SAW III - Directors Cut

REVEIW: BY TAMAKAZEE

In short, for a movie about love this was pleasingly gory. Those involved in the Saw franchise have a pretty solid grasp on how to create realistic looking special effects, and the traps depicted are always interesting. The traps depicted in this installment, however, were not possible to escape and I did find this slightly annoying- stick to the formula, guys!! There is no point in creating the psychological tension associated with ‘playing a game’ if the dice are loaded.

Now, why a love story? It primarily explored secondary feelings such as jealousy or grief that are created when a person loves another and the influence these secondary emotions have on the psyche, through Jigsaw’s games and the choices his victims made. While some of these choices came across as standard dumb-arse horror movie mistakes (cue shouting at screen “Just tell him you’ll die!!” “Use your damn shirt!!”), some were plausible and supported by convincing acting.

The director used flashbacks to fill in the backstory of the characters, notably Jigsaw and his assistant, while these scenes would make more sense to those who have seen the previous movies they did not feel too much like mere padding. The cinematography was standard for the genre, somewhat dark and plenty of close shots focusing on actors faces or gore. Overall, a decent watch- not intellectually challenging, or a movie that would leave one shaken, but a nice enough way to while away a few hours.

Be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com for more horror movie news and reviews!

FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)

One of the greatest horror movies of all time, without question. And the film responsible for introducing a whole generation (of then)  teenagers to discover the simple joys of the slasher flick. And paving the way for many horror franchises to come.

Set in the present time (of 1980 ish) a group of hormone filled teenagers volunteer to work at a summer camp in a newly re-opened Camp Crystal Lake. Upon arrival to the nearest town the teenagers are warned of a mysterious drowing death in 1958 and a couple of violent killings that took place at the camp the following year in 1958. The camp was shut down soon after and the murders never solved, only to be re oponed again 20 odd years later under new management.

In true horror movie style nobody heeds the warning of the locals and one by one the the teenagers start getting killed.

Most of you will have probably seen this movie but for the few people on the planet who haven't yet had the pleasure (or are lucky enough to be too young to have seen it)  I won't spoil the plot beyond that. Needless to say there are some excellent plot twists which makes the movie quite unique for its time, perhaps reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" in some ways.  I will say however that this film is well written and beautifully shot.I have it on DVD so I'm not sure if my version has been remastered but its a great watch and holds up well to this day, the actual horror while not considered over the top by todays standards, I think would have been considered pretty confronting for the time (aside from the more extreme films like Dawn of the Dead and the wave of Italian horror/cannibal flicks surfaced around the same time) as the death scenes do look fairly realistic.

Anyway for me this film is considered to be an all time classic and still receives a regular rotation on my DVD player once every couple of years at least. More than worth anyone's time to check it if you haven't seen it or a good one revisit if you haven't seen it in a while.

I couldn't find a full version of the movie on you tube (which is fair enough as the movie still probably sells well) but it shouldn't be too hard to buy and its worth it or if you can find the 8 disc box set and get the first 8 films its a box set worth having, or hunt it down at any second hand haunts you may have I'm sure you'll find it somewhere

Also be sure to check out our reviews of:

FRIDAY 13TH part 2
FRIDAY 13TH PART 3
FRIDAY 14TH PART 4
JASON X
FRIDAY 13th (2009 remake)

for more great movie reviews and recommendations be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com regularly!

HERBERT WEST RE ANIMATOR (1985)

I'm a great fan of the works of HP Lovecraft, so I try to watch as many of the adaptations of his works on  film as I can get a hold of, some them translate well onto film and others, sadly do not.

This one is very cool I have to say, I think as far as the time goes it does translate quite well onto the screen. It follows the trials and tribulations of one Herbert West, who is trying to unlock the building blocks of life itself with the hope of returning life to the dead.

Herbert West is creepy, sullen, introverted character played quite convincingly by Jeffrey Combs who studies at the Miskatonic University (HP Lovecraft fans will recognize the name) and develops a serum that once injected can bring the dead back to life. Said serum is then tested on a cat and succeeds in bringing the cat back. His first success becomes an obesseion as West and his Housemate Dan report the findings to the University and are subsquently removed from the university program. West then takes the bold step from animal to human and tests it on a corpse bringing the corpse back to a zombie-like state of life, an of course unleashes a whole lot more trouble than he bargained for.

The film is slated as a horror comedy, I don't see much humour in it, well maybe some black humour. Some pretty gruesome gore scenes and some that come off a little dated, but overall it is a well done horror flick in that glorious 80's style of horror, genuinely captivating and a great watch, true to the dark styles of HP Lovecraft.... definitely an all time fave of mine!

for more great horror movie reviews be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com

HOUSE OF THE DEAD (funny version)

After the immense failure that was the house of the dead movie (click the link for that review) one would have thought the director would have crawled into a hole and died (or at leaset committed most honourable act of seppuku), but no... he re-released the film as a funny version with stupid little captions pasted over everything....... Gotta hand it to him... at least the guy can take the piss out of himself.  To be honest its still shit, but its a much higher standard of shit than the original and now falls into the 'almost watchable' class of films. Still no real plot and a very 'stock standard' film with little to no acting credibility but at least now, with the additional captions, new footage we can all have a laugh at the film and its many plot holes. Strangely enough some additional footage taken from the video game and haphazardly pasted into the onscreen action, really steps things up a notch. Now with this version we're kind of laughing with them and not at them. Kind of, but not really.

for more great horror movie reviews check out http://www.gorenography.com

CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD

Directed by Lucio Fulci (Zombie Holocaust) in 1980 and not to be confused with the works of George Romero, this is a pretty cool watch... It never really made a huge impact at the box office, and over time has sunk further into obscurity. Shame about that....  It's not a bad film really, but thankfully through the magic of youtube and now the cult cinema guys who repress a lot of this stuff , many long lost movies like this one can be exhumed for new generations of horror fans to enjoy.

