The Monthly Death Toll February 2009 Edition

We are at the end of the month! It's night to finish off the month strong with a couple of Italian horror films.

Night Train Murders Review
Horror Movies That Came Out February 2009
Snuff Documentary Review
The Church Review
From the Mail Bag February Edition
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 2/17/09 Edition
Friday the 13th 2009 Review
976 Evil Review
Horror News and Random Notes
Chud II: Bud The Chud Review
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 2/10/09 Edition
Basket Case 3 Review
The Burning Review
C.H.U.D Review
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 2/3/09 Edition
American Psycho 2 Review

Here are ALL the movies that I reviewed on this site so far, with easy links for you to check out.

Tales From the Crypt Review
Cache Review
Zombie Strippers Review
Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday Review
Halloween III: Season of the Witch Review
The Vampire Lovers Review
Tokyo Gore Police Review
Death Proof Review
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3: Leatherface Review
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Review
Troll 2 Review
American Gothic Review
Chopping Mall Review
Jack Frost Review
Santa's Slay Review
Silent Night Bloody Night Review
Holiday Horror News
Return to Sleepaway Camp Review
Christmas Evil Review
The Search for Christmas Horror
Silent Night Deadly Night 2 Review
Second Look: Silent Night Deadly Night
Silver Bullet Review
Identity Review
The Last House on the Left Review
Constantine Review
Audition Review
The Fly Review
Primer Review
The Dead Zone Review
Ted Bundy Review
Rest Stop 2: Don't Look Back Review
Saw V Review
The Blair Witch Project Review
Drive Thru Review
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge Review
Chaos (2005) Review
Saw IV Review
Joy Ride Review
Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives Review
The Prestige Review
Captivity Review
Ice Spiders Review
The Dead Next Door Review
Pumpkinhead Review
Child's Play Review
Silent Night, Deadly Night Review
Monkey Shines Review
The Devils Rejects Review
Wes Craven's Shocker Review
The Changeling Review
Vacancy Review
House of 1,000 Corpses Review
The Tattooist Review
Feast (1992) Review
Death Race Review
Lost Boys: The Tribe Review
Hard Candy Review
Mirrors Review
28 Days Later
Feast
28 Weeks Later
Night of the Demons Review
Midnight Skater Review
The Howling Review
Dee Snider's Strangeland Review
Vampires: Los Muertos Review
High Tension Review
Blood: The Last Vampire Review
The Relic Review
The Wizard of Gore Review
Wrong Turn 2
Hatchet
The Ruins
Blood Car
Videodrome
Masters of Horror: We All Scream For Ice Cream
Believers
Cabin Fever
Dolls
They Call Her One Eye
Inseminoid
The House on Sorority Row
Planet Terror
Rob Zombie's Halloween
Funny Games
Friday the 13th
Sleepaway Camp
Camp Slaughter
Feed
Wrestlemaniac
Population 436
The Faculty
The Omen IV: The Awakening
Otis
Ax' Em
Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter
The Curve
Lifeforce
P2
The Machine Girl

Thanks again for your continued support. If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please let me know.

Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

Night Train Murders Review

It seems like my netflix que has been pushing a lot of Italian horror movies my way. I guess "The Church" and this film don't really account for a whole lot. This is the second of many Italian horror films that I've been rediscovering lately, and it proves to be interesting. While some might argue that this is not a true horror film, citing a lot of different reasons, I would beg to differ. I mean, any film that was placed on the UK's "video nasty" list in the 80's and subsequently banned, has to be more than just your run of the mill action/thriller, right? This movie goes in the "revenge" film pile alongside "They Call Her One Eye" and "The Last House on the Left" just to name a few. The movie has also been called The New House on The Left, Second House on The Left, Don't Ride on Late Night Trains, Last Stop on the Night Train, Late Night Trains, Last House Part II and Xmas Massacre. Yeah, this film has gone through many a vhs crossover, but today, we are reviewing the U.S Dvd release of L'Ultimo Treno Della Notte...The Night Train Murders, directed by Aldo Lado.

The movie takes a long time to set up. It is only around 46 minutes into the film before the set up starts to bloom, but to people that aren't used to longer set ups from Italian Horror Cinema this is a life time. If you are looking for a fast, no nonsense horror film, this is not for you. The set up takes a majority of the first half of the film, playing on emotion and violence, to set up a harsher set of sequences later on in the film.

