The Tank Review

Another day, another horror movie, and this time around we are dealing with a creature feature. I like a good one, and I don’t want to reveal my thoughts too quickly, but I will say that this one had me guessing at first, and with a solid trailer, I thought it was going to be a lot better than what it turned out to be. ”The Tank” has a story to tell, and it doesn’t hold back, it’ll just take a little bit of effort to et yourself through the slow pacing.

This movie has a simple plan of action. It features a couple with their child and dog, they own a pet store and are told that they have inherited a house. They visit this house and odd things start to happen. The kid starts to see things trying to get into the house, meanwhile the parents start to explore a water tank that is connected to the house. As the film progresses, we are shown a scary salamander type monster, and it eats alive the realtor, and then some as it terrorizes the family.

There’s a side story that tries to tie together the past and present, but overall, I found that the movie was slow moving. It is a slow progression to get through to the end, and if you invest in the movie, it will reveal itself to you in a good way. However, I’m not going to lie, it’s a slow burn. Once the suspense gives way to the monster, you start rooting for the family to take on the monster and escape. That doesn’t happen right away, as the monster takes them on head first, and attacks. There’s even a point where the kid gets kidnapped, and the dad gets almost eaten alive as well, making this a true monster flick.

“The Tank” isn’t half bad, but it isn’t half good either. It is slow, but it has some redeeming factors here and there. The monster itself is ugly, strong, and attacks with relative ease in water and out. The family is loveable, so you start to root for them towards the end. I found myself hoping that they beat the monster, and in the end, well, I won’t spoil it for you. The movie was slow, but there was enough to make it worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of monster flicks. The monster is CG for the most part, and it’s not terribly done. If you can suspend your belief, you will find this to be an entertaining popcorn flick. It’s not grand, but it doesn’t suck either.

I recommend “The Tank” to horror fans that need a new movie to check out and are out of ideas. I wouldn’t watch it again, but in my quest to see it all, it was a nice feather in the cap.

Basket Case Review

The year was 1982 and a lot of horror movies were pushing the boundaries. The 1970s brought us some great stuff, and the 1980s would bring us a lot too. This time around, we take a look back at the cult classic, “Basket Case”. I reviewed “Basket Case 3” a long time ago, and I recently stepped back in time to watch the original, and well, it is as hardcore as I remember it.

The movie is simple enough, it is about conjoined twins, one of which has been cut off from their brother and now resides in a basket. You did not read that wrong. The brother is a deformed blob with sharp teeth and strong nails. The movie goes through the premise where the brothers seek revenge on the doctors that performed the surgery to separate the two. In the meanwhile our main character Duane Bradley goes to a hotel and stays there while he seeks out the doctors with his brother. Of course all hell breaks loose when the blob starts to get loose and attack.

The movie has a lot of gore in it. The killing scenes are all done with practical effects, and with camera cuts that are tastefully done, and give you just the right amount of scare. There’s even a nice contraption scene where someone gets sawed in half. The overall movie flows fast, it creates good atmosphere, and the gore and effects are pretty good. “Basket Case” definitely ramps things up towards the end and by the time we get to the final act, you’re either cheering for Duane or the blob. The two have it out at the end and we end up having a definitive end…or so we think.

There’s a lot of cool moments in this film, and it’s not scary, as much as it is gorey at times. There are two sequels to this one, but overall this is a classic cult horror movie with a good sense of pacing, and funny moments. It’s not meant to be played for laughs, but you can’t help but laugh at some of the moments, making this one an interesting romp for you to go back to if you haven’t in a while.

Gaia Review

A good poster always gets me. "Gaia" has a very cool poster, and it immediately drew me in to watch it. This is a South African horror movie, and it has a lot going for it. The premise is simple, and starts with a couple of park rangers that get their drone broken in the forest. One of them goes out to get it, and the other stays back. Simple start to a story, right? Well, things go off the rails when they encounter a couple of locals, and we have to figure out if they are friend or foe. 

While the horror of getting trapped by locals is definitely a horror film on its own, this one doesn't rely on that, as there's monsters afoot. These monsters are blind, and are ecologically based. I know that ruins it for some, but it's part of the bigger picture found in this movie. As the movie progresses there is an ecological bent to it. The ecological aspect of it really plays with the mind, and you start to second guess what is going on. 

Overall, there's only a few actors in this movie. There's just four overall, and the majority of the horror comes from the unknown, the monsters, and whether or not one can trust the locals. There's also a cabin in the woods, so there's that aspect too. The horror is trumpeted at times with traps, monsters, and of course an ecological twist that I won't reveal here. 

The pacing leaves something to be desired. There are no jump scares, there's not a lot to speak of in terms of traditional modern horror, but that is not a bad thing. The slow burn movement of this film leads to some shocking moments, and some clever plot pieces, only to finish off with an interesting premise. There were moments that I swore I had it figured out, but then the movie takes a turn for something else. It never strays too far from ecological horror at times, and there is a built in love story that seems to progress slowly, only to get changed up in the final act. 

"Gaia" is a slow moving horror movie. It's an interesting one, even though it leaves a bit much to be desired. There's not a lot of gore, but the premise and the plot movements keep you second guessing. The monsters are cool, the ecological aspect is interesting, but in the end, the pacing is going to cause you to either love it or hate it. Visually it's good, it's well acted, and has some good overall points of contention for horror fans. However, I don't think I'd watch it again, unless it was to show someone an example of  ecological horror, as it serves that genre well. 