The plot has some deeper occult references than the typical zombie movie, which always scores points in my book. Basically the film follows the story of a group of women who in holding a seance see visions of a city of the dead in a town called 'Dunwich' (a name which HP Lovecraft fans might recognize) and their imminent rise to the realm of the living

Overall a well shot film with nothing too cheesy, and the musical soundtrack compliments the film well that old style horror soundtrack that movies these days just can't do...... The special FX which were probably cutting edge for the time / over the top gore for that era when they do happen ... (especially the flesh vomit scene) but I have to say it does come across as a little corny now but nothing that would take away from the feeling of the film

Defs worth the time it takes to watch this film, I wouldn't go so far as to call it a classic but over all its pretty cool... but as luck has it we've managed to find a decent version on youtube so you can check it out for yourself (but defs worth buying a copy of this one)

for more great horror movie reviews and other crap http://www.gorenography.com

KRAMPUS (2015)

Krampus: Review by Tamikazee

Tis the season of the demon!! The Krampus, a horned demon, is known in European culture as the antithesis of our dear friend St Nicolas, aka Santa. He punishes naughty children by whipping them with birch twigs or dragging them down to hell. Krampus visits every year during December . . . so, to celebrate, I’m reviewing Krampus, the movie!

The synopsis on the cover states this movie is “a wonderfully dark and subversive” film, and it surprisingly lives up to this claim.

The films opening sequence is much like any other Christmas movie- themed subtitles and a busy department store, a classic Christmas carol playing- yet the events that unfold are totally out of sync with its style, setting an undercurrent of dark humor which is delightfully sustained throughout the movie.

Little time is wasted on character development as the director has chosen to allow the actors’ appearance and costumes tell their story, and the situations in which the characters find themselves in are well paced, keeping the atmosphere tense and engaging throughout. The acting is also quite good, as expected from an ensemble of some particularly funny people, and the script has a decent number of quirky jokes both spoken and visual. The monsters we meet are camp, yet well realized, and Krampus himself is delightfully creepy.

There were plenty of interesting twists to the story without relying on cheap tricks such as jump scares, though be sure to look out for one in the first half of the film- its payoff is well worth the set-up.

I enjoyed this film much more than I expected- it’s definitely one I’ll watch again!

for more great horror movie news, reviews and more don't forget to check out http://www.gorenography.com

A NEW CONTRIBUTOR!

Since starting this blog a couple of years ago... I'd like to think I've made some progress with this thing and really enjoyed doing it. When I first started it, the site struggled to get 10 hits(views) a week and now we are still far from huge but we're getting from 50-100 which is a lot better, and it looks to be growing all the time.

With that in mind I also can announce I have my first contributor to the site ... Would you please welcome miss 'Tamakazee" to the Gorenography.com website! I just got her first article in today and it reads well and is has a different writing style to myself which should make the site much more interesting

I should have her first article live by this time tomorrow! Keep a look out for it!

FREDDY VS JASON (2003)

This one came across as a pretty cheesy idea, crossing over 2 of the most legendary horror franchises in all history was always going to guarantee some level of success for the film but was going to further bury franchises that had seemed to lack in any real ideas towards the end of the series or generate a new level of interest in the older films?

The film opens with a kind of introduction to the worlds of both protagonists meaning that the to at least some degree you don't have to have seen the other films (of either series) to be able to watch this film so maybe the idea was to funnel new fans into old franchises (which are now all available in box set form and proudly displayed in my collection) 

As usual the comeback scenario's are a little dubious, Freddy is in hell and has no power as any memory of him has been erased from the collective conciousness of Elm Street and Springvale, So his idea is to resurrect Jason from the dead to wreak havok amongst the town folk and put the fear of Freddy Krueger back into the town giving him  a means to worm his way back into the dreams of the teenagers of the town. But it works well enough and the rest of the film from there onwards seems to flow rather well. Its well shot and keeps the viewers interest from start to finish and I will go so far as to say not only is it a worthy sequel to both franchises it is better than some of the later ventures into both series. Should also note that it has a pretty heavy soundtrack too featuring Machine head amongst others.

Over all, a great watch and some cool creepy imagery keep this rolling along nicely and it has me fired up to watch the collective works of both series one more time! (which i'll post up here in due course)  

For more great horror movie reviews check out http://www.gorenography.com

TERMINATOR - GENESYS

And so the franchise continues... This would have to be one of my all time favourate movie series since the I watched the first one as a 12 or 13 year old in the late 80's. I thought parts 2 and 3 followed it up nicely and for the record I thought 4 was a good movie but it didn't really feel right without the big man in front of the camera. Arnie is back (groan....) like he said he would be and this chapter chronicles an ageing terminator who has once again been reassigned the task of protecting the future of mankind this time by protecting Sarah Connor.

The great thing about movies involving time travel is there is really an infinite number of possibilities and therefore sequels that can be extracted from the one story line. This time the story line gets even more complex (I won't give too much away)  The movie intertwines with the first two movies rather well and one cool scene where an ageing terminator goes up against a younger version of himself.  Of course the CGI is as excellent as you would expect it to be... and of course there's a newer model terminator that Arnie struggles to compete against. One criticism of this movie is it lacks the really BIG action scenes that part 2 and 3 had... some of it is there but its not the same. That aside it is a great watch and a few cool humerous moments (similar to those in part 2) really make this a genuine film rather than just a second rate soap opera.

There are two ways you can watch this film you can sit back and enjoy the ride and just turn your brain off or you can analyse the time continuum as it unfolds as different time-streams get tangled up and rewritten by the minute. Both are equally valid in my opinion!