This film was made in 1975, but the editing and overall style has a great overall noir quality to it. The film has a great sense of color and style, pushing the boundaries of what can be considered art by putting blue lights, red lights, and other colored bulbs on the lens of the camera. These color changes evoke emotional responses from the characters and are usually broken by voyueristic outsiders looking in on the sexualization in the movies. As you step back a little from the overtly sexual commentary that is going on in the film you begin to see why Italian horror and violence was ahead of its time. For 1975, this film has a lot of detail, and does things that most film makers wouldn't use in the U.S horror scene for at least twenty years after.

The story follows two young women going on a train ride to Italy to visit their parents. Along the way they meat a group of people that quickly befriend them, and prove to be a little too free in their sexuality. As the film progresses, these people coerce them to embark on a sexual exploration that really blurs the line of what horror and exploitation cinema really is about.

At this point, one might ask the simple question of "why?". I asked that many times during the sexploitation of the film. At no time do the girls run away, even though they seem to have the capacity to do so. They seem to be asking for it, which is a terrible idea, but they seem to do so, willingly! I know you're suppose to feel bad for these girls, but they seem to go along with a lot more than you would expect, especially since they are in the midst of psychopaths, one wielding a small knife and threatening them.

The confusion continues in this film as a passerby is asked to join and watch, then to start kissing one of the young ladies. This strange sort of narrative continues to baffle me, as the film really starts to resemble a porno movie rather than a horror and/or revenge film. This set up takes about an hour to get in, and at this point the average viewer has either turned it off, written this film off as a softcore porno film, or just a sexploitation romp rather than a horror film. All points are right, because it seems to be pushing the buttons on all three, but while most adult films are meant to provoke sexual arousal, this film seems to stop short of that. Once again, this is baffling to the average viewer.

Then things get into full blown chaos, as the rest of the movie unfolds into your standard parents getting revenge thing. There's not much to say about this, the bad guys don't stand a chance...let's just end there.



Is Night Train Murders Scary?: No. The themes introduced in this film are scary. However, the film seems to take a straight dramatic and sexploitation approach to story telling. Sure there are moments where you might be scared, but the presentation is a lot better than just a slasher film from the same era.

Let's talk scary, I mean that's what we do right? The scariest thing about this film is how helpless we really are. Even in the information age that we live in, we are helpless. Think about long distance travel. If you are in an airplane, you don't have a lot of access to communication and if you get trapped in a bathroom with a pervert, you're done for. Ok, a bit extreme right? Let's consider the train. When's the last time you took a train ride? You might notice that your phone might not work well, and if you've ever been on a long distance train, you know that there are a lot of private quarters that allow too much privacy. I say "too much" because I've seen some drug use go down in these private quarters, and while I would always leave and read my stephen King novels, many find these locations a breeding ground fro drugs, sex, and dare I say violence? It's possible. So stay vigilant if you're traveling.

Foreign travel especially. Much like the movie "Hostel", foreign travel can create havoc. This film is an example of that. Sure, the girls that are victimized in this film are NOT American, but they are traveling in a foreign country and the rules might be a little different. The scariest thing about the film is how there is no protection for the women that are assaulted. The scariest moment in the film is definitely a part where a knife is introduced to genitalia...yep...this movie gets horrific.

The Night Train Murders is widely available on dvd. The movie is a little tame at the end, but there are some moments that are more graphic than anything "unrated" this day. The best part about this film is how great the quality of editing, film and color. Take a trip back to the mid 70's and see how much film makers are now using the Italian horror and exploitation style as something new. I'm calling you out Tarantino! Check out The Night Train Murders, it's not half bad, and though it takes up a long time to set up, it's got a lot of substance to it. If you allow it to play through. I understand if you don't it's a little boring in spots. Sorry for the misspellings and random stuff in this review, I had to squeeze in this film during 9 other writing projects. I'm trying to make a few cents with my "English" degree that I earned and now have to pay back. I know it doesn't show, but then again, this is a blog not The Seattle Times or whatever syndicated paper pays you to watch movies and write about them.



As a little bonus, and I do mean little, here is the UK dvd cover art. I actually like the "uncensored" cover that is floating around out there, but this is a little bonus.



Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

Horror Movies That Came Out February 2009

The month in horror movies hasn't really been too thrilling. At least not in regards to dvd releases. There are a few gems here and there, but nothing crazy. So to help you guys with your horror movie dvd shopping, I started compiling these lists of horror related movies. So here you go, a list of dvd's in regards to science fiction, special interest and horror. I will be picking up Akira in blu-ray format, but other than that, it looks a little slim. We'll see though, sometimes I catch good deals while browsing amazon so yeah.

