he’s proven he’s a very talented director and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can accomplish on a larger scale and budget.

4 out of 5 Bloody Axes

TV REVIEW: The Dresden Files

2007-01-23T15:16:00.000-05:00

The Dresden Files
Sci-Fi Channel Sundays at 9PM

Sci-Fi Executives: "That Supernatural show on CW is doing pretty well. Maybe we need our own supernatural detective show."
Yes man: "Excellent idea sir, I'll start throwing one together!"

And thus the new Sci-fi channel original series, The Dresden Files, begins. Much like almost everything Sci-Fi does this thing stinks like a big Z-grade turd. Here's the premise: Supernatural Detective/wizard investigates and battles dark and powerful forces with the help of his ghostly dead wizard friend that lives inside a skull and pops out occasionally for comedic relief. He also gets a little help from a friend that's a local detective on the police force. The Dresden Files just feels like a knock off of something much better which is why I'm going to make some comparisons to other shows here.

Harry Dresden is a wizard and a detective. The premiere episode finds him trying to help a kid with monsters in his closet. To boot the kid is also followed by crows and ravens everywhere he goes. Still with me? Ok good. So Dresden gets embroiled in this plot to steal this kid because he has powers and along the way we find out that Dresden was in much the same position as a child. Dresden found out at an early age that he had powers and apparently he too had things after him for that power. But back to the kid in this episode. The kid is being stalked by a skin walker that can take the skin from others and wear it to impersonate them. However Ol' Dresden doesn't realize this really until after the kid is kidnapped by a clan of Raven people that can fly and dress like bad goth music fans from the 80's.

When the episode finally gets to its conclusion you'll either be asleep or have shut the TV off by now. The Dresden Files is a mediocre and typical Sci-Fi channel show that really is nothing new. The characters are one dimensional and the subject matter really just comes across as corny. They've taken the idea of a show like Supernatural on the CW and pushed it into the b-grade campy world of something like Buffy. However it doesn't even succeed on that level because the show, the characters and concepts are played so straight that the show had a couple unintentionally funny moments.

I compare the show to Supernatural because it feels kinda like they watched that show and decided to take a more adult approach to it with older characters, much more magic and demonic silliness, and a serious tone. It just falls flat on its face. The reason a show like Supernatural works is because the stories don't insult the viewers intelligence and the characters are very well written and acted, so much so that its hard not to identify with at least one of them. The show also balances the seriousness of the concept well with the comedic relief of the brothers interactions. The shows never get too weighed down by the subject matter whereas the Dresden Files practically comes to a screeching halt because of it. The Dresden Files by comparison is just a poor imitator that just doesn't get it.

1 out of 5 Bloody Axes

DVD REVIEW: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

2007-01-19T14:16:00.000-05:00

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman
Starring Andrew Bryniarski, R. Lee Ermey, Jordana Brewster

Film Review

In 2003 the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake was released and pleasantly surprised most horror fans. While the original 1974 version will always be the best simply for its brutality and its timing making it a true American Horror classic the 2003 remake did offer a fun and brutal retelling. It also introduced us to a new Leatherface played by Andrew Bryniarski who has really brought the character into his own and portrayed him the best since the original’s Gunner Hansen. While the film itself certainly was slick and glossy the 2003 remake still presented great characters that you really cared about, making their brutal deaths all the more engrossing.

Now 3 years later Producer Michael Bay has decided to return to the Hewitt home with a prequel that details the origins of the family. The film begins with a look at the birth of Leatherface, on the floor of a slaughterhouse no less, to the birth of his murderous intents and the first hapless victims to wonder into his, and Sheriff Hoyt’s, net.

The film follows the Hewitt family and focuses much more on them than the unfortunate chainsaw victims. Leatherface is portrayed as a deformed slaughterhouse worker that loses his job when the health department closes down the business. Out of work and apparently still needing meat to hack apart he and his brother and New sheriff Hoyt decide to find other types of livestock for meat.

The Year is 1969 and the filmmakers have decided to try to do something timely with the film by introducing 2 brothers, Eric and Dean, and their girlfriends who are traveling across Texas so they can ship off to Vietnam and fight in a particularly useless war. The oldest brother, Eric, has been there once already and returned alive. Now he’s returning and his younger brother, Dean, has been drafted to serve as well. Dean however, is having doubts and sees how the war has changed his brother. All through the trip he is looking for the right moment to inform Eric that he’s not going to Vietnam and instead his running off to Mexico with his girlfriend. Of course this all resonates well with another useless war being fought in Iraq and its definitely something modern audiences can relate well to.

