This was not a bad little surprise, another of my chance findings in a second hand shop I was not holding out huge hopes for this one but it delivered the goods quite well!
Basically the plot centres around a group of 5 teenagers who are driving through a poorly lit forest and get into an accident,to make things worse somehow they've hit and badly injured an innocent man in the process. After calling for help (I assume the hospital staff have police scanners or something to intercept the call) staff from the mercy hospital arrive to pick up the man and offer the rest of them a ride to the hospital.
This is where it gets strange the hospital is staffed by a small crew of psychotics who use the inbound victims in bizzare experiments some of which are used to return the wife of the head of hospital back to health.... The plots fairly simple and the movie is quite well executed so its fairly enjoyable right the way though.... the only complaint (and its not a huge complaint) is that some of the shots seem over or under/exposed which is really the only give away that this would have been a low budget independent release. The gore and horror scenes look great with one particularly creative autopsy scene
Over all it's not an all time classic but defs worth a watch once if you're at a loose end and its quite enjoyable its also available to rent on youtube as well, rather than pay out huge on importing the DVD if you're not as lucky as I was to find it second hand
After the general failure of the Exorcist 2(I didn't think it was that bad.... it just wasn't that good) I held minimal hopes for this one, but upon loading this bad boy up, the opening scene of the priest amidst a back drop of crusaders crucified upside down I knew this one would be good.
Exorcist: The Beginning is set a few years after the Nazi occupation so lets say around 1950 around 25 years before the events of the original Exorcist film, when a much younger father Merrin has lost faith and left the priest hood to go on an archaeological dig in Africa to figure out what's going on with an unknown church that has been discovered. He settles in with the locals both a priest, Father Francis, the local Africans and tribesman, and even strikes up a friendship with a pretty young archaeologist, Sarah. Things start to get weird around the camp when he is able to enter the church and it appears to be a shrine to Lucifer the fallen angel.
This is where I have to commend the creatives behind this film... If you are into the occult or religious studies this follows the mythology of the fall from the heavens of the warrior angels who rebelled against God quite well... the religious (anti religious) symbolism is used excellently throughout the film and really adds an atmosphere of the arcane to proceedings
Nobody knows who built the church but father Merrin works out it is built on the spot where the rebel angels are said to have fallen to Earth after the battle that got them kicked out of heaven. Instead of leaving it alone (like the natives suggested) curiousity gets the better of them and they unleash an ancient evil upon the camp and unsuspecting victims and Father Merrin is called upon to use the ancient roman ritual of the Exorcism
I wouldn't go so far as to say this is as good as the original Exorcist film but its a worthy sequel (unlike Exorcist 2) and lends an interesting background to the origins of both Fr. Merrin and the evil entity, Pazuzu that possesses Reagan in the first film, I found it kept my interest the whole way through the film and it was a gripping watch that stimulated me intellectually as well.
This is an interesting one for many reasons (also not to be confused with another film called "unfriended") ,,, as a film its well made and rather watchable so no issues with the entertainment value of the film... but another darker more sinister reason that it touches the listener is that it exploits a medium that nearly all of us use, Facebook.... or social media in general...
The film revolves around Laura who seems to be generally winning at life and doing well at school, she's good looking, has a wide circle of friends both online and offline and ends up accepting a friend request from a strange loner, Marina she knows from university
Their new found "friendship" develops into obsession for the new friend and soon its clear that she's mentally unbalanced and Laura wonders how she can get rid of her new friend without it backfiring on her...... Of course Marina takes the rejection harshly and kills herself which she records and sends it onto Laura via facebook
This is where things start getting weird, for some reason a wave of suicides happen at the school and although Marina is dead someone hacks the facebook accounts of Laura and her flatmates and posts the grizzly deaths onto their social media accounts as a revenge, Laura's friend count starts to tumble as people see the morbid videos posted to her timeline and online as well as in real life, Laura finds herself and her friends being stalked from beyond the cyber graveyard by Marina
Overall I have to say I quite liked this one, wouldn't say its a classic but its a solid and engrossing watch and kept my interest the whole way through. While it does have its fair share of killings and blood the film sits fairly firmly in the thriller category and as a film should have an almost universal appeal to users of the internet and social media.
One of the most (if not, MOST) disturbing films ever made. I guess it depends on what offends you, but its right up there with the Human Centipede and Cannibal Holocaust for all round sickness, and it seems to make every critics "Most disturbing films ever made" list if you've ever seen those on youtube. Based loosely on the Marquis De Sade's book 120 Day of Sodom this is, I guess an adaptation of that book but set in 1949 under Mussolini's rule of Italy.
The question remains, is this really a horror film? Hard to say, the film is littered with unspeakable horrors from start to finish and all manner of tortures...... but is more of an 'arty' independant film, but for amount of torture in it... I'll go with horror. This film itself outlines the cruelty inflicted on a bunch of teenagers kidnapped, tortured and molested for months by ruling members of the Italian aristocratic set, or ''libertines" as they are referred to. It is sick, depraved and filthy, in fact it is the only film I've not been able to watch in one sitting due to the cruelty and sexual sadism inflicted on said teenagers. Including acts as branding, rape, coprophilia and much more.
It was widely praised by film critics in its time but even more widely banned by the world at large... oddly enough the director Pasolini was murdered a few months before its release. It is available now on DVD/BR but I'd assume it would take some work to find it. Be warned though, it's a hard one to watch, a litany of human perversion and sadism if you will.
This film does raise the questions are there films that just don't need to be made? Is this film just sadistic filth? Or a film with artistic merit that needed to be made???..... I'm not sure .. Personally I'd be leaning on the side of filth but its a free world I guess, but it leaves me with a sick feeling that I've seen something that should not ave been seen. In a rare show of good taste I'm not going to show a link or preview for the film but check out preview before you decide to watch the entire film, if you do.
Well ..... we've reached a milestone with this blog...... 100 movie reviews!!! And what better way to celebrate than by throwing on one of the most iconic horror films ever... A Nightmare on Elm st!!! A Nightmare on Elm St was also one of the most successful horror movie franchises (second only to Friday the 13th series) and is what largely kept New Line Cinema in business in the early days of the production company
I first watched this first installment of the series when I was a young teenager and main protagonist "Freddy Krueger" certainly made a lasting impression on me and countless other teenagers at the time as perhaps the most recognisable villain and horror icon.... at least of the slasher genre and broadly across all genres of horror films. I've seen it a couple of times since and now again with great pleasure I was able to put it in for another spin, this time on DVD!