I've included the preview for what look to be the next installment in the franchise, but the movie itself shouldn't be too hard to get off either netflix or on dvd/blu ray!

LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS (2009)

As the title suggests this is probably not a movie to be taken too seriously. It is however a lot better than the name would suggest.

The plot focuses on Jimmy who is getting treated like dirt by his on again off again girlfriend and Fletch who looses his job. The both decide to go on a holiday and forget about their real world woes in country side England. Luckily the pair manage to meet up with a van load of incredibly hot (swedish... I think) female tourists. At this point I'm not sure exactly how the Lesbian Vampirism comes into it (its either an old curse or a cursed town... or maybe they just hang around the nearby forest) but really, who cares... As the girls are distractingly hot.... but one by one they get attacked by vampires and its up to to our two hero's to save the day... Of course it is.

Over all its a lot of fun and quite well shot and is a lot easier to watch than other B grade films (like most Troma films for example)  and with plenty of scantily clad females, this one cruise along just nicely. Again its not a thinker but if you can turn your brain off for an hour and a half this is quite enjoyable and few good laughs thrown in. Not too heavy on the gore factor but a good one to watch while having a few beers with your mates

To be fair to this film, I might come back and watch it a second time... and see if it has anything more to offer but i have a sneaking feeling its really just a light-hearted British comedy.

for more great horror movie reviews check out http://www.gorenography.com

PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)

This was once described as the "Worst film ever made" ..... It's definately not the greatest film ever made but in my humble opinion far from the worst... In fact it has a certain charm about it.

Shot on black and white film in the 50's the plot revolves around aliens who are digging up graves and reanimating the dead in an attempt to destroy humankind before said humans stumble across the technology to build a weapon so powerful it could destroy the galaxy and of course our alien friends with it.

The special effects are pretty cheesy stuff really, wait till you see the saucers obviously suspended by fishing wire and the dialogue is a little hammy but like I said before this does add to the charm and and maybe a sense of innocence about the film that movies made nowadays rarely have

For those that can put the low grade special effects aside,  this is actually a pretty cool watch and does raise some moral issues particularly relevant in the 1950's with the advent of nuclear technology and the looming spectre of a world war

Anyway we manage to find it on youtube for your viewing pleasure!

for more great movie reviews check out http://www.gorenography.com

STARSHIP TROOPERS

I know this movie has been widely panned by critics, but I have to say I really liked it.... brought to you by Paul Verhoveen who was responsible for ROBOCOP this has  similarly dark feel to the not too distant future.

The film itself is set in a future where an alien like arachnid / bug race has waged war on Earth. Dutiful citizens are being rallied to join the fight against the bugs known as "Klendethu". Amongst the students at the military academy the fight are Johnny, the good looking but not too smart student who gets sent off to his almost certain death to fight in the infantry, his girlfriend Carmen who scored much better grades in the academy and gets to pilot a starship and (incredibly cute) third wheel Diz who has the hots for Johnny bad...

Some great special effects and alien creatures make this film look incredibly authentic and the "blood and guts" factor is nothing to be sneezed at. Some reasonable star power in Neil Patrick Harris and Denise Richards also adds to the films credibility

Overall I think its a great bit of fun and I do think if one is prepared to look deeper into the film there's a little (not too much) to think about. But also it is a great film to sit back and turn the brain off to and just enjoy the guts and violence that comes with an intergalactic conflict of this magnitude. The aliens look magnificent and the action scenes are fluid and never hammed up....

Fore more great movie reviews make sure you visit http://www.gorenography.com

KORGOTH OF BARBERIA

This is a pilot for a show that never got picked up.... I have no idea why it was never picked up this show seems to have it all

I present to you "Korgoth of Barberia" its well worth the 20 mins you'll spend watching it!

For more great horror movie reviews and other stuff check out http://www.gorenography.com

BLOOD FEAST (1963)

BLOOD FEAST 1963

With the recent passing of Director Hershel Lewis (known as the Grandfather of Gore), I thought I'd take one of his movies out for a test drive. I have to confess to being relatively unaware of his works but upon researching it seems he was more or less responsible for the exploitational gore genre.

Curiosity piqued, I chose "Blood Feast" for my first HG Lewis experience. The movie was widely panned by the media at the time but I found it reasonably well shot and quite watchable and to be fair, on par with anything shot in the 60s -70s .... I have to say I found some of the acting and the gore a little 'hammy' by modern standards but I went into this knowing that would be the case. The soundtrack has one of those creepy horror music backings that you will have to love.

Plot wise, it follows the exploits of a shop keeper 'Ramses' who is intent on bringing the ancient Egyptian goddess 'Ishtar' back to life with a series of murders of beautiful young ladies whose body parts are harvested with the intention of holding a 'blood feast',  which he hopes will culminate in the return of said goddess.

Like I said before, I found it quite enjoyable and I love that old 60's 70's B Grade, cinematic feel which only a movie shot on film can have. As far as gore content goes, it is reportadly one of the first to show full-on gore ... but I don't think anyone who's ever seen a horror movie before would be put off by this, the gore does come across a little fake, but I guess it paved the way for many films following it.

For more great horror movie links and reviews feel free to check out http://www.gorenography.com

SOUTH COAST METALHEADS

been hard at work the last few days getting the "South Coast Metalheads" website live and running. If you live on or near the South Coast of Australia check the site out and if you're keen sign up to the forum and talk metal, read up on your fave bands and keep up to date with the latest happenings down there and maybe scope out some music from bands you may not have heard of yet!

If anyone here needs a website hit me up as well we can tailor something to suit your needs and keep it at a very reasonable price! more info on http://www.clickoncanberra.com  or email me at clickoncanberra@gmail.com and we can talk!