After a nasty Accident involving a rather large cow the all the brothers concerns about Vietnam quickly go out the window when Sheriff Hoyt promptly shows up and the horror begins. The 2 brothers and Dean’s girlfriend Bailey are quickly scooped up and taken to the Hewitt house. Chrissie, Jordana Brewster, quickly gets elevated to the films stereotypical heroine and is soon trying to find a way to save her friends.

R Lee Ermey is wonderful in this movie as Sheriff Hoyt. It’s really his movie. He spends more time on screen and chews the scenery with glee. He’s a sick bastard and is truly the most twisted psycho in the film. It’s a role that he was born to play and he plays it with a passion that is very evident.

This film is really a grittier and more brutal film than its predecessor; however so much of the film seems like a rehash of the first that you really start getting bored with it by the midway point. Nothing is really wrong with this movie. It well directed, well acted, especially by Jordana Brewster who has a wonderfully sympathetic pair of eyes that make it hard to not get lost in. Visually it’s a slightly grittier and more washed out vision of the first film befitting its more brutal kills and storyline. But it just feels like more of the same and I found myself feeling like I was watching a film that was a remake of the remake.

There movie really felt like a missed opportunity in many respects. While the telling of the birth of Leatherface is at times interesting it never seems fully realized. In fact the whole “Origin of Leatherface” opening sequences of the film seem to go by way to quickly and almost seemed rushed. On top of that there’s a subplot about a biker gang that is never used! How cool would it have been to see an army of bikers attacking the Hewitt house and leatherface and Hoyt protecting their family in sick and twisted ways? Talk about a big missed opportunity!

Director Jonathan Liebesman previous effort was a really awful movie called Darkness Falls. From what I’ve heard the film was basically taken from him and re-edited according to what the studio wanted. Now he’s come close to redeeming himself with his abilities on TCM: the Beginning. While the film has its flaws the majority of the blame lies on the producers and writers. Director Liebesman proves he does know what he’s doing and when given the opportunity can direct a scary horror film. He’s been attached to a New Friday the 13^th remake/ re-imagining and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with it.

DVD Picture & Sound:

Not much to even talk about here. It’s a fantastic transfer, as to be expected, and the surround sound is well mixed. The chainsaw has never sounded better.

Extras / Special Features:

Directors and Producers commentary is on the disc. The Producers apparently were really the guiding force behind this movie because they really guide the commentary while Director Liebesman occasionally chimes in. Sometimes I almost forgot he was there. I wonder how the film may have been if they’d really handed over the reins to Liebesman and let him make the film his own.

There’s also a series of behind the scenes featurettes that range from the producers justifying the decision to make a sequel, beyond the obvious monetary reasons, to features on the director, the special effects and more. As far as behind the scenes featurettes go this one is pretty interesting and fun to watch, especially the KNB guys going through the gory details of all the splatter effects in the film.

FILM: 3 out of 5 Bloody Axes

DVD extras: 4 out of 5 Bloody Axes

REVIEW: Black Christmas

2006-12-26T19:10:00.000-05:00

Black Christmas (2006)

Directed by Glen Morgan
Starring Michelle Trachtenburg, Lacy Chabert, Katie Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kristen Cloke, and Andrea Martin.

Ah Christmas time! There's lights on all the houses, lots of cookies, friendship and joy, but usually no horror films for those of us who could use a break from all this good cheer. Enter the dynamic duo, Glen Morgan and James Wong. Previously these guys gave us some creepy X-Files episodes and the Final Destination films and now they've decided to take on Christmas. For the uninitiated Black Christmas is a remake of the proto-horror film by the same name that was originally in theaters in 1974. While the original was a low-gore, high suspense drama about sorority sisters being knocked off over the course of a couple days at Christmas the remake is a balls to the wall slasher flick for the holidays that takes the originals premise and expands on it quite a bit.