Most of you reading this will no doubt have watched this film already so its probably a bit redundant going into a detailed description of the plot but just quickly it revolves around a group of teenagers who are sharing the same nightmare experience with a horribly burnt, creepy old guy with an old red and green jumper and razor blades attached to his fingers who is trying to kill them. This is written off as a just a dream until one of the teenagers, Tina is brutally killed in her sleep and the other teenagers realise that the creepy guy they're dreaming of, Freddy is gong to pick them off one by one in their dreams which will kill them in reality. It's now up to Nancy to figure out how to stop Freddy before they are all killed.
The movie is very well shot and directed by Wes Craven (who previously did the hills have eyes and Last House on the Left) and in my opinion set a new standard for horror movie effects at the time, he uses the fact that in dreamscapes he can be much more creative with the gore and story line and in my opinion really expanded the slasher flick as a genre into the supernatural, coupled with great production it proved to be a big hit. It was also responsible for launching the career of Johnny Depp who made his debut in this film.
Overall this is one of my favourate films both as a child and I enjoyed it immensely on today's revisit... it's one of those films that anyone who calls themselves a horror fan needs to see... best thing about it is you can get the whole series of original films in DVD/BR pack fairly cheap which should keep you going for a while
Just been looking back on this blog and the 2 and a bit years I've spent writing for it... It's been rather therapeutic and both a great excuse to revisit some of the classic horror movies I loved as a teenager and find out about a whole heap of new ones as well as hopefully share the love of horror flicks around a little....
The next review I post will be our 100th review, which to me is an awesome milestone watching the site grow from nothing to something a little better than nothing but with a heap of content! YEAH!!!!
Here's to the next 100 films we review up on here!!!
Also now that the site has some steady traffic (close to 1000) visitors a month i'll be posting a bit more often and writing articles about horror movies as well as just the reviews so keep yer eyes peeled for that as well!
I was wondering to myself for a while now, how this third installment of the series would get even sicker than the first two milestones of cinematic depravity that preceded it... wonder no more.
Human Centipede 3 sees the return of Dieter Laser and Laurence Harvey the protagonists from HC 1 and 2 as warden and accountant of an american prison. Without giving away too much on here, director Tom Six delivers some servings of sick black humor, sadism and a lot of "in-house jokes" building from the first 2 films. Dieter Laser plays the part of the sick and twisted prison warden all too well.. disturbingly well it must be said. His dialogue is mostly yelled throughout the film and keeps the viewer on edge and rattled throughout the film, I should say I found this aspect of the film rather annoying... While Laurence Harvey plays a subserviant accountant who comes up with the idea for the worlds first Human Prison Centipede, his character different, but still disturbingly similar to that which played in part 2.
Is it as sick as parts 1 or 2? Hard to say, in respect to pure gore, I'd have to say "no" but in terms of sadistic perversity i would say its right up there, i guess it depends on what offends.
Some Horror sequels leave the viewer with the sense they're watching the same flick over and over again but these three flicks, although linked have distinctive feels and shooting styles and identities, which keeps them fresh and interersting (In grim contrast to the subject matter...). Its also good to see the creative team can poke fun at themselves throughout the film too.
Over all its pretty cool. Im still deciding where I'd place it in regards to the first two installments but I'm happy they just didn't rehash the same film over again like many movie franchises seem to do.
If you liked the first two films, this is definitely worth seeing, if not.... stay away... stay well away. There is no need to traumatise yourself again.
Well... this is certainly a strange bit of cinema ... not to say its bad, in fact I quite enjoyed it.... It centres on a family that have lost both their parents and then later on a the oldest of three brothers is murdered in strange circumstances.
Michael, the youngest of the brothers watches his older brothers funeral from afar and notices something strange going on,,, namely the creepy undertaker lifting the casket by himself and hauling it off in his hearse. On further investigation into the undertakers mausoleum things start to get even creepier and he gets his older brother and friend involved in looking further into what's going on. and Michael, and uncover a strange plot involving the use of the deceased bodies. Without spoiling the film for the reader the movie takes a turn to the decidedly supernatural
The film really descends into the realms of strangeness and I have to say the plot is at times disjointed and hard to follow. It is rather well shot in that way that really brings out the colours and vivid detail in the cinematography. One thing I will say is that the music in this film sets the mood there's one creepy piece that gets played over and over that I think brings it all together (I was trying to figure out where I'd head this and I'm sure it was used by Swedish death metal band Entombed....)
It's one of those films that needs more than one viewing so i will no doubt watch it again later and repvamp this review accordingly but yeah iId give it a thumbs up and recommend that pretty much anyone into horror would like this film.
Hmmm........ don't know what to say about this one.... I was a fan of the video game back in the 90's/2000's and logic would suggest that the plot would have all been laid out nice and neatly for this to become a solid B grade gore flick ... The potential for lots of gore, zombies, guns and well a creepy old house.
Not so it seems. Not only did to fail to hit the B Grade mark, in my books this is a solid contender for one of the worst films of all time. Medicore plot and crappy acting from the start turned me off this one. when the action finally did happen a lot of the zombie shots looked really rubber and fake. Lets just say the graphics in the game that preceeded it by 10 years looked better.
The movie itself.... well the frequent boob shots couldn't even keep me awake to see the end of this flick.
*It would appear that I'm not the only one that felt this movie was a stinker, so epic it could clog your toilet... It turns out the director has gone back and edited the movie again and taken the piss out of himself and well... even though the funny version is still sub par as a movie, it is far superior to this one..."
Anyway if you want to check out the funny version feel free to look it up here
Too tired to think this weekend... After a heavy week at work I was looking for something that did not require too much in the way of thinking......... and this was just the ticket...