Here are the movies that came out 2/24/09 followed by the rest of the films that came out this month in horror.

Akira Blu Ray Dvd
Badland Dvd
The Bird with Crystal Plumage Blu Ray Dvd
Cyclops Dvd
Epitaph Dvd
Dario Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet Dvd
Friday the 13th Part 2 Blu Ray Dvd
Friday the 13th Part 3 Blu Ray Dvd
Futurama Movies Box Set Dvd
Haunting of Molly Hartley Dvd
Hounddog Blu Ray Dvd
House on Haunted Hill 50th Anniversary Dvd
The Lair Season 2 Dvd
The Last House on the Left Unrated Dvd
Late Bloomer Dvd
Protege Dvd
Red Sands Dvd
Samurai 7 Blu Ray Dvd
Scourge Dvd
The Sword and the Fairy Complete Series Dvd
Vanishing Point Blu Ray Dvd
Viva Unrated Director's Cut Dvd
Zulu Blu Ray Dvd

The previous lists in one massive list.

15 Minutes Blu Ray Dvd
Alien Raiders Dvd
Body of Lies Dvd
Body of Lies Blu Ray Dvd
The Butterfly Effect Blu Ray Dvd
Capote/In Cold Blood Blu Ray Dvd
Choke Dvd
D.O.A Dead or Alive Blu Ray Dvd
Feast III: The Happy Finish Dvd
Freddy vs. Jason Blu Ray Dvd
A Lonely Cow Weeps at Dawn Dvd
The Midnight Meat Train Dvd
The Midnight Meat Train Blu Ray Dvd
Paid Dvd
The Passion of the Christ Blu Ray Dvd
Pulp Fiction Blu Ray Dvd
Quarantine Dvd
Quarantine Blu Ray Dvd
Screamers: The Hunting Dvd
Seed of Chucky Blu Ray Dvd
This Is Hardcore Fest 2008 Dvd
Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis Dvd
Doom Blu Ray Dvd
Donnie Dark Blu Ray Dvd
Death Note II Dvd
Chocolate Dvd
The Boondock Saints Blu Ray
Blindness Blu Ray
Dorothy Mills
Friday the 13th the Series: The Second Season Dvd
A History of Violence Blu Ray Dvd
Imprint Dvd
Iowa Dvd
Karma Police Dvd
My Name is Bruce Dvd
Otto: Or, UP With Dead People Dvd
My Name is Bruce Blu Ray Dvd
Pet Shop of Horrors Complete Collection Dvd
Red Mist Dvd
Tales From The Darkside: The First Season Dvd
Terminal Invasion Dvd

Afro Samurai Director's Cut Dvd
Afro Samurai Director's Cut Blu Ray Dvd
Sick and the Dead Dvd
Paura Lucio Fulci Remembered Vol. 1 Dvd
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XIV Dvd
Killer Movie Dvd
His Name Was Jason Dvd
Friday the 13th Uncut Dvd
Friday the 13th Uncut Blu Ray Dvd
Friday the 13th, Part 3 3-D Dvd
Friday the 13th, Part 2 Dvd
Dead Noon Dvd
The Bloody Ape Dvd

There you go. The complete month in horror movies.

If you missed the horror movies that came out in January 2009, click here for that list. I'll be back tomorrow with another horror movie post of epic proportions. Well...maybe not epic.

Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

Snuff Documentary Review

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The Church Review

The poster and box cover associated with this film always bugged me. I never trusted it, it just didn't look good to me. But going back through the archives, I realized that this film needed a review and needed to be seen. So if you're an Dario Argento fan, you're going to love this, as it was written by him. I present for your reading displeasure, a review of the 1988 Michele Soavi directed film, The Church.

The Church revolves around a simple plot. A group of knights slaughter a village accused of being witches, only to be the center of a church building in the future. As people discover the grave site in the interior of the church, grave consequences happen and demons are unleashed. Things escalate into a frenzy as a rogue priest must come to save the day.

Here is a trailer for the movie The Church:



The movie starts off with a bit of Medieval Scenery, with knights moving in on a small village. The costumes and picture quality struck me immediately, and I thought it was a great touch in regards to the overall film. The director of photography made some great choices in regards to the look of the film. You really feel like you're in the dark ages with the way the opening sequences play out.

The treatment of the dead bodies is a bit unnerving. The bodies are taken on a large wooden plank and dumped into a large pit, and this portion is not for the easily startled. The make up and lighting make for a massive taboo in this film. You see a pile of naked bodies, no cg, in a pit being buried alive! This is a very unsettling sequence, and it's the beginning of the film!