ROB ZOMBIE

Rob Zombie has been a busy busy little boy of late not only has he produced a new video clip The Hideous Exhibitions Of A Dedicated Gore Whore (very rockin too I might add...) from his new album, The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser he's also about to release a new movie "31". I've found the trailer for it and posted it below it definatley looks like something to keep an eye out for! 

I still have no idea how he finds enough time to do all this stuff, the guy must never stop!

THE GREEN INFERNO (2015)

I didn't know what to make of this at first as I'd heard it was going to be a remake of the legendary "Cannibal Holocaust" from 1980. The film started off with a completely different premise so after the first half an hour I'd written this off to misinformation and had mentally adjusted myself to the fact that it was infact a different movie... besides what would they have to gain by recreating one of the filthiest, goriest, most disturbing movies ever?

The story starts on campus where a bunch of freshman students get railroaded by campus shitbag,  Alejrando into going to South America to save some forests. `After some substantial complications the mission eventually succeeds and the group head out of the forest only to have the plane come crashing down not that far away in cannibal country........

A lucky few of the groups die early in the plane crash leaving the rest of the group to be systematically persued, captured and consumed by the locals

With modern video capture techniques the gore and violence is so confronting I'm actually glad this wasn't a remake of "Cannibal Holocaust" .... definition aside, the violence is not in the same league as "Cannibal Holocaust" but the impact it has puts it right up there. It would still consider this extreme gore but had it descended into the same levels of filth as "Cannibal..." I think I would have lost my lunch... especially as I wasn't feeling the best when I put the movie on

As a standalone movie it holds up very well, plot makes sense and the acting is convincing there's nothing really too wrong with this, infact its pretty good! One thing I liked was the way director Eli Roth made the natives seem rather friendly and down to earth it was really hard to hate them (even as they salted the freshly dismembered corpses of the students) they came across as very human which again like "Cannibal..." raised some interesting moral issues in my head

Definatley worth a viewing!

for more great movie reviews check out http://www.gorenography.com

SATANIC (2016)

This is not an all time classic by any stretch of the imagination but it was a pretty cool watch over all and kept me interested right through till the end of the film. This film (like so many other films) start off with a group of four teenagers on holiday. The group consists of two couples on their way to see the Coachella festival. One of the couple (the fashionably goth pair) decide to take a small detour and check out some occult places of interest on the way, including a small bookshop where they see some potentially unsavoury goings on in the back room. After being given the "heave-ho" from the bookshop they decide to trail the supsicious occultist to a farm where a strange satanic ritual involving a beautiful young woman takes place which they interrupt and then flee when the group realises they are being watched.
One of the guys drops his phone of course and the girl involved in the ritual finds it and brings it back to them but thats just where it gets more bizzare and she involves them in a world of hardcore satanism. This is where I won't talk too much about what happens but like I said its great watch and keeps the viewer interested and has some pretty decent twists.

It's not too full on on the gore but enough to keep you interested if you're only there for a 'horror veg-out' ... which to be honest is pretty much all I wanted or expected out of the film, so in that aspect my expectations were exceeded.

I'm not sure if the director of the film is taking the piss out of satanism or trying to intrigue the viewer into finding out about the church of Satan but early references and vintage footage of 'Church of Satan' founder Anton LaVey made me think the occult references might be based some what on the classic hollywood satanism but with a nod to Anton LaVeys' organisation for those more interested in finding out what satanism is about.

for more great horror movie reviews and other great stuff check out http://www.gorenography.com

DISNEY MEETS SALVADOR DALI

This is just amazing! Shame they didn't release it at the time, it would have blown any other animations out of the water!


http://beta.nameless.tv/video/salvador-dals-long-lost-collaboration-with-walt-disney-is-amazing-51445

PS: sorry for the lack of content lately life has been a little on the hectic side but I will have more reviews up soon!

The Call Girl of Cthulu (2015)

The Call Girl of Cthulu

Obviously this is not something to be taken too seriously. Probably best enjoyed with either a few drinks or the day after a big night when you don't have the mental capacity to watch anything more involved. It's also obviously an indy film and probably done on a shoe string budget. As far as films go its not too bad at all and an enjoyable watch... it follows the trials and tribulations of a young artist, Carter, looking to loose his virginity to a special woman. It just so happens the young lady he falls in love with is not only a hooker but also bears an ancient birth mark, identifying her as the chosen concubine of the ancient deity Cthulu (from HP Lovecrafts works) From there on in Carter has to win the girl and save her from an ancient order of Chtulu Cultists who obviously have other plans for her.

Like I said, don't read too much into it... just turn your brain off and enjoy. As much as I've said this movie is not a "thinker" its not a "stinker" either, it still doesn't insult the intelligence in the way that some (Troma type)  films tend to do. As far as the gore and horror content there's some pretty cool SFX and gore scenes to keep the gore-fiends happy, and a decent level of "perv factor" for those who are looking for a bit of "T and A" as a side for their horror needs. These guys are showing some great potential to keep making more movies and I'll genuinely keep an "eye out" for more of their films in the future

As always keep checking out http://www.gorenography.com for more great reviews and horror related things!

FROM HELL (2001)

I really liked this one, but star power like Johnny Depp and Heather Graham in it, it was never going to be a slapped together half cooked film. Of course both Depp and Graham do amazing jobs at their roles and aside from being two of the best looking humans on the planet they can really act their parts.

From hell is loosely based on the Jack the ripper story and for my money it is entertaining , the dialogue of the day is portrayed rather well, I loved the accents and the time spent on recreating the old streets of London town and the clothes of the time also contribute to make the film great eye-candy as well.

The film of course stars Depp as the inspector Aberline who is a recovering opium addict and receiver of visions that he uses in his quest to track down the Ripper who is killing prostitutes in the dark alley ways of London town one at a time. He of course takes a liking to Heather Graham's character, Mary whilst trying to solve the murders.