This one picks up after the first movie and the Toxic (Toxie) Anvenger's home town of Tromaville is peaceful and uneventful after the toxic avenger has cleaned up all the crime and corruption ... painfully quiet ... so much so that Toxie gets a job in a nursing home for the blind to pass the time. A new group of criminals called "Apocalypse Inc" decide to blow up the nursing home (to kill toxie) but of course the Toxic Avenger is much harder to kill, and systematically and rather violently (and hilariously) takes care of the criminals sending them fleeing back to their base, and regrouping to come up with a plan to destroy the toxic avenger under the guise of sending him to find out about his father, which of course leads him to japanon a journey of self discovery.... no not really, its all stupid shit, but its hammy as all hell, and will result in a few retarded chuckles from the viewer.
Once again this is like the first one, ultra tasteless B grade crap...... but watchable in the exact same way as the original. I'm not going to say this instalment is any better than the first, really its more of the same, if you liked the first one you'll know what you're in for... 90 minutes of slapstick gore, with less intellect than the average saturday morning cartoon. But if you're coming back for part 2, you would already know what you're in for. You have no one to blame but yourself.
Over all I have to say I did enjoy this, and I would go so far to say its one of the better Troma Films (they really do pump out some crap) Anyway its been loaded up on you tube for your enjoyment or self torture which ever way you look at it
This I would have to say is my all time fave zombie movie. It combines over the top zombie horror with some genuinely funny moments that that make you almost wet yourself laughing. I remember seeing this around the time it got released on VHS, and even today it still holds up well and gets a once a year or so run on my viewing cycle.
This of course is an early piece from director Peter Jackson who went on to direct the Lord of the Rings Trilogy,,,, but this is an entirely different piece, no big budget or major studio special effects here, this is B grade horror, gutter level humor and DIY budget to the core. It's cheaply made (well... not so cheaply in the horror world coming in at $3 million to produce but cheap compared to hollywood standards) but very captivating and enjoyable the whole way through. And there in lies its charm.
The plot focuses in on some explorers that find a rare Sumatran Monkey Rat, a horrible creature whose bite will turn people into zombies and from then on, the gore and hilarity ensues. There's even a romantic subplot in this one revolving around main protagonist Lionel, his lady love interest Paquita and his overbearing mother. Brilliant one liners follow one after another combining with the 'innocent B grade' feel of this movie to make it a classic of the gore genre.
While the gore is pretty over the top I think the hilarity of the movie makes it pretty easy to take (barring a couple of squeamish moments) and might even appeal to your non gore-fiend friends (admit it, you have a couple of them) if even as just a reference to what Peter Jackson was doing before Lord of the Rings.
I managed to find a link to you tube with the entire movie streaming so check it out and if you manage to see a hard copy of the film ... buy it!
The full movie link (from youtube) is featured below so make sure you check it out before it gets taken down!
Well.... This is certainly a different take on the horror genre, sitting somewhere between a drama and horror flick (with some moments of extreme gore) this is a very interesting watch indeed.
The film itself focus in on a young lady Novella who is trying to make it in the world of acting, she's just hit her 30's, hasn't had a role in years and has run out of money and at the point of eviction..... basically life is slipping out of the grip of miss Novella at a rapid rate, stress takes its hold and she develops a nervous habit of chewing and then eating herself... As I mentioned above the movie is more like a drama, but obviously dealing with the subject matter the film has plenty of moments of what I'd call reasonably extreme gore, this isn't for the faint hearted or the new comer to horror genre. The horror effects are very well done and the movie is shot in very high resolution so it has a particularly hard impact on the viewer as well.
Its safe to assume this film was done on a budget but its still a riveting watch, not loosing my attention for the whole of the film, and the way the story develops its quite a believable story, making the viewer really feel for Novella, even though many of her own life choices have led her to this point in her life. I wouldn't call this film a classic of the horror genre but it is a fresh and fairly unique take on the genre and definitely something worth horror fans checking out at least once.....
This little doco is quite unique in the way it focus' in on the childhood of Vincent Furnier the child who would grow up to take on the personality of Alice Cooper. There are some nice (and creepy) little insights into his child hood and how the personality of Alice came about (I won't spoil it here) and more importantly how Vincents' personality got taken over by self destructive entity that was Alice Cooper, and even more importantly how Vincent was finally able to peacefully co-exist with the personality he created.
There is of course the usual commentary on how the band came about, as well as the obilgatory tales of rock and roll excess, but the story telling in this DVD is almost magic, in both a personal way and in the way it has been edited together combining old footage and photos. The photo's and video have been combined to make it visually appealing for a generation used to much more complex CGI and big explosions, which I guess takes inspiration from Alices' love of art as well as music. Combined these factors create a captivating viewing experience quite unlike any rock doco I've ever seen before.
I am of course a fan of Alice Cooper but I'd like to think this doco would translate well beyond the fans of the band and would be interesting to anyone with an interest in the 60's or rock and roll in general and how it mutated in to heavy metal.
Tis the season! With Halloween approaching, I thought I'd celebrate by watching the 2nd installment in one of the greatest horror movie franchises ever.... Halloween. Obviously by virtue of the fact there is a second installment its obvious that escaped mental patient Michael Myers was not as dead as was previously thought at the end of the first film. Set in the immediate aftermath of the first film Michael survives a barrage of six bullets and resumes his killing spree around the town of Haddonfield.
One quite nasty killing involving a particularly attractive (and topless) nurse left me a little sad....... It's always a shame when a lady with knockers like that gets killed too early in the film. In all seriousness though, while the plot is not particularly involved the movie is well shot and I really can't see anyone not liking this film. The action and well really, the killings are a little more full on than the first film and definitely pack more impact than the original.
Over all its a pretty cool film, and a worthy sequel, though nothing could really top the original this one keeps the viewers interest though out the whole movie. It's more of a simple watch with straight forward plot, and great fun to watch!
This is really just a bit of zombie silliness ........ the plot revolves around an historian that unearths an old burial site and of course the inhabitants of said burial site come back to life to feed on human flesh. Theres not a lot more to it than that, It's shot in a very budget fashion almost assuming a straight to VHS release but despite its genericisms is really quite a fun watch especially if you're not really in the mood for anything too cerebral.