The movie goes to the future/present day, inside an ordinary Catholic church. A writer finds a cross, and it breaks, revealing a deep cavern. Then it lights up release what appears to be evil spirits! The writer becomes possessed and begins haunting the church. Wait...the writer is also a librarian! Yeah..this film is a little weird,

The movie progresses and a tourist group gets stuck inside and now must fend off the ghosts of people long dead...but not before this film becomes completely weird. There is a scene in which a demon takes a woman and has sex with her, and you see this in full screen without crazy editing. I thought the sex scene with this griffin like demon was completely outlandish and weird. I didn't understand what they were trying to say with that, but I went with it for the sake of it.

There are some carefully placed gore situations. One man gets killed via a large drill, his entrails exploding into a mess of intestines and blood. These are done with such grace that you can see the master work of Argento's other films shine through. Sure this is 1988 but it still looks like Argento to me.

The film is touted as being the third of the Demons movies. It doesn't share a lot in common with those films, outside of the lead role being taken by an African American. One who DOES NOT get killed early on. He's also an African American Priest! Good stuff overall.

Is The Church scary?: Yes. This film is scary on a few notions. First and foremost the scary portions to me is that the movie pinpoints child molestation. In a scene with the librarian a young girl is nearly raped by him after he has become possessed by the demons that are unleashed from the burial site. This under the careful watch of the Church? No, it couldn't be....right? It's weird because in 1988 there were no major Catholic molestation scandals and thinking of that was outlandish. It might not be the intent of the movie, but I found it somewhat ironic that we have major scandal breaking twenty years later, when the film plays around with the notion as an evil thing. The scary part is that within the church there are predators, and whether or not they are possessed is not even the scariest part, the fact that it exists is scary. So be careful if you're a parent.

The second notion that scares me personally is the fact that in the supposed holiest of places, evil is there, waiting underneath. This is especially true in regards to hypocrisy and the church in general. There are a deep metaphors in this film that points fingers at judgmental, closed minded religious people, but it is done in such an over the top way that the metaphor is probably missed and not scary to people that aren't religious in any way. So the second point is hit or miss depending on your relationship with religion of any kind, and especially disheartening if you're an educated Catholic or Christian. They really drive the point home with the way the possession works out, as it is not like the Exorcist at all. It's more like the movie Gothic, if you recall. The demon in this film is hilarious at times, and can be misconstrued completely.

The Church isn't the fastest paced, gore filled, horror film fantasy that you might think of when considering Argento. Then again, his other films weren't exactly fast paced...but this movie is interesting from a lot of different angles. I really thought this film was interesting to note, and it was worth checking out. If the overdubbing doesn't kill you, the metaphorical sexual tension is going to drive you nuts. The Church is an interesting scary film, but it's not the greatest of all time or the end all Italian horror film. The atmosphere of this film is great, so maybe that's the reason to see this film.



Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

From the Mail Bag February Edition

Once again, it is time to look back at all the comments and feedback from your comments and give you a little answer and thank you. This time around I went far back to the most commented posts and dug up some of your comments to answer and reflect on. So let's go to the mailbag for the latest and greatest of your comments to my random reviews.

mediasaurusrex said in regards to my Death Proof Review:

WHat do you think of the inverted Quentin Tarantino time theory? That the segment at the end was actually the beginning of Kurt Russell's "driving into women" rampage? In the end of the movie, he is drinking hard for one. At the beginning, he isn't. Some guy was telling me that if you watch it several times, you see all sorts of arguments that can be held in that direction.

I agree with you though....Russell is a BADASS. I just watched THE THING the other day. BADASS....

Nope. I didn't even think about that. I guess it could be argued that there is some time lapse and inverted time, however I didn't get it from a couple of viewings. I'll definitely go back and revisit the film and see if I can spot Tarantino's time invert, but I can't really see or note it from my previous viewing. Granted, I haven't seen it in a while, so maybe I should watch it again. Yes, The Thing is rad and you're right Kurt Russell's badass! He needs another "Breakdown" or something, so that we can see him return to glory.

Fox said in regards to my Tokyo Gore Police Review:

I had a fun time with this movie. Usually I'm sensitive to films that get sadistic, but, as you said, things get so over the top that it becomes slapsticky to me. Plus, what a great metaphor when the woman's inner sweet spot turns into the jaws of an alligator!