I won't go too far into the plot or get into how closely it follows the book for fear of ruining the plot but there are some great twists and the movie never gets boring. There is enough blood and guts to keep most horror fans satisfied but it wouldn't fall into the extreme category by any means. Probably not an all time classic but a very solid and enjoyable watch

for more great horror movie reviews keep checking back here at http://www.gorenography.com !

CATTLE DECAPITATION Video clips!

HEre's a couple of fiendishly horrendous video clips from the masters of tech-deathmetal Cattle decapitation.... these are probably some of the most brutal video clips I've ever seen! NOT safe for work (or anywhere else for that matter) 

CYBORG X (2016)

Cyborg X is a overall a pretty cool film, Starring the very easy to look at Eve Mauro and the always well tough Danny Trejo, as well as a whole bunch of tough guys I've never heard of.

The plot centres around "X corp" Who have been manufacturing Cyborgs for the military, that it turns out they can't control. The cyborgs end up laying waste to the research/manufacturing facility and its up to Lt. Spears and her troops to figure out whats going on and hopefully destroy the renegade cyborgs. The film itself flows well and while its not strictly a horror film, more in the action category it should cross over well into both audiences as the violence is pretty meaty!

Is it a classic? No! but its not too bad, good, solid, fast paced (straight to dvd) film that doesn't loose the readers interest. Sometimes you need a solid film that doesn't require too much brain power and this is that film....

don't forget to check out more great horror flicks at http://www.gorenography.com

The COLLECTOR (2009)

This is one brutal film. Not for the faint of heart of the newcomer to the horror genre.

The plot focus on Arkin who is doing some handyman work at a wealthy family's house. However is wife/girlfriend is in debt to loan sharks and Arkin has to resort to pulling a heist at the house to raise money to pay off the loan sharks and get his missus out of trouble. Whilst breaking into the house he is disturbed by another break-in, a slasher that proceeds to torture and kill everyone he comes across in the house. The 'collector' has laid out a series of insidious traps designed to capture, torture and kill in the most gruesome ways possible. Arkin being the deep down nice guy that he is tries to save the family from falling victim to this deranged sicko but that's about all I can really say without ruining the film.

Here-in lies my main problem with this movie. The bad guy breaks in and seeming instantly there is a serious of traps which have been meticulously laid out and planned to cause as much suffering as possible... where did he get the time to do this? Why does he choose this family? Have they done something to him in the past?

If you as the viewer can suspend disbelief with this aspect of the film long enough to persevere, it's a gritty affair that reminds me of the 'Saw' series of films .... Some inventive killings, tense moments and horrific violence really make this a pretty cool film.... and I think there is some potential for the 'Collector' to become a series (Though I would have to say I wouldn't hold him in the same reverence as Voorhees, Krueger or Leatherface) I hear there is a sequel and this flick was good enough that I'll venture back for a second outing.

I have to say this doesn't appear to be the best version to watch online but its also available thru netflixx (which is where I saw it) 

For more great horror movie reviews check out http://www.gorenography.com

THE CALL OF CTHULU (2005)

I make no secret of the fact I'm a big fan of the 1920's author HP Lovecraft.  I honestly feel this this film really captures the emotion and mood of HP Lovecrafts writings, which is a hard thing to do given the otherworldly nature of his writings... The movie is a silent film with no dialogue, and shot in grainy black and white.... the film footage is cut with text/sign board dialogue but this only serves to obscure the and mystify the occult worlds created by Lovecraft and suits his novella's perfectly. I assumed this film was made shortly after the book was written, but as it turns out it was made in 2005 to fit the look and feel of a film made in the 1920's the time when the story was created.


As a recreation of the golden age era of science fiction / occult / horror cinema and I think it perfectly harnesses the theory that the scariest things are that which cannot be seen.  Unfortunately the great beast that is the mighty Cthulu is later seen and it kind of wrecks things a little (the creature fx seem outdated... I would have liked a bit more effort spent on the Cthulu demon but realistically that is how he would have looked had this film been made in the 1920's anyway) but that's my only grip with an otherwise captivating and authentic look back at the past of film making,

For more great reviews check out http://www.gorenography.com

PSYCHO (1960)

This is the first horror movie I ever saw... I wouldn't so much call it horror as it is now 'cute' by today's standards but still a really cool film. Of course directed by master film maker Alfred Hitchcock.

The film follows the exploits of a young real estate secretary who absconds with $40000 (a lot of money back then) entrusted to her real estate agency by a rich Texan. As fate would have it her road trip ends up stopping at the fateful "Bates Hotel" on a dark and rainy night. She then finds herself the object of the affections of one Norman Bates, hotel manager, taxidermy afficionado, and man child with very serious mother issues. I won't go too much further into the plot of the film for fear of ruining it for the first time viewer

The film itself is extremely well shot and executed and while there is virtually no gore, the mood created, dialogue and music all contribute to a very suspenseful and engrossing watch. I guess there in lies the challenge to create a genuinely engrossing thriller with virtually no explicit gore and Hitchcock was the master.

I'm not sure what horror films that came before it would have shown in the way of how the mind of a killer really works but to my knowledge this is the first film of its kind and may have invented the slasher genre, I'm sure the Friday 13th took some influence from this film as well as the many Simpsons references (Skinner and Agnes) ... you know you've had an influence on popular culture when you make into the Simpsons! Even the harsh string arrangements (violin or cello I assume) used in the background of the knife murder have become a part of modern culture and used to create a mood of fear in many movies since.

The good thing about this film is that you can watch it with your horror loving offspring, without scarring them for life, like some of the other films reviewed on this site would do. This is a film I would recommend for anyone, not just horror movie fans, do yourself a favour and watch it!