Condsidering the time of release of this bad boy it would have been quite extreme gore for the time with dawn of the dead setting the previous benchmark for zombie horror this one along with Zombie Holocaust was part of the wave of ultra violent horror coming out of Italy at the time. Whilst its a rather budget affair it does have some great gore effects for the time, and that creepy synth / moog soundtrack that cold only come from the late 70's / early 80's really sets the scene. The zombies themselves look great, rather than the recently deceased corpses seen in most zombie flicks these are much more advanced in decay and riddled with maggots which makes for some great horror 'eye candy' which makes sense if they are supposed to be from an old burial ground.
Overall I quite enjoyed (apart from one very puzzling attemepted incest scene/ which made sense later on.... ) it and it while it was nothing groundbreaking I'm quite happy to have this one as part of my collection.
Well this is certainly a change for me! After all the retro movies I've been reviewing here we come screaming into the present time with "VVITCH" although to fair its set in 16th Century New England, in a time when witchcraft related paranoia was at its height so it doesn't really seem like a modern film anyway
The film itself carried a lot of hype, so does it stack up? Yes, it is lavishly shot and the production values are impeccable and the period costuming and "ye old english speak" is to my reckoning faultless, giving the whole deal an air of authenticity about it.
The action takes place on a New England farm land where the crops are failing and the family can't take care of their five children and their new born infant has been kidnapped and murdered by a witch lurking in the nearby forest. Later on another child goes missing and reappears only to fall under a mysterious curse (possession) and more mysterious happening ensue and bit by bit the family start to turn against each other on suspicion of their elder daughter falling under the spell of the devil, whilst their faith in the big guy upstairs as well as each other is tested.
Overall its a pretty engrossing affair and well worth the watch, its more of a thinker as the period dialogue does require some concentration to absorb whats going on properly. As far as the movie itself goes its not a gore fest by any means but more disturbing is the fact that many people actually took their religion that seriously and allowed it to rule their lives. The film itself is rather believable and and never falls into cheesyness and for that I commend it.
This now legendary icon of cinematic gore, was originally released in 1980 or sometime around then, this movie was from what I hear banned in more places than it was allowed to be shown. I have to say it's one of the more extreme films ever created in terms of gore and violence for both its time and even now, it still manages to curdle the blood. Based on the story of a group of journalists who have some footage of collegues who have gone missing in the south american jungle they too venture in after them to research the indigenous tribes and figure out what happened to their friends. They end up making complete assholes of themselves instead and incur the anger of the local cannibal population.
There has been some speculation as to wether or not gore scenes in this film are real and Italian director Reggero Deodato even got arrested on obscenity charges and then later released upon further investigation. Either way the budget filming techniques and realistic violence and sadism really to make this one seem pretty realistic. Sadism and cruelty abound. This is not one for the faint hearted as scenes of real animal violence and some graphic rape scenes really push the boundaries
Different people will have different opinions on this film. If you're a horror fan its worth watching, but I don't think its the most outsanding film ever. By the time the film is done you're left feeling almost beaten up and worn out. It has some interesting social commentary as well on the how far civilised man has or hasn't progressed.
Anyway the film is back on youtube so check it out below before it gets taken down (as it has before on this blog)
It's Friday the 13th here in Australia, so what better way to celebrate the occasion by watching a Friday the 13th movie? Friday the 13th(along with Halloween) set the standard for all slasher flicks to follow ... So how does part 2 stack up? To be honest I can't really remember, it was so long since I've seen this one, but it was great to pull out the box set and relive the follow up that I watched so long ago.
If you haven't seen the original I strongly recommend you do so as it is a classic but not necessary to enjoy this film in my opinion. Either way whatever you decide to do It's pretty easy to follow this film (though this following review could ruin the plot for you if you're one of the few horror fiends on the planet that still haven't seen it.)
Part 2 opens up with a dream sequence recap of the first movie through the mind of the lone surviving teenager, Alice (which makes it easy for newcomers to follow the plot) who is obviously messed up from the whole affair and 5 years after the event is still having nightmares regarding Mrs. Vorhees and the boy in the lake which she's sure she's seen. Meanwhile, camp Crystal Lake has reopened for a new bunch of teenagers to experience the joys of the great outdoors.
Whilst obviously Mrs. Voorhees had been decapitated in the first film it turns out the body of her supposedly drowned son had never been found, or confirmed dead. Somehow he'd been surviving in the woods on his own (no mean feat for a mentally disabled lad... not really what I'd call a plot hole, but the only hard to swallow aspect in an otherwise quite reasonable plot sequence) and wants revenge for the death of his mother and begins to take it out on the camp inhabitants one by one starting with the death of the old crazy dude from the first film
Whilst the first film was an all time classic this is a more than worthy follow up and definitely worth watching as it is really here that the legend of Jason Vorhees really starts to develop. Overall it's not really that much of a thinker, but more of a genuine slasher film which can be enjoyed on your own or with friends but either way its great fun and a cool watch!
This is either a remake or an adaptation of the HP Lovecraft tale made into movie "The Dunwich Horror", depneding on how you look at it. I stumbled upon this film by accident at my local flea market and it fell to the bottom of my "movies to watch" pile. Months later i picked up and put it in the player and upon reading the back of the DVD cover realised the connection to Lovecraft, and wished I'd watched it as soon as I bought it, although to be fair my copy was called 'Witches' not the "Dunwich Horror" from which it is based. I make no secret of the fact I love HP Lovecrafts work, and as a young adult have read everything of his I've been able to get my hands on, and I have to say as far as I can remember this seems to follow the story well and do it great justice.
Long time HP Lovecraft slave of the Ancient Ones, Jeff Combs is 20 or so years older than the last time I saw him in the "Re-animator" films but man it was great to see him back in action. The ladies are looking sexy, tasteful and elegant (great to see after all the exploitation horror I've been watching of late) and the connection is made rather well with the Chtulu Mythos and the universe he created. Some rather genuine readings of the incantations from the necronomicom and use of the symbols (sigils) used in the hallowed tome, across the opening credits (and in film) add a real air of authenticity to proceedings. Everthing felt natural, like the directtor himself was a fan of Lovecraft.
The plot is rather complicated but a quick synopsis is that some young lady gives birth to a child in what I recall from the Lovecraft story to be the mythical New England the town of Dunwich and she of course is destined to open the cosmic gates through her offspring family tree of freaks most of which are human and one of which is an earthly incarnation of the ancient god "Yog Sagoth". 'The Old Ones' (a race of Ancient Deity from beyond the stars) who will bring about the end of the world. The only way to stop the Old Ones from entering our dimension is to find a complete copy of the fabled book THE NECRONOMICON which contain the incantations to open and close the inter-dimensional gates.