Loved Machine Girl too. I was lucky enough to see TGP with the director in attendance, and someone from the audience asked how many gallons of blood they used for the film. He gave a number in the thousands. He also told us his reciper for fake blood. A twisted guy, but very sweet

Oh yeah, Machine Girl was rad. The whole idea behind the Tokyo shock cinema is right up my alley. I miss the "grindhouse" days, even though I never called those movie theaters that. I just assumed that my dad was cheap and wanted to watch 2 movies for the price of one. I just remember the nachos being way better. The alligator jaw metaphor is definitely a great one, but was probably missed by most viewers of this film. Dang, you saw it with the director in attendance? Now that's rad, I wish I had that sort of viewing experience with any film, but alas...I'm locked in a cubicle as I type this out and no one invites me anywhere...booohooo...but as Samir from Office Space said..."It'd be great to have that kind of job security", meaning that I'll probably be stuck in this cubicle till I'm 50. Recession or not...there's always going to be a need for the tech idiot at a small company...man this is the worse response to a comment ever. I'm sorry.

Soiled Sinema said in regards to my Cache Review:

This has been on my shelf for 3 years and I still haven't watched it.

Dust it off, watch it. I know it's a little slow, but I swear the tension builds and builds to a powder keg like explosion...that never happens. Seriously, dust it off, if you have it just watch it. I know there are films that I have that I haven't watched, so I want hassle you too much, but come on, consider it.

ria said in regards to my American Psycho 2 Review:

I can't imagine any of the Psycho sequels holding a candle to the original, but thanks for the suggestion.

There are a lot of needless sequels in horror movie history, but nothing as bad as these terrible films that most likely got a theatrical release backing them. Hollywood has a lot of missteps, and these films are examples of such. However, without dvd, without readily available vhs, these films found a major audience with horror movie fans that couldn't get to see these films on tape anytime soon. Good thing things have changed, huh? Oh and the Original Psycho isn't all that great now, the pacing is tough.

Brian said in regards to my 976 Evil Review:

After taking most of the credit for the character, I'm surprised he hasn't legally changed his name to Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund. But the movie looks pretty good. I'll probably order it up from Amazon ($5 used).

Yeah, you're right, he should just change his name. I hope he hasn't squandered all the money he has made throughout his career with that character. He might as well start doing college tours and showing up at frat parties. This movie was ok.

*DONE*

And that concludes this edition of "From the Mail box". I am trying to do this more often, but get backed up with other sites and work and all sorts of other excuses that you can probably come up with yourself. Thanks for all the support and those that comment. I didn't get to every comment made on the site, but I try to comment back whenever I get one. It takes time though, but please keep them coming.

Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

Interesting Horror Movie Releases 2/17/09 Edition

This week's interesting horror releases aren't going to knock you over. I purposefully included some releases that border the line and/or are just things that I find interesting. Once again, at the end of the month I'll post all the links to every horror related dvd that came out this month.

I am most likely going to get at least one dvd this weekend. I'm super broke though. It sucks to have student loans and a job that doesn't pay that well. But hey, at least I'm employed, and alive. Whatever the case is, I highly recommend picking up some good horror. Last week I picked up another Grindhouse Exploitation dvd. It had two kung fu movies on it, I thought they were cool. With a price tag of 9.99 I couldn't resist. As for the rest here, I don't know, some stuff jumps out at me, but overall, I'm not too thrilled with this mid February in horror. I definitely am looking at some nice blu-ray titles, but alas...my budget.

If you have money and want to spend it on horror dvd's, use the links below and enjoy the mid month releases.

15 Minutes Blu Ray Dvd
Alien Raiders Dvd
Body of Lies Dvd
Body of Lies Blu Ray Dvd
The Butterfly Effect Blu Ray Dvd
Capote/In Cold Blood Blu Ray Dvd
Choke Dvd
D.O.A Dead or Alive Blu Ray Dvd
Feast III: The Happy Finish Dvd
Freddy vs. Jason Blu Ray Dvd
A Lonely Cow Weeps at Dawn Dvd
The Midnight Meat Train Dvd
The Midnight Meat Train Blu Ray Dvd
Paid Dvd
The Passion of the Christ Blu Ray Dvd
Pulp Fiction Blu Ray Dvd
Quarantine Dvd
Quarantine Blu Ray Dvd
Screamers: The Hunting Dvd
Seed of Chucky Blu Ray Dvd
This Is Hardcore Fest 2008 Dvd
Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis Dvd

Obviously, this isn't the end all list of movie releases, but it's a list none the less. I'll have more stuff to update the site with sooner than later. I've been battling a lot this week to get updates, and hopefully I can get more done within the near future. Thanks again for all the support.

Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

Friday the 13th 2009 Review

What's this? A remake? A reboot? Something? I'm not sure why there was so much hype surrounding this film in the negative arenas. There were a lot of people talking trash about this film, and while I was a little skeptical at first, it all melted away when this film started going forward. Friday the 13th has a long standing tradition of films, however, many people haven't gone back and actually revisited those films. Seriously, those films weren't all that stellar. I mean for me, it took 6 films to get some bearings into it. Then four more films to destry the credibility, then a mash up between Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street before we finally got to this step, a new Friday the 13th film.

Here is a trailer for Friday the 13th "remake":



I read this morning that it was the #1 movie in America this weekend, so maybe things weren't as bad as people hoped for, but you know what? They were never truly that good to begin with. Seriously, they just weren't that good to begin with, and if you go back and watch the series, you will notice that there were a lot of missteps in regards to this series.

So what's the consensus on this one? I saw it on my birthday, Saturday, and it wasn't half bad. The movie is straightforward and to the point. This film is NOT a remake or a reboot, it kind of comes along before "Jason Goes to Hell" and falls in line with the rest of the Jason films. He shows up, he kills, and then shocks you yet again. It's a solid formula and the story is the same, so why is everyone freaking out?

I liked it. I thought it was good.

If you didn't, then you didn't see the rest of the 10 or 11 films that preceded it.

There's not much of a cerebral story or review for this film. Especially since my memory of this film is a little fuzzy. This movie is pretty cool, I liked it. It's not really scary as much as it is in your face and rightfully so. This movie is Rated R and it has everything you could want in a straight slasher film. It has boobs, sex, horror, and people getting punished for their sins! Well, maybe not sins so much as they are getting killed left and right.

If you saw it, you liked it, admit it. I know I did. Solid, no nonsense 80's style slasher cinema with all the bells and whistles that is provided to them via the 21st century.

Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

976 Evil Review

Robert Englund has done a lot for horror. However, this film is probably a step backwards in regards to horror film and releases. RObert Englund directs this film, and at times you really have to wonder if Englund was just used for his name and Freddy credentials rather than skill. His skill as a director is not really known, because the majority of the actors are on cruise control. If you haven't heard of this film, you're in for a small treat. 976-Evil came out in 1989, and I'm not sure if it did well upon its release. I always thought the movie poster was cheesy, and still believe it to be so. So without further ado, I present to you a review of the 1989 Robert Englund directed 976-Evil!

976-Evil, as stated before, is a film that was directed by Robert Englund. If you aren't sure who Robert Englund is, than you need to really look him up. He's a huge horror movie icon, and hasn't gotten that mainstream crossover that other people have enjoyed. He's locked into horror forever, and that can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. He did do a cool cameo and part in "Zombie Strippers" but that's nothing to be too proud of, if you ask me. 976-Evil is a basic story about a kid that is bullied, and stops taking it, so he fights back. How does he fight back? Instead of stabbing people to death, like in Terror Train or other revenge horror films, he calls a mysterious pay per call number and invokes Satan for help.

Here is a trailer for the film 976 Evil:



The movie doesn't look very good, even for 1989. The movie looks terrible, and it doesn't look like it was filmed on location, but rather in a back alley lot somewhere in a film studio. The movie quality, even on dvd, is grainy and terribly edited. If you're a film snob, you are going to hate the way the director of photography placed each shot, and how the director instructed his actors, it's really in poor taste. However, to give this film some credit, it was filmed on FILM. It is not a straight to dvd piece of junk, it is not filmed on vhs tapes, it's a real film with a real (although small budget). However, giving that sort of compliment to this film is like giving pornographic films of the 70's and early 80's credit for the same things.

The movie has a small round up of characters. It's really divided between the Bullies and the kid getting picked on for half of the film. This kid is just getting beat down, but his cousin (who happens to live with him in a different part of the house) hang out together. The phone number is introduced via a flyer and Spike (our cousin/cool guy) calls it. The number is just for novelty horoscope line, and nothing crazy. Spike loses interest in this sort of thing, but his cousin finds the number and calls it all the time.

Hoax is our kid's name here, the one getting bullied, and he is an introverted weirdo. When his attempts at seducing a woman (spike's girlfriend), fails, he goes and calls this number, only for it to introduce him to Satan! Hoax does a complete 180 at this point, and he invokes satan to kill those that have done him wrong, first the girl, then the bullies, and he now rises from the shadows as a "werewolf" like person with super strength and just starts mopping up. Hoax then tries to kill his cousin, but as Satan begins to consume his soul a portal to Hell opens up and boom....the end?