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RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985)

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD

Hmmm..... I had been searching for this film for a while now and upon finding it was extremely excited to pop it up on the television and see how it went.

I got the same feeling when I started watching this as when I saw "Pretty In Pink" or "Saint Elmo's Fire" or the "Breakfast Club" some extreme '80's force is strong with this one.... To be honest I was half expecting Molly Ringwald could pop out at any given moment.

Sometimes a movie is just a bunch of stuff that happens and this is that movie, it follows on from the zombie themes created by "Night of the Living Dead", in fact creator Russo worked with Romero on "Night of the Living Dead" but parted ways sometime after. Why did it take him so long to put out a movie? Who knows? Either way this things is just so god damned cheesy its hard to take seriously.... Some rather crappy dialogue and awful acting follow making me wonder if the production team were also just a bunch of unpaid zombie interns. The zombies themselves are rather comical and the killings rather uninspired, its comical but sometimes tragic as well. Its not funny enough to be a comedy (like Brain Dead or Shaun of the Dead) but not gritty enough to be taken seriously as a zombie movie. One good thing about this movie is that it's kind of like the zombie film that you can safely watch with your pre-teen child, or your grandma ... its fairly safe and won't gross out the non-initiated. Perhaps the type of movie you take to a bad taste 80's party.

It obviously had an impact on modern TV as the 'brains' bit you hear over used on this certainly made its way into modern zombie culture (that Halloween episode of the Simpsons for one)

Some horror movie fans really like this movie. Personally I don't get it. I might give it another watch at a later date to see if it grabs me the second time around.

I like to party as anyone who knows me would know..... I saw no party in this film. If you are new to zombies I recommend you check out Night of the living Dead or if you want a laugh Brain Dead 

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DAY OF THE DEAD (1985)

Day of the Dead

Day of the dead marks George Romero's third outing into the world of the undead the first of course being Night of the living dead waaaaay back in 1968, then Dawn of the Dead in 1978 and now this one...

From what I gather Night of the Living Dead gained some notoriety for its gore content, well this would have given those same cry babies a coronary attack! The gore content has been upped ten fold from NOTLD and is another step beyond Dawn of the Dead, the gore and special effects are looking great which results in one hell of a blood bath, and fun ride for the viewer!



The movie itself fasts forwards to a point where zombies have taken over much of the free world the last remaining humans some military and some research staff have been isolated in a military bunker / research facility type thing and trying to figure out how they are going to survive. Despite the fact the undead have decimated the world population the research staff are still conducting experiments on how the zombies work, and trying to domesticate them. This of course sits at odds with the military staff, and results in tension between the last of the humans and creates a cool sub-plot to the story. In a way this is really cool as it analyses the zombies and allows the viewer to understand what makes them tick, their memories of their past lives and the instincts that keep them hunting human flesh. I think its a good departure from the first two films and gives the horror fan a more cerebral look at the zombie. Some might think the film is a little slow paced, as it is fairly long... but for the conclusion of the original zombie trilogy I think its fitting.

Over all its a fun, but more intelligent look at the brainless undead creatures we have all come to love. Definately worth a watch for any gore / zombie fan!

We managed to find  a good copy of this on you tube so go check it out while you can!

Also be sure to check out our reviews of George Romero's work on later films Night of the Living Dead  and  Dawn of the Dead


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BOXING HELENA

BOXING HELENA 1993

I've been trying to track this one down for ages to check it out... not much chance of seeing this one at your local DVD outlet, so I had to stream it on one of those 'free to watch' sites. I don't normally advocate those but I guess if you're not likely to find it anywhere else what can you do? This one is well worth the effort of finding it anywhere you can!


This movie is an excellently shot and produced film with Julian Sands (from the Warlock series of movies) perfectly cast as the creepy Dr. Nick who develops and unholy obsession with a one night stand he had, Helena. Try as he might he can't get her out of his head ...To be fair, Helena is one of the most beautiful creatures walking the earth.... After watching this film I think I'm a little obsessed by her... Filling out her role perfectly is Sherylin Fenn.

Helena is a man eater, she is sexy and she knows it, manipulating men and throwing them away like garbage. As a bizzare twitst of fate -helped along by Dr. Nick, would have it our dear Helena gets in a car crash and Dr. Nick seizes the opportunity to amputate her legs and later on her arms and keep her to himself for his own perverted pleasures.

This is I guess what you'd call an erotic thriller, not so much horror but the thought of obsession going as far as it did in this case is certainly unnerving, yet creepily saucy. Even though its quite a well made film I feel a little ashamed at myself for enjoying it so much.

I remember there was a bit of controversy when this film was being cast as originally it was supposed to feature Madonna, who declined the role after she had agreed to it upon realising the nudity and concepts involved in the film (I can't say I blame her either)  but despite such a genuinely disturbing plot and subject matter it failed miserably at the box office, condemened to a live of obscurity and to be featured in blogs such as this

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SPECIES (1995)

This film is not too bad really. I wouldn't call it an all time classic of either the sci-fi or horror genre but its a solid watch and quite entertaining from start to finish, despite the panning it got at the hands of serious movie critics

The film follows the "growing pains" of a young female of the extra-terrestrial variety (human and alien DNA spliced) who is bred and studied on earth. Of course the team of scientists can't contain said alien visitor due to her superhuman strength and abilities and she absconds from the care of the government facility she was contained in. Her alien DNA transforms her body into that of a VERY attractive young woman (who can't seem to keep her clothes on) who goes on the hunt for males to mate with and then destroy. Very saucy stuff indeed :)

Some of the horror effects seem a little dated by modern standards, but it doesn't take away too much from the film and of course the aliens are designed by none other than HR Gieger (who was responsible for the aliens in the Aliens series of movies) so its visually pretty cool. Overall my real complaint with this movie is that it could have been much better with a little more of a budget behind it more maybe just a bit more time spent on the special effects

There is unfortunately no decent rips of this on you tube but it is available for rent on there, or better yet it shouldn't be too hard to track down in second hand haunts and flea markets.