The movie itself is complex and not one to watch dipping in an out or in a situation where one is easily distracted.... for it does require concentration but the results are well worth it. A fantastic tale of occult supernatural horror which stimulates the mind and fires up the imagination like few other story tellers can.
Another episode in the battle of the "remakes vs. original" debate........... and for once I'm going to say the remake takes out the fight for the better film! I didn't mind the 1972 original (directed by Wes Craven) but it lacked the serious impact this this remake has.... In this revisited version of events the violence is much more graphic and personally I feel it properly conveys the violence and sadism of the group of pot smoking "hippies" that abduct and torment the poor girls and leave them for dead.
The action is shot quite well in all its full, glorious, digital technology.......... usually I prefere the old school method but in this film the new technology really served it well. This film way well win because it didn't exactly take on a champion of the horror genre but hey its good to see the remake come up on top for once. Upon further research I discovered that Wes Cravens studio produced this movie so I guess if he had a hand in the making of the film you know he'd want to do justice to his own film.
Onto the film itself, which follows more or less a similar plot line to the original this time the girls get accosted at a gas station in a rural town rather than a big city movie theatre but they still succumb to the temptations of the "devils lettuce" and smokes some ... wait for it... POT with some boys they really shouldn't be hanging around. This leads them to being tortured, raped and humiliated by their new found male friends and one of the girls eventually making it back to her parents house for refuge, which of course starts a revenge war on the young males by the parents of the surviving teen.
Overall I loved it and a very enjoyable watch worthy of any discerning horror fan
I'd been searching for this one for a while now, and didn't realise it starred the one and only Vincent Price, whose movies I've become a little obsessed by of late.
The film itself revolves around Matthew Hopkins the "witchfinder" who wanders around 17th Century England doing Gods work, seeking out those who've been suspected of witchcraft and extracting confessions out of them and putting them to death or just killing them regardless. From what I've read about the witch burnings of the time (which isn't a huge amount) it seems to follow the historical accounts reasonably closely and the costuming and dialogue really add an air of authenticity to the proceedings.
Vincent Prices performance is of course legendary and chilling as per usual, and the film is lavishly shot, I love these old style films shot on film which i think have a more life like texture than many of the digitally shot films of today. The disc copy I got is of course a modern reprint, and it shows an "R" rating, while it may have been on the more extreme end of horror for the time, it was rather tame by today's standards and would have barely qualified for a "M (15)" rating .... which I guess isn't really important as the film holds up brilliantly either way, but it did kind of get me really excited for a gore-fest, which it certainly isn't.. while the violence contained in the flim does look convincing the blood looks like bright red paint and comes across as fake, which to be fair most films of the time up until the mid 70's tended to do.
Minor criticisms aside, I was immensely pleased I finally got to watch this little gem and i'd certainly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the old "hammer" style horror films, if you just want a blood and guts gorefest this may not be the film for you but i'd certainly recommend it for fans of Price, or vintage horror in general.
I used to watch a lot of horror movies as a kid (some would say too much) so much so that I overdosed on gore flicks and didn't really watch or have much interest in any of them to watch for almost 10 years until I heard about this little gem not too long after it was released. I have to say it was the controversy that piqued my interest in it really, I mean what could be so bad about this movie that it had everyone in internet land vomiting into their own mouths ?
It follows the plight of two rather attractive females and some Japenese guy who unwittingly fall into the trap of a sadistic doctor who sedates them and subjects them to his perverted medical experiments.
The fun only starts here, the three are subjected to humiliation degradation on and torture beyond the comprehension of most humans when they are placed into a human centipede joined together from mouth to anus, the three of them connected by the same digestive tract. The gore is high impact stuff too and the "feed her" scene is one of the most harrowing displays of human suffering ever committed to film.
Obviously this is not for the faint hearted. There are some films that can't be unseen once you've watched them and this is probably one of the leading light in such films. As a movie it is captivating, well thought out and compelling, you actually feel for the victims and the cold bloodiness of Dr. Heiter (the Surgeon played by Deiter Laser) is delivered disturbingly well. I don't think many people could say its a bad film, its just too much for many people to take.
It's a tough one to talk about without ruining the film but I'll include the trailer here so you can judge for yourself if its something you want to see Also one word of advice if you find this one too heavy going, do not attempt to watch Part 2, or part 3 For more great horror movies be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com
Producer Michael Bay (despite being a big time hollywood guy) was always going to have a huge task ahead of him remaking one of the greatest horror films of all time. I don't think he did a particulary bad job of it, its just that remaking the first film for anyone who's seen it would be a pointless affair as the plot relied on the major twist at the end (you know what I mean) and rewatching another version of it when you already know the ending just wouldn't have any effect.
With that said the film moves fairly fast through the territory covered by the first film and then the second and seems to land somewhere in the territory covered by the third film, where its spends the rest of the film as a standard slasher film from the point where Jason dons the hockey mask for the first time and the classic representation of Jason Vorhees is now able to be used. Lets face it, this is the way most people (except hardcore afficionado's) will remember Jason and it really does up the commercial appeal of the project.
As a slasher flick its pretty good actually, the horror effects are great and the acting is good enough to get it over the line. It's actually not a bad flick at all, but inevitably the question will be asked 'How does it compare to the original' and it doesn't. The original is one of the greatest horror movies of all time and this is what I'd call a solid slasher flick at best, definitely worth a watch and I'd take a punt it would be aimed at the younger horror fans who maybe wouldn't be inclined to watch the original series of films, maybe with the intention of getting them to go back and watch the original films which I could totally see it doing.
Easy to follow plot and lots of topless babes, and some righteous killings make it an easy to follow plot as well if you're having a few drinks or watching it with friends.
I thought it was time to fire up the old VHS player and give this one a spin. These old VHS tapes do have a certain charm, Its strange to think some guy probably paid a lot of money for this back in the day (as indeed I did too back in the 90's) and now I find myself having to sift through a couple hundred of them which I got for next to nothing.