Is 976-Evil scary?: Yes. The movie is scary in a couple of weird ways. First and foremost, being totally introverted to the point where you are an older teen and your mother controls you with super religious tonality, things are bad. I understand strict homes, and I understand super religious parents, but when they are smothering you into oblivion and you are infantilized and can not even defend yourself at all from bullies, then this is a scary thought. The scariest thing is that people like this exist. I knew a girl in college that was so introverted, due to her parents, that even if you tried to befriend her she'd get scared. I tried to be this girl's friend and eventually she started to open up, but as soon as her parents pulled the chain, she got so scared that she transferred schools! No, I wasn't trying to "get" with this girl, I was just being friendly, as I like introverts, I think they're cool. People like Hoax exist today, and it is sad that some of them are so saddened by their situation that they turn to the occult and some of them even turn to self inflicted wounds such as cuts and being goth. Lame.

The second scary notion of this film is Satanic possession. Once again, Satanic possession pushes its ugly head into this blog. I'm skeptical of satanic possession, but am not completely convinced that it is not real. I'm a Christian, so I believe a lot of things, and to make matters worse, I am an immigrant from Mexico. I've seen some crazy stuff in my days and I have seen somethings that I would have to be led to believe that they are works of Satan. I know, I know, you're probably reading this and are starting to tune me out, but that is what is scary! Ok, if you don't think that satanic possession is scary, then let us consider Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is scary, and that seems to be what we are dealing with in this movie. That's right, we are dealing with a person that has been bullied so much that he started killing his bullies. But real life can be stranger than fiction, so let us consider a real life story to further explain why this is scary.

On April 20th, 1999 there was an incident at Columbine High School in Colorado. Some kids that were being bullied finally snapped and shot down a bunch of kids. They had snapped! They were bullied! This sad situation is stranger than fiction as you start to unravel the layers of these things. So to see a revenge plot in a horror movie, is not too far fetched and to consider that bullying is not going to turn out well for anyone, can in turn be somewhat scary.

So maybe I'm wrong. Bullying is the scary point of this film, not demonic possession, right? I don't know. This film has scary themes, and it is scary to think that in our society people snap to the point of murder. This film is an example of that scary notion, but put into a supernatural and occult structure. This is a fantasy land, it is a fantasy movie, and it is scary. It is a horror movie, that should be considered a little deeper than the sum of its terrible demonstration of acting, and film quality.

I recommend viewing 976 Evil at least once. Robert Englund does a mediocre job at directing this film, but come on, there's not a whole lot to work with. The movie is adequate, but for 1989 it looks dated. It seriouly, not that great, but I have to admit that this is somewhat a guilty pleasure for me because I really like horror films, and dare I say, like bad horror movies. The best part about all of this is the fact that this movie was trying to be somewhat serious, yeah, it turns out that it's comical. 976 Evil is available on dvd now, and it is worth a look, maybe even two.



Oh, and if that wasn't enough, the guys that brought you this film put out a sequel. That's right, there is a 976 Evil 2 and it is currently out there somewhere...just not readily available. Yeah, horror movie sequels seem to be like porno films. Well, at least in that there are sequels made even if the first didn't do all that well. Of course, Pornography has a huge one up in the sequel category, but come on, do we really need a 976 Evil 2? Come on!



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Horror News and Random Notes

There's some interesting talk going around the internet right now. Seriously, there is a lot of talk, and it's not just between me and myself and the third person I call "I". First and foremost behold the first poster for H2, which is Rob Zombie's second Halloween movie. I personally loved Rob Zombie's Halloween, but I seem to be in the minority of thinkers along those lines. H2 will hit theaters this summer around August 28th, which seems dumb to me. Oh well, it will be interesting to see how well it does.



In regards to other horror news, this weekend is going to be huge. That's right, this weekend we will see the return of the Friday the 13th Franchise. This is the first time we see Jason come back since he fought Freddy in "Freddy vs. Jason" and the first time he's solo since Jason X. Say what you want about these films, I personally found them fun to watch. I will be going to see the new Friday the 13th movie this weekend as it is my birthday on Saturday, and will have a review for you on Monday sometime.

Big things are popping in regards to the new "A Nightmare on Elm Street" remake, with the announcement of a director.Samuel Bayer is the name being thrown around and maybe we should pay attention. Why? Because he was the director for Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Blind Melon's "No Rain", which were iconic in the 90's. I don't know if that makes this guy a good fit, but it would be interesting none the less.