SLAUGHTER HIGH (1986)

Another one taken from the deepest darkest depths of the 80's... I do remember seeing this one sitting on the shelves of the local video rental store as a young horror fan but never got around to seeing it.

Once again thanks to the magic of youtube we can relive this long forgotten horror classic in all its grainy,blurry, VHS glory. I have to admit I wasn't holding out for a classic when I started this one up but sometimes you get a pleasant surprise when you're not expecting too much of anything, and this was definatley one of those times.

This follows the exploits of a group of popular kids who tormented the school nerd Marty to breaking point.  Years later the kids re-unite as adults for their high school reunion ... only its not as it seems and the popular kids of course, get picked off one by one by a now deranged Marty who has been unsuccessfully coping the effects of high school bullying in the years that have elapsed.

Again without giving away too much of the plot this is actually a quite well written and executed little gem. Some very inventive and novel killings and cool plot twists keep this a captivating and enthralling watch once you can get past the real horror of the 1980's ladies fashion on display. Some of the horror effects do come across as a little dated but all in all, I hope this does one day get a re-issue on DVD or blue ray ... maybe even a remastering. A much better movie than some of the crap out there and it would be a shame to see this fade into obscurity. Overall its no classic but still a worthy watch.

check it out for yourself!

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BATMAN V SUPERMAN

Ok, this one doesn't fit into the genre of horror but its been receiving some very harsh reviews online, so I wanted to weigh in with my humble opinion.

I used to read comic books as a kid, Batman and Superman were amongst the ones I loved. That was in the mid eighties.... but to be honest I haven't followed much in the way of comic books since I discovered the joys of heavy metal. 30 years later and these two superhero's have transcended another generation and and now enjoyed by kids all over the world in much the same way I did as a child....

The harsh reviews I'm seeing online, are mainly originating from comic book nerds, self styled guardians of the comic book mythos. I don't have a problem with that necessarily but for those of us who just go to movies to enjoy them, without over analysing everything I think this is a great watch, my kid, who is 12 thought it was great too.

Movies have come so far and this is visually spectacular, the CGI effects are stunning and the soundtrack really comes out when you experience it in the premium cinema environment.... (this was the first time I'd had the leather reclining chairs in the movie hall) To be honest I can't remember the finer points of the entire history of these two DC superhero's but it seemed to fit in fairly well with the comic books as far as I could remember (except for the Lex Luthor being so young in the same timeframe as an adult Superman and I have no idea what Wonder Woman really had to do with the film except to build the foundations for a new spin off....) whilst still maintaining a fresh edge and staying current for the next generation of kids experiencing superhero's. Some dark rigious overtones and a reasonably involved plot keep it interesting for the parents or older fans which ever you may be.

Many people had reservations about Ben Affleck playing Batman but I think he did a great job, but seriously how hard could it be to play a surly introvert? Superman was a little darker than he has been portrayed in the 80's flims more along the lines of the 'man of steel' movie and Jesse Eisenberg (whom I normally detest) did a great job as a young Lex Luthor

 If you like your action big and loud with awesome CGI this will do it for you, your kids will love it and if you can leave the inner cynic behind your inner child will love it too.

GWAR - PHALLUS IN WONDERLAND (1992)

Our favorate aliens from beyond Uranus have been entertaining shocking and offending the world at large for almost 30 years now, and quite frankly they are masters at the art of shock rock. I bought my first Gwar CD over 25 years ago now and still love it to this day. Beneath the many kilograms of latex each member wears, they are accomplished musicians and masters of the art of their bloody pantomime.

For those unaquainted with GWAR they basically take shock rock to a new level, picking up where Alice Cooper left off, taking the live theatrics to a whole new level of sickness, depravity and hilarity. Bear in mind when watching this Gwar came before Marilyn Manson, Slipknot and Lordi.

This is their first venture into the world of movies, and it is a cheesy, sick, depraved, offensive piece of work. Needless to say I loved it. Their off the wall humour has been offending the world at large in the funniest way for many years now and this is a prime example. For my tastes it is the best in their series of their film works. If you liked the humour in movies such as Brain Dead, Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles this would appeal to you, you like heavy metal this will appeal to you, if like me, you like heavy metal, gore and comedy this is a must have.

For those who have some understanding of the band, the plot centres around the disembodied penis of lead singer Oderus Urungus which goes missing and the trials and tribulations involved in reuniting the singer with said body part. Along the way we are treated to violence, bloodshed, religious blasphemy and many litres of miscellaneous bodily excretions... in short, all the good stuff! We are also treated to five of the bands video clips which have been ingeniously worked into the plot of the movie. This movie takes pride of place in my DVD collection and I strongly recommend you check it out on you tube (as I'm sure you have sweet FA chance of finding it in a DVD store)  

Sadly major creative influence and lead singer of the band, Dave Brockie (who plays Oderus Urungus) passed away a couple of years ago so I'm not sure what kind of output the band will have from here on in... they have played a few shows since but no word on upcoming releases. This will always stand as a monument to his sick perverted sense of humour. To keep updated on what Gwar are doing make sure you visit their website from time to time

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JEEPERS CREEPERS 2

I have never seen the original Jeepers Creepers but its one of those movies that I keep seeing around to the point where it got under my skin a little and eventually I succumbed and bought
 part 2 (mainly because it was dirt cheap) 

It started off as a fairly standard "teens get stranded in some remote American wasteland"  type thing. I can't say I held many illusions as to how good this one was going to be, but there was nothing on TV so I gave it a shot. Honestly if there were some Simpsons re-runs on, this thing wouldn't have even gotten a chance.