This was one such treasure, with child like enthusiasm I fed it into the "state of the art" 6 head, Hifi VCR and went back to the couch to absorb this film in all its grainy, black and white, VHS glory.
Realistically this film is obviously dated but I think its an interesting watch the story and plot line holds interest and the dialogue is excellent. As a child of the 80's glory days of horror its hard to go back and put myself into the mind of someone watching this in the 1930's would this film have frightened audiences back in the day? hard to say.... there's some chilling dialogue but overall its an easy watch.
The film revolves around a group of archaeologists who unearth the mummy of the Egyptian Phaoroh, Imhotep... (in much the same way I unearthed these VHS tapes) and inadvertently resurrect him by reading out from the ancient scroll of Thoth. Played by horror legend Boris Karloff the mummy returns as an Egyptian character named Ardeth (spelling???) instructing the archaeologists on where to find the treasures of Imhotep's tomb. My only real criticism of the film is that its hard to follow how the Mummy came back as the Egyptian Ardeth and why the scientists would even listen to him in the first place.... but regardless the Mummy is set on finding his long lost lady love from Ancient Egypt whom he believes has been re-incarnated as a modern woman.
Overall a cool watch and shrouded in what can only be described as an old world charm that only these vintage era horror films can have.
I hear this is supposed to be a loosely based sequel for seminal zombie film White Zombie, and also directed by Victor Halperin (who directed White Zombie) it does seem to follow on after that first film, at least chronologically, with reports filtering back to the Allied forces in French-Austria that there were in fact zombies in Angkor (in the orient) which starts a military expedition to find and destroy the secret the zombies, after a failed attempt to extract information about the zombies from a priest they had previously captured from the Orient, fearing the Zombies could be used against the alllied forces
There's a subplot around Claire part of the expedition who falls in love with Cliff (after they've been in the orient a few months or so) but accepts a marriage proposal from Armand to make Cliff jealous..... which works and she ends up marrying Cliff after he finally confesses his love for her, its all a little hammy in that 1930's kind of way, but after that's all out of the way its starts to get a little more interesting and the movie moves along a little faster.
Not to be defeated in love or life Armand persists and unlocks the secret of enslaving the unwitting into zombie-hood to do his bidding and eventually creates an army of zombies (one should remember that the zombies in these early films are not the decaying flesh eating creatures made popular in movies like the Night of the Living Dead etc... rather they are more slaves of will in a state of hypnosis like trance) Armand threatens to turn Cliff into a zombie like he as done to everyone else unless Claire agrees to marry him in exchange for Cliff being left unharmed.
Without giving away the plot I will say the ending left me a little underwhelmed, but over all its a decent enough watch, and interesting from an historical point of view. I will say that the passing of time and events in the film can be a little unclear as well which makes what is an otherwise pretty cool story a little disjointed.
Obviously being shot in 1936 this is a black and white film and the audio has that scratchy feel to it as well. I know that many people don't like to watch black and white cinema but if you can get past that its a fairly decent watch, I don't think it comes up that well against White Zombie, but its a fairly cool watch as well. Like Most B&W films it does rely on dialogue, and a decent story line and lets face it the special effects and gore were non-existent back then, so it has to stand up as a story on its own as well.
Lets get one thing out of the way first, this is strictly a B grade schlocky no brainer of a movie, it's not a stinker.... but it ain't no thinker either! If you can get past that and killer fish, and giant titties are your thing ... then you're in for a treat!
Basically the plot revolves around some guy who re-opens a shut down water park that had previously fallen victim to a piranha attack. Of course the fish come back and start devouring the patrons of the park. Simple enough plot, simple enough that you can drink beer with your friends get sidetracked on a conversation and duck back into the movie like nothing happened at all without missing any key plot details its that simple.
The fish look awesome and the action and gore is really good. As simple as the plot is, its actually quite entertaining and lots of blood and guts and smaller guest appearance roles from Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) reprising his role as a crazy science type dude, and the Hoff (Baywatch) as a Celebrity lifeguard (who can't save anyone for shit) and a host of beautiful women who have no problems whatsoever in showing off their bountiful breasts at every given opportunity the lightweight plot allows for, actually make for a decent watch.
If you're too tired from work, or too hungover to think, or just need some background noise and visuals this is the movie for you. A guilty pleasure for the brain dead horror fan in all of us. I was surprised I liked it as much as I did, but really there's not much point dwelling into it much deeper than this because that's really all their is to this movie.
This is one of the more extreme horror flicks in the genre, there's pretty much something in it to offend anyone, constant full frontal nudity (including beaver shots) all manner of torture and dismemberments ,explicit gore and one very creepy midget... this film has it all!!! Its firmly rooted in the B Grade category, though it does have a solid enough plot for what it is, it is essentially the first torture porn movie.
Was this film intended to just push the boundaries of censorship or provide something more? Id say its nothing more than a gore fest but it does do that well, though it seems to have mostly negative reviews I actually didn't mind it and found myself watching it fairly intently until the end.
Plot wise it centres around the circus director / S and M master Sardhu who is running an underground live show which features nudity and torture which the audience think is fake, unknowingly they are watching people get tortured and killed right in front of them. Sardhu is seeking artistic recognition for his shows from one critic in particular who thinks the show is purile garbage (and rightly so) so he of course captures him and totures him along with the many females (who of course have no clothes on) he has stored away in his dungeons under the theatre. While most of the females are fairly anonymous he does capture one beautiful ballerina who is missed by both her boyfriend and the private investigator who start poking around the macabre theatre ... needless to say this is where i'll stop divulging the plot and let you guys see how it ends for yourself
Gore wise it would have set new standards for offensive-ness and outright crudeness .... but be thankful it was done on B grade 1976 technology, though someone did point out to me that the gore did look more full on when played on VHS player so maybe the high def digital version does expose a few flaws in the rather primitave gore effects... the gore does look a little like red paint if you know what I mean... I shudder to think how grim this film would be if it was remade today
Anyway I think it was a cool watch but definitely not for those who are new to the horror scene or offended by female nudity (or today's sensibilities in regards to sexism) so don't watch it around your Mom!