For all of you that were hoping and praying for another Evil Dead movie with Bruce Campbell, his final answer is NO. That's right, recently in an interview he said there is nothing more to be had in that franchise and he will not return or film anything along those lines. Although, this can change, as things often do in Hollywood and horror news.

Ever wonder what happened to the other half of "Bill & Ted"? Well Preston Esquire is tapped to direct a 3D remake of "The Gate". Wooooa.....

That's it for this news post, I'll return tomorrow with more crap for you to read. For now, enjoy the site, as I'm working on more reviews for you guys.

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Chud II: Bud The Chud Review

I should have a month set just to comedy horror movies. It seems that I've been running into more comedy based horror movies than anything serious. While I don't mind the horror comedy genre, it seems that there are a lot missteps in these movies. The 80's brought us a lot of terrible movies, and if you've seen CHUD, you might find this to be repulsive. Another unorthodox movie review has to be made for this film, and with that in mind, I present to you a 1989 sequel that ruined the CHUD name and liking; C.H.U.D II: Bud The C.H.U.D review.

We start off right where we left off from the last film. The United States government has decided to stop the "CHUD" program and closes down shop. However, the last specimen is placed in a small town in the U.S at a Center for Disease control. We then move forward with the story as a couple of teenagers steal the body, only to accidentally reawaken it and turn things loose on the world.

Here is a trailer for the film CHUD II: Bud the Chud:





There are some great moments in this film. I liked the Barber CHUD scene, that was cool. Bud killing some random woman working out was funny too. The whole movie is just a big joke, and if you've seen it, you'll know exactly what I mean. Some of the kills were worthwhile, but as a whole this one was tough to sit through.

The movie is terribly lit, terribly filmed and overall sucks. Seriously, this movie is not that great. The plot moves from body snatching to zombie movie. Seriously, the movie turns into a zombie film as Bud "the Chud" starts biting people and they in turn begin acting and moving like Chuds. Seriously, that's the rest of the film! The majority of the film involves an army of CHUDS uprising to eat the flesh of different people. There is not much else to this terrible movie, and I can't even slap a "what if" label.

CHUD II: Bud The Chud is a movie that you want to see to tell people about, and to laugh at with friends. This movie is awesome, in such a bad way. Just like many other horror comedies, this thing is made for laughs and it works on that level. It really doesn't work on a horror level. So if you have some time and want a good horror comedy to laugh at, here you go. Chud II: Bud the Chud gets honorable mentions for a funny movie and a cameo from Robert Englund, nothing else.

P.S. if you are clever you can find this whole film on youtube in its entirety. The movie doesn't have an official U.S dvd release right now. You can find it on vhs if you know where to look but youtube has it for free too.

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Interesting Horror Movie Releases 2/10/09 Edition

This week in horror movie releases is noteworthy. I can't believe how much good stuff is coming out this week. Oh, and if anyone is reading this, it is my birthday on Saturday. It's my sister's birthday too. We were born on the same day, 9 years apart. Yeah...weird. It's also Valentines day, so I have double duty...since I'm married. It's a rough day for me. Whatever the case is, here are the relevant horror and dare I call some "Grindhouse" releases for this week in February 2009. Personal picks for me would definitely be "My Name is Bruce", "Chocolate" and "Obscene" (which isn't listed here) but I do have my eyes set on Friday the 13th the Series Second Season Dvd, but I'm really broke. Seriously, I barely had enough to cash in on my Netflix account. So we'll see if I can garner any media purchases this week.

Doom Blu Ray Dvd
Donnie Dark Blu Ray Dvd
Death Note II Dvd
Chocolate Dvd
The Boondock Saints Blu Ray
Blindness Blu Ray
Dorothy Mills
Friday the 13th the Series: The Second Season Dvd
A History of Violence Blu Ray Dvd
Imprint Dvd
Iowa Dvd
Karma Police Dvd
My Name is Bruce Dvd
Otto: Or, UP With Dead People Dvd
My Name is Bruce Blu Ray Dvd
Pet Shop of Horrors Complete Collection Dvd
Red Mist Dvd
Tales From The Darkside: The First Season Dvd
Terminal Invasion Dvd

That's it for the movie releases that you might be interested in this week. As far as horror film is concerned, it isn't that huge. There are some must haves for sure, and if you got paid this week, consider picking up a couple of these and enjoy the latest and greatest from horror, science fiction, and dare I say grindhouse releases. I'm reaching far, seriously far. I'll be back with yet another review tomorrow. Thanks for the support.

Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.