The story opens on a group of sorority sisters who for various reason are staying at their sorority for Christmas. Meanwhile a mass murdering lunatic who lived in the same house the sorority is in is escaping the asylum he's been imprisoned in so he can go home for Christmas. With the premise set up the killer can now start picking off the young ladies one by one for the duration of the movie. Where the original 74' film was a very subtle horror film that inspired such great slasher films as Halloween but this 2006 variation feels it has to pull the stops and deliver a high energy slasher film with blood splattering the screen every 10 minutes or so. The result is a movie that is a fun, gory & entertaining horror film that will drive away some of the holiday boredom.

The storyline really is nothing new but Morgan and Wong have expanded on the originals killer and gave him a much richer back story about abuse at the hands of a very disturbed mother. While the original was a great suspenseful movie that left a lot to your imagination this remake is simply made for fun. The characters aren’t as fleshed out as the ones in the original and the subplot now involves a sex tape rather than an abortion. However with all the changes this was still a story that kept my interest and didn’t slow down too often.

Going in to this movie I really had low expectations. The reviews I’d read beforehand from other major Horror film news sites called it a mess of a movie that was dull and boring. The rumors have abounded regarding the troubled production of the film however with all of that I still watched a pretty well polished horror film that gorehounds will love as well as those who just want a scary movie for Christmas.

With all that said it does have some problems here or there including a couple of jumpy editing moments and a CGI effect that just looked terrible. The ending of the movie follows the classic “is the killer dead or not?” formula that seems a bit much after all that’s already happened but it still managed to satisfy the audience I saw it with. While its certainly not going to be hailed as a horror masterpiece it certainly isn’t the bad movie that everyone has made it out to be so if you looking for something scary for Christmas then go see this one.

3 out of 5 axes

REVIEW: Head Trauma

2006-12-18T14:01:00.000-05:00

Head Trauma
Director: Lance Weiler

Synopsis:After a 20 year absence, drifter, George Walker, returns home to settle his grandmother's estate. As if awakening from a long dream, he finds his childhood home condemned and littered with the remnants of squatters. In the midst of trying to save his past, George falls and strikes his head, triggering an onslaught of vivid nightmares and waking visions. As the horror intrudes on George's reality, his conviction grows that someone or something is trying to kill him. (Source IMDB)

HauntedHouse.com Review
There's nothing quite like the MindF*ck movie. Its a movie that takes you through the demented psyche of a character and if done right it can leave you shaken and provoke some good discussion following the viewing. I'm happy to say the Head Trauma is such a movie.

Head Trauma follows a drifter named George Walker who apparently has been just living homeless for the last 5 years or so. The film begins with George returning to his home town and to a house that was left to him by his grandmother. The house itself has been lived in by squatters for the 5 years since his Grandmother died. The house is a deteriorating, dark, spooky place. As George tours the house upon arrival he finds clothing, photos, drawings and furniture that has been left behind by squatters. His flashlight piecing the dark and hinting at what might have happened there and what might still be there. His first night in the place he hits his head and from that point on he becomes increasingly disturbed and haunted by a figure wearing a heavy winters coat. The story culminates and reveals why George has been drifting along all this time and who the coat wearing character is that haunts him.

This film is directed by Lance Weiler who is one half of the duo that created the Last Broadcast which was a shaky cam docudrama that inspired the Blair Witch Project. Here we get to see what director Weiler can do when he has a scripted horror film to work with and he doesn't disappoint. Even though this movie is done on the cheap the camera work and direction proves that Weiler is talented far beyond the limitations of digital filming. I have never seen a digitally shot low budget film that looked this good. Light and dark is utilized to good startling effect here and the haunting character that menaces George never fails to illicit a spooky foreboding feeling when on screen. For the limitations that are inherit in small budget digital film making, Head Trauma shines as an example of what the right people can do when motivated.

While the story is nothing that will shock or surprise the viewer the atmosphere, direction and music carry the film making even a rather obvious ending seem suspenseful. While Head Trauma has its faults it is overall a very good horror film that you won't feel wasted your time. No doubt I'll be making a point to see what Weiler and his team create next. I only hope he gets a larger budget to film something on a scale deserving of his talents.

4 Bloody Axes out of 5

Dr. Shrinkers Weekend of Horror

2006-09-27T10:19:00.000-04:00

It has now been announced that Rotting Flesh Radio "The Haunt Industry's Podcast" is now partnering with Doctor Shrinker to be the Official Podcast of the Doctor Shrinker Weekend of Horror.