One of the all time greatest horror movies, I cannot say enough good things about this movie. Directed by Sam Raimi (who has directed a lot of movies and TV in his time after this... including Spiderman, the Hercules TV show in the 90's and most recently Ash vs the Evil Dead amongst many others) and starring Bruce Campbell as Ash the hero of the film..... This is almost the perfect horror movie and definitely falls within my top 10 horror movies of all time.
The movie plot revolves around the plight of a group of young adults (maybe early to mid 20's) who go on a camping weekend away and stumble across an old tape recorder which contains recordings of ancient incantations recited from the fabled "NECRONOMICON" the book of the dead from Sumerian mythology. Upon playing the reel to reel tape player the incantations stir something sinister in the forest surrounding the cabin in which the group are staying in. The said evil that is stirred causes its victims to become possessed by an ancient evil which seeks to destroy the group and turn them to its dark ways
I've seen this movie many times in the past and it never fails to entertain me, as some who've been paying close attention to this blog might know I'm really into the Necronomicon and anything to do with it will pique my interest. This film whilst taking some liberties in regards to the original text ......... was probably the most apt description of the evil that the book describes and was a landmark in terms of gore and special effects for its time. I've seen some describe the movie as a black comedy,,, in my opinion, its not a comedy.... BUT there are some filming techniques and gore effects which may make it seem a little 'hammy' but I consider it a serious horror film and a right royal gore-fest at that!
The Camera angles are superb, the filming techniques were amazing for the time and the gore stepped it up a level from all films of the time , especially considering the movie was done on a rather small budget (as Sam Raimi was unknown at the time) and with the exception of the Italian gore flicks of the late 70's/early 80's the movie really stepped up the gore level within the horror genre at the time... the "Tree Rape" scene set about a huge motion of controversy and from what I understand gained the film an "X" rating (tho i can't confirm this) in some countries.
Really all I can do is recommend that you MUST see this film........
Well this was an interesting find... I inherited a whole bunch of VHS tapes from a friend and while I had throw most of them out there were some gems in there, this one being one of them.
I never managed to catch Razorback before so it was with bated breath that I loaded this one into my 'state of the art' 6 head Hifi VCR and prepared to absorb the movie in all its grainy VHS glory.
Once one's eyes adjust to the analogue / grainy-ness of said tapes, this was a pretty cool watch. It's shot in the Australian outback and I have to say is a fairly entertaining watch. It kind of reminds me of the "Dingo Ate My Baby" case of the 80's revolving around Azaria Chamberlain (not sure if it was loosely based on that story or not) but in this story revolving around a strange mutant breed of pig/boar that is twice the size and killing power of a normal pig that dragged an infant off to be eaten in a grizzly death. The case goes to court and the grandparent that is supposed to have been looking after the child is aquitted, but no-body is sure of the existence of said razorback
a couple of years later an American journalist is on a mission to the Australian outback seeking to create a news story on suspected animal cruelty, carried out by Australian farmers (hunters) and said grandparent who has now become a full time razorback hunter and gets a whole lot more than she bargains for withe the Australian outback folk and the mutant pig..... Over all thats about all I can say about the plot without ruining it, but it does have enough twists and turns to keep it interesting and moving at a steady pace
Overall a pretty cool watch and a great one for those who like Australian Horror, not that we have a lot of it here, but its nice to see the ones that do get produced. Its by no means a master piece but will appeal to fans of the movies Jaws, Cujo, the hills have eyes (for the creepy/rapey Australian outback folk) etc.... but obviously done on a smaller budget.
I thought it was a decent watch and had a fun watching it, the horror effects are all practical as this was before the time of CGI, not a huge reliance on gore but a gritty watch none the less....... Its also a great chance to check out the Australian outback on film and marvel at Aussie slang and marvel our strange accents and euphamisms
Horror author Stephen King is a mainstay of the horror genre, his work has inspired many fledgling writers, directors, metal bands the world over, and this particular movie, is considered a classic of the genre. I'll be honest and say, I don't think it's a classic, I think its a cool movie, don't get me wrong, its a cool watch, well written and engrossing but be warned its a hefty watch weighing in at over 3 hours in length, so make sure you have the whole afternoon or night free to watch it. I understand it was originally released on TV as a two night movie special in 1990 which as a TV special would have been really cool, as a stand alone movie I think it does loose a little but that's just my opinion
The plot revolves around a 'loosers club' of kids in in high school whose inner most fears have manifested themselves in the form of a homicidal clown called 'Pennywise' ... Pennywise the clown represents something much more sinister than just a clown, being more a supernatural being that has played a part in the town of Derry's history over hundreds of years murdering kids. I'm sure this is the start of the 'creepy clown' phenomena, and Tim Curry pulls off the role rather well. The story takes place in two time frames, when the kids are young and again 30 odd years later as they re-unite as middle aged adults to hopefully destroy the malevolent / supernatural clown once and for all.
Plot wise the movie is quite detailed with numerous subplots, with each of the kids lives as both children an adults (way too many to go into here) that keep the viewer interested rather nicely through the film, as a TV film its well developed but obviously that in mind the gore factor is quite low so it does come across a little 'soap opera' ish but over all its pretty cool and I'm glad I finally got around to watching it!
This is a vintage horror film featuring the talents of Vincent Price, who is looking and sounding as debonairre as always. I'm a big fan of this guys work and this one is no exception.
The plot centres in on Price's wealthy, and serial husband character Frederick who is unhappy with his current wife Annabelle his fourth or fifth wife. Annabelle organises the which involves spending a night in a haunted house with 5 other guests for a reward of $10,000 (a lot of money back in the times of black and white cinema) for anyone who survives the night.
Some of the party believe in the supernatural and of course others do not, and its not long before a few bumps in the night and macabre goings on have everyone scared for their life and wanting get out.
The dialogue is excellent and the story is extremely well written and engrossing through out the whole story. This movie has a certain old world charm about it that cannot seem to be recreated in this day and age... The gore factor is non-existent but this means the story has to rely on dialogue and plot development the whole way through, and it does very well thank you very much! The movie has a genuinely creepy atmosphere about it, and the sound effects compliment the film perfectly keeping the viewer rivetted. This is not going to scare hardened gore-fiends but is a very entertaining and compelling watch.