Initially it started as almost a "paint by numbers" horror flick .... Half an hour into it, it didn't improve. The plot revolves around a bus load of teenagers that get stuck on a remote desert highway and some great big winged creature is picking off the teens one by one (I actually thought this was quite original though) then some creepy looking dude starts hanging round the bus and freaking the remaining teens out.  Is he half bat? Is he the winged creature or a scare crow? I couldn't work it out ... nor did I really care that much

I won't spoil the plot (or bore you guys with the details) but lets just  say I'm glad I found this one for only $2....  I still kinda feel that I wasted 2 hours of my life though. The shame about this film is that some of the CGI effects are actually pretty cool, it makes me think someone put some reasonable money into this film.... and equally perplexing it apparently grossed $63 million worldwide....

Judge for yourself ... or better yet don't bother but either way the you tube link is below:

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GORENOGRAPHY ON FACEBOOK

Well, looks like we've had a bit of an explosion in traffic coming through the site! For this I thank you, there shall be heaps more reviews and cool posts coming up on here soon

We've also  managed to get a facebook page running, so head over there and give it a 'like' if you want to keep up to date or get silly horror-related stuff in your facebook feed!

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THE EXORCIST (1973)

Well.... It's Easter Sunday here in Australia and what better  way to celebrate than with a screening of one of my all time favourate films, The Exorcist?

Obviously a film I hold in such high regard is never going to get a bad review... but seriously this movie is a must see for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the horror genre.

Based on the 1971 novel of the same name, the Exorcist followed quickly to movie theatres in 1973
and of course gained a reputation as one of the most extreme films ever made, and in my opinion is still up there.... I have the extended directors cut of this film so its hard to be sure what was included in the original but this holds up very well on DVD, the image capture and resolution is sharp as ever (as opposed to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

It is also important to take into account that the era in which this movie (along with Rosemary's Baby and The Omen) was made, religion was a lot more powerful, spectre like entity that hung over the heads of much of the western world and a movie like this would have struck fear into many a god fearing movie goer and inciting outrage from the church at large. As someone that grew up catholic and with a life long interest in the occult I think its very important movies such as this were made....

The plot follows the unearthing of a occult deity, PAZUZU in Iraq. (Pazuzu is the god of all fevers and plagues in Sumerian mythology) and posesses a young girl, Reagan with obviously horrifying consequences in both the possession itself and the following attempts to exorcise said demon from the young girl.

Not being alive at the time of release of this film its hard for me to say what exactly offended everyone, there is a fair level of horror / violence and coarse language in the film, but I suspect it hits more at the heart of the Christian faith and exposes the ugly side of faith and more importantly the seldom used ritual of the exorcism itself. Whether or not you believe, this film will certainly make you think twice, and that's the mark of a great film.

The movie itself is well acted, well thought out and perfectly executed.... there is really nothing that anyone can fault with this film, all in all one of the greatest horror movies ever made.

In fact, would recommend anyone to go and get the deluxe edition of the movie with as many extra's as possible as its all interesting and provides a valuable insight into the making of such a land mark film. If you have seen this film before, see it again there are many finer points that come out with a second or third viewing as well.


I couldn't find a streaming version of this on youtube but its well worth going out and getting a copy to own or mail ordering it.!

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UPDATED MOVIE LINK LIST

Just thought I'd repost an updated list of the movies I've reviewed up here,  Feel free to go through them, most of them have you tube links so you'll have many hours of gore drenched viewing ahead of you!

As always you can get a more regularly updated list on the "Review" Page along with other articles I've written as well :)

Brain Dead / Dead Alive Caligula Cannibal Holocaust Charlies Farm City of the Living Dead Dawn of the Dead Deathstalker Eaten Alive Hellraiser - Deader Hobo With a Shotgun House House of the Dead Human Centipede

Human Centipede 3 Last Cannibal World Last House on the Left Night of the Living Dead Nosferatu Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Tokyo Gore Police Salo (120 Days of Sodom)  White Zombie Zombie Women of Satan

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

Just got myself a swanky new big screen television so what better way to kick things off which this horror classic?

Upon loading the dvd into my player and starting the film up it becomes apparent how far visual technology has come in the last 40 years, on a hi-res screen this movie does appear much grainier than the films we have now. Originally shot in 1974 by director Tobe Hooper,  this really upped the ante in terms of onscreen violence... despite this it still did very well at the box office, but many cinemas refused to show the film due to the graphic violent content featured.

Don't let that take away from the film though. Once you let your eyes settle into the almost VHS like quality of the movie it seems to fit perfectly. I remember this movie from my childhood as being a landmark in horror when I saw it way back in the late 80's (which was when I started watching horror movies) and it WAS a landmark effort back then almost single handedly establishing the slasher genre in horror.

The film centers in on five teenagers who get stuck in country Texas and find themselves falling victim to a family of demented cannibals, the viewer of course can work out what happens from there without me ruining the plot. This is another immensely watchable film which went on to become one of the classics of the horror genre and a must see for anyone with even a passing interest in horror. One of the main protagonists, the hulking retarded son who wore human skin as a face mask went on to become one of the most iconic horror movie figures in history, Leatherface.

The promo for the film says it was based on a true story.... take that with a grain of salt ... although Leatherface is based some what on the exploits of real life serial killer Ed Gein

In 1986 Tobe Hooper returned to direct a very worthy sequel to the movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 which of course I have reviewed as well!

Again this was  hard one to find on Youtube, but its very easy to find at any DVD store or order online and as far as I'm concerned it's a must have for any self respecting horror collector anyway