HERE IS MORE ABOUT THE EVENT:

This is Milwaukees First Annual Horror Convention, and will be held the weekend of September 21-23, 2007 at the Clarion Hotel & Convention Center.

Meet your faviourite horror actors and actresses from films like Childs Play, Friday the 13th, and more.

Participate in our costume contest, with the winning costume voted by the audience.

Meet and see regional/national model builders compete for various prizes.

See new upcoming films and independent films in our Screaming Room.

Purchase vintage and new toys, posters, tshirts, etc.. from the many vendors that will be here from all over the country.

Tickets will be available March 1, 2007 in various packages. From 3-day weekend pass to the Platinum VIP pass. Single Day tickets will only be available at the door. Each ticket holder will be given a FREE complimentary cd entitled "Dr. Shrinkers Sounds From The Underground" featuring music from rock, metal, rockabilly, goth, bands from all over the world.

And this is just the start of the announcements...to be kept up to date tune in to ROTTING FLESH RADIO every week and also check out the Event website below.

Sit, Back, Relax and Rot Away....

Vintage Halloween

2006-09-18T11:17:00.000-04:00

Do you all love Vintage Halloween? I DO!!!

I love the golden days of Halloween and how fun it was to celebrate it and how accepted it was in society. The decorations were a blast, who could forget your parents paper skeletons hanging, or plastic pumpkin head scarecrow light? I certainly don't. Well, if you want to check out more about these classic items that reflect where we all got started..this is the site for you, and a few others tossed in too.

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN COLLECTIONS

And a Few Others For You To Enjoy

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN
SPOOKSHOW

WIN a Changinging Portrait from Haunted Ventures FX NOW!!!

2006-09-18T11:07:00.000-04:00

The Annual Halloween Art Exhibit

2006-09-14T09:13:00.000-04:00

The Annual Halloween Art Exhibit™ is the national showcase of original, collectible Halloween art by today's top & upcoming talents! Come celebrate & explore the theme of Halloween in all forms of creative media. Collectors of one-of-a-kind Halloween artworks are invited to browse the ghastly gallery online.

ATTENTION ARTISTS: We are always in search of fresh and veteran talent. You need not live in the Chicago area to participate, display and promote your work with/through the HAE. Artisans everywhere are encouraged to see the Call for Artists page to join now!

COLLECTOR'S: Owning an original, collectable work of art could never be easier! See the Gallery page to examine the latest creative offerings...all in the Halloween Vein!
MEMBERS: Receive year round news, reviews, PLUS special discounts on original art, prints, merchandise and More...

8th Annual Halloween Art Exhibit Call for Artists 2006

Deadline for entries September 15, 2006

We invite artists everywhere and beyond to submit art for the Eighth Annual Halloween Art Exhibit! We are currently accepting applications for the 2006 show to be held in Chicago this October. See the Call for Artists page to download the application and all the neccessary details! ... There is limited space in this exhibit so submit your materials today!

24/7 ADVERTISING for your Haunt, Event, Store, Props & More!!

2006-09-12T12:58:00.000-04:00

September 11 and Haunters

2006-09-11T10:19:00.001-04:00

Well, I could have posted my usual Haunt and Horror News, but since it is a day to pay respects, remember and more, I tried to keep it respectful as it should be.

Now, this isn't really about September 11, but it is a way to bring both all of us Haunters and Amercia together....

HALLOWEEN FOR AMERICA is completely free to participate in. No money or registration is ever required. This is truly a cause we believe in, and not a gimmick. Originally created as a response to the horror of 9-11, this movement is just getting started. Over the years the haunt industry has at times gained an unfair reputation as being a bad influence on young people, contributing to escalating violence, and being in poor taste. Some local governments have even attempted to ban haunted attractions. And since 9-11, many areas have been reporting fewer trick-or-treaters. What if we could improve the image of Halloween and Make a Difference This Halloween ™?