Plot wise there are a few twists and developments that are expertly written into the story development and everything in my opinion works rather well. I won't ruin them here but rest assurred it will keep you guessing~
Of course its up on Youtube so check it out here! You won't be dissapointed!
Well, this is an interesting film..... I'm not sure on the continuity of this one, and how it relates to part 1 and 2, is it a reboot or a sequel or what.... remains a little unclear..... but I have to say over all it was a reasonably solid and engrossing affair.... I won't go as far as to say it is as good as either part 1 or part 2 (both of which I enjoyed immensely) but yeah, it was a pretty decent watch and I really can't complain too much. Although the potential was there to make it a lot better!
The opening spiel at the start of the movie stated it was in fact, a continuation of the story, but I'm not buying it, it felt more like a retelling of the first story, but without the high impact violence and gore. It did feel a little like a watered down version of events or maybe retold to be more relevant to the current day viewers of the time (mid 90's) to appeal to a wider market. Whatever the reason it was still a pretty good watch, and then young up and coming stars Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey did really good work in their respective roles, which is probably what brought the film into the realms of decentness, rather than being stuck in B Grade limbo.
Basically the story revolves around a bunch of teenagers who after their prom get lost in the back-woods of texas and fall prey to a family of perverted and mentally deficient rednecks (much the same as the first film) it lacks the punch of the first classic film and while some interesting new takes on the story are present, the box office reaction to this film, basically backs up what I'm saying, it was quite OK but nothing special. Regardless you can basically guess the story from there, so there's no real point in me discussing it any further.
Don't bust a gut or pay big money to see this film but if like me you like haunting the second hand markets and find it going cheap, its a worthy watch... it just falls short of the first two films which is kind of a shame really. I do believe director Henkel actually did work on the first film of the series as well as Tobe Hooper... which lends it some authenticity but it is really a tale of squandered pontential.
I have to admit I was very pleasantly surprised with this one... It started off a little slow ..... Much like any exorcism movie I guess..... but what separates this one from a multitude of exorcism / possession films that have come before it is that much of it takes place in the court room, so its like cross over exorcism flick meets court room drama, which I find really take on what could have been a very run-of-the-mill exorcism flick.
The movie recounts from the witness stand and the mouth of Father Richard Moore, the catholic priest that conducted the exorcism of Emily Rose, the events of which could have either been a demonic possession or a psychotic episode depending on which side of the proceedings your sense of logic takes you, which led to the untimely death of young Emily, a university student who'd just started studying after winning a scholarship. The gore levels aren't too high but the movie never looses its focus, it is always interesting and keeps the viewer captivated, this would cross over well with non-horror fans and horror fans alike. The movie is well thought out and its obvious the creators have researched the subject matter (or had a thorough prior knowledge) in the occult and cases of demonic possession which really makes this feel authentic. I really can't say enough good things about this film.
Some people say the mark of a good movie is to make you believe and in many cases I tend to agree with that. When recounting the events of the Emily Rose trial Fr. Moore's testimony and the films depictions of the events really do make you question whether or not demonic possession can occur. On side issue I couldn't help but wonder, testimony involving the supernatural (much less demonic possession) generally wouldn't be taken seriously in any court, yet most western world court rooms are quite happy to have you swear on a bible.
All I can do is tell you to check this movie out for yourself if you can find it on youtube in the 'available to rent' format and I'm sure any dvd retailer should have it
As always be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com for more great horror movie reviews and other great stuff
Wyrmwood is an Australian made horror flick. What separates this from the multitude of zombie flicks before it you ask? Well not that much to be honest if you've seen a million zombie flicks before this may not be the ground breaking experience you were hoping for. It is however a pretty cool attempt at injecting a little freshness into what can be a stale genre at times , and while it doesn't add anything ground breakingly new to the genre the zombies have been done really well, and gore effects are top notch, a definite step above many zombie flicks that came before it....
Plot wise it centres around a few unrelated Aussies in the outback who find themselves knee deep in a newly formed zombie apocalypse....... many gratituous zombie killings follow as the few left alive band together in the hopes of staying staying that way. Pretty standard fare really plot wise but its the classic dialogue moments that could have only come from an Aussie flick that make this stand out... classic one liners from an ocka Aboriginal bloke like "Thats fucked eh?" and some very casual Australian moments when faced with a zombie holocaust really add an air of Aussie humour to the whole thing.
The actors are unknown to myself but overall its a pretty convincing attempt at a zombie flick and well worth a watch, is it a classic? Nope, not by any stretch but indeed a worth watch and good fun from start to finish. Also good if you have friends around a want to have a few beers, missing the odd moment of this won't ruin the story continuity either and you all may get a few chuckles out of it too
Hmmm? Luck was not on my side at the flea market today when I bought this one. Initially attracted to the cover and the title of "Gruesome" I held high hopes for a splatter fest of epic proportions... I had a friend over on first attempt to watch it and I have to say it was pretty painful and didn't seem to go anywhere, until he requested I turn it off after which it almost went into the bin. We decided to watch reality TV cooking shows instead........ :/ not a good sign.
One good thing about the film is that the main starlet is fairly cute in that 'girl next door' kind of way (she reminds me of Marcia from the Brady Bunch a bit) . It was in fact the only thing that kept us watching as long as we did. The film appears to be about a girl who is experiencing lucid nightmares about a guy who is trying to kill her, and in the dreams he manages to catch her again and again as she relives her own horrifying death. The premise of the movie is pretty cool actually and has some definite potential but I have to say it is poorly executed.
On subsequent research the next day it seems that the movie had been getting half decent (but far from good) reviews in some of the other online sources such as wikipedia and imdb (where it is also known as "Salvage") so i decided to give it another shot and see how it went...... for what is worth I do see some small amount of merit in it, especially since finding out the whole movie only cost $25000 to produce, but sadly on second viewing I fell asleep and woke up in time to see the ending and it just didn't do it for me.
I won't be trying for a third time. Recommended only for those who are bored out of their skulls basically best left as a last resort
Basically the plot centres around a group of 5 teenagers who are driving through a poorly lit forest and get into an accident,to make things worse somehow they've hit and badly injured an innocent man in the process. After calling for help (I assume the hospital staff have police scanners or something to intercept the call) staff from the mercy hospital arrive to pick up the man and offer the rest of them a ride to the hospital.