Haunted houses, Halloween events, and stores with Halloween merchandies are great fun, but other than their owners, who really benefits? Halloween for America is a site devoted to spreading the idea that we, the Halloween industry can make a real difference in the world simply by simply supporting a charity. Pick any charity that you believe in. Then donate directly to them: a portion of your sales, canned food you collect, unused building materials, whatever you can. Does this sound like an easy way to help those in need? We invite you to add your website or Halloween event to the ever growing list of people who believe we can have fun, put on a great show, and Make a Difference This Halloween. ™

Why not show your customers that you care about donating to charity? And how about spreading the message to let other haunters know they can Make a Difference This Halloween ™? In exchange for donating to the charity of your choice, you may display a Halloween For America poster or banner. This lets your customers and employees/volunteers know that you care, and by setting an example you can inspire them to help those in need too!

If you think you could help and haunt this year, please go ahead and download a poster or banner and get started. Just select the appropriate category: Halloween Webmasters Get Banners & Haunters/Store Keepers Get Posters Here

Buy Your Alcohol and Save a Child this Halloween

2006-09-07T14:17:00.000-04:00

WRITTEN BY: NECROMAGIKAL (Rotting Writer for Rotting Flesh Radio)

Halloween is a time of celebration. Whether that revelry involves slicing open small animals over a stone altar, begging strangers for candy, or scaring the crap out of someone, it all boils down to one aspect. Halloween is a party. I am sure most of us enjoy dressing up outside of the bedroom, getting drunk, and fantasizing about making out with someone other than who is behind the mask and makeup.

Indulging in some spirits that are not the kind that are transparent and go “boo” is a Halloween tradition. Drinking and Halloween go together as well as a drunk and a scantily clad costumed chick. Partaking in some alcoholic elixir on Halloween is part of ancient tradition dating back to times before they even called it “Halloween”. So with this tradition settled into the human psyche, you can all use Halloween as another excuse to be rude, idiotic, and coordinated through the influence of the spirits.

This 2006 season, as you contribute to the slurring speech quota of the month, you can drink and help others. This October 2006 Coors Brewing Company, in coordination with retailers that care, will be working with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to fight childhood cancer. As you purchase your booze of choice you can add an extra dollar, write your name on a paper pumpkin, and contribute to something other than DUI. Those dollars will be donated, allegedly, to the St. Jude Children’s Research hospital to help the battle with childhood cancer.

Coors created the St. Jude Halloween Program in 1992 and has raised over $30 million for the hospital. So this Halloween, ignore the hobo on the corner, drink one less mocha latte, and help the kids. Just think, when you slur how much you love the person standing next to you at that party, you can also tell them how much you love the sick kids in a non Michael Jackson kind of way. That ought to earn you some brownie points with the opposite sex!

For more information check out the website at St. Jude Halloween

Spookyworld is Back this Haunt Season!!!

2006-09-06T10:08:00.001-04:00

WRITTEN BY NECROMAGIKAL (Rotting Writer of R.F.R.)

How we remember with sentiment those early days in Berlin. That’s Berlin Massachusetts, not Nazi Germany. Well it could be Germany if you had blonde hair, blue eyes, are very tall, and laughed to yourself when you burned bagels in the toaster but I digress way off topic.

Berlin Massachusetts was the origin of that New England haunted house Spookyworld. It was a time where it had yet to fully cave to ridiculous commercialism, overpriced parking, and hocked dusty crap from Berlin. They saved that for the move to Foxboro and booked cheerleaders, Dawson’s Creek stars, and pro wrestlers. And they weren’t even dead!

My distaste for the Foxboro version aside, we all sighed somewhat when Spookyworld closed it doors. We all sighed and laughed (I laughed at least) also at the way overpriced faded peeling crap at their infamous joke of an auction as well. As David Bertalino laughs his way to the bank, Spookyworld has news owners. As you may have heard on the industry message boards, the folks over at Boneyard Productions have acquired the name and world we know as “Spookyworld”. They are establishing the event in the Boston area and are boasting “A New England Tradition is back!” Well that’s cool. You can never have too many haunts in our world. Let’s hope that a “New England tradition” does not mean lame scares, guests having nothing to do with the horror genre, and over priced second rate garbage.

In a world where hopes and dreams are often crushed by the weight of reality, I have faith in Boneyard Productions. I have faith that they will not make the same errors that the original owners did and produce a place where the only horror is the haunt itself.

No opening date as of yet and the timeline ever shortens as we approach the 2006 season. The official website www.spookyworld.com is under construction but offers consolation of “check back soon”.

Haunts, Win this from Boneyard Effects!!!

2006-09-05T11:03:00.000-04:00