Cult of Chucky Review

Cult of Chucky 2017 Cover

This is the seventh movie that features the killer doll, and you would think that they would run out of ideas. But nope, here we are with an all new full length feature that is all about Chucky and his killer ways. This time around there are some very nuanced kills, and thrills, with a story that isn’t too bad, but isn’t going to win any awards at any point either. “Cult of Chucky” went straight to DVD and Blu Ray and is now available, but I wasn’t paid so here’s my honest review sans any sponsorship as per usual.

The movie picks up where the previous one ended, this time around with Nica in a wheel chair and trying to figure out why she’s in an asylum after blaming Chucky for burning down her house and family. Of course, that’s the doppelganger because the movie is going to feature a lot of different elements that will tie this to the past, and the future.

In another section of the movie we catch up with Andy, the kid that started it all, and he has Chucky’s head and has been torturing it for a long time. Through the course of the movie, he has been trying to tell the asylum that holds Nica that Chucky is alive and is going to kill again. They don’t believe him. They throw him out, and of course we continue our story.

The movie is a slow moving starter, but it starts to gain steam when Chucky comes alive, and you realize that there’s more than one. Then you start to think that this movie is lazy, with the idea of the existence of Chucky being only in Nica’s mind, but that’s a red herring. The movie switches tones, and starts back into the one liner, comedic elements of Chucky, with him slashing, and dicing his way through the asylum.

There’s a lot to this movie, but at the same time, there’s a limited cast, and it really drives through a convoluted voodoo plot that throws away a few ideas, but at the same time, builds into the ethos of what made “Child’s Play” so good. There’s a lot going for it, and the visual design is the main key factor. The visuals and kills are juxtaposed with a clean, white, and pure asylum in contrast to the redness of the blood.

The movie was good. It had some decent acting, some great pacing, and a body count that rivals the original film. You get a lot of loose ends tied, and eventually, Chucky and Tiffany reunite. Woops, I spoiled it! Hahah!

I recommend checking out “Cult of Chucky” it’s a modern send up to the classic series, and not half bad if you ask me.

You can purchase “Cult of Chucky” via Blu Ray by clicking here.

What did you think of “Cult of Chucky”? Drop me a line in the comments below.

Barrio Tales Review

Barrio Tales Is Available On DVD HERE

I never get screeners anymore. I did at one point, but these days, no one trusts me enough to send them. That happens, I guess. So whenever you see me review anything, I don’t get it for free like some other sites. Oh, and if I say anything bad about any film, unlike “Freddy in Space”, send it to the director or anyone involved. I’ll man up and stick to my guns about what I say. Unlike that site, and writer. I would like to say that if you are a man enough to write a negative review or opinion, you should be man enough to stand by it if someone else tweets the director. Otherwise, go to hell.

Now, let’s get into the movie “Barrio Tales”, a Latino version of the classic 3 story horror tropes. A couple of brothers directed this, Jarret and Brent Tarnol, and I was immediately drawn to it because the cover looked like a Cypress Hill cover. The movie’s tag line stated, “Terror, from south of the border”, so boom.

This is a trio of tales, like “VHS” and other movies, and it starts with a couple of young adults going to Mexico to score some drugs. When they get there, they end up meeting a Mexican guy that tells them to beware of where they are going, and what they are looking for. As the two question where the drugs are, the sage of sorts tells them 3 stories of Mexican horror, and each one has a different moral, pushing the limits of horror and generalization.

The stories go from cannibalism, witchcraft, and a monster myth. Each one is a short version of horror tropes that you already think about. From teens getting made into edible goods, to witches getting their revenge on a mean person, to the unkillable monster, each option has a Latino twist to the classic horror stories that you already know about. My favorite of the trio of stories is the opening one. A young maid gets drowned by some rich kids, only to end up having revenge taken upon them by witches that hear of the news of the death of the Latino maid. It’s a quick tale of how treating people badly, could result in reaping some serious consequences. This one really felt like “Scream Queens”, with a bit of humor and visual style overall, good stuff.

“Barrio Tales” is a fascinating movie that flows fast, and has some nice cinematography, and decent acting. At times it feels like “Scream Queens”, and at other times it feels like “Tales From The Crypt”. Either way, it’s a lot of fun, and definitely worth checking out overall. The gore was minimal, the horror elements were fine, and for an independent movie, it has some gusto. I’d give it an 8 out of 10, and definitely a rental. I definitely had fun.

You can pick up "Barrio Tales" on dvd by clicking here.

Grizzly Review

One of my favorite shirts from Rotten Cotton is their iconic silk screen of this movie’s poster. Grizzly was released in 1976 and another entry in the PG era, which is insanity. I can’t believe these were horror movie releases with such tame ratings, and yet today, we can’t come up with a good movie that is in the same genre with the same kind of iconic punch. Whatever the case is, this is not an epic, it’s not going to win awards and most people will find this to be just like the reviewers stated in the past, “Jaws” on the land. Yeah, that is a fitting tribute, but it’s a bit worse than the mighty shark film, even if LJN didn’t make a video game after this one.

The movie follows a group of campers that are just chilling and not dealing with any of your normal traps. Even though the opening showcases a good bear attack, it won’t haunt your dreams, that’s for sure. As campers are killed, you have a chief ranger that is set on closing things down and trying to set up a party that will take out the 18 foot beast. Of course, no story would be good without a good sense of danger, scares, and jump scenes, right? Well you get it all in this schlock fest of a film from the 1970s.

The story components are all the same that you would expect from a giant monster film, and nothing is really done that well here. Sure, there are some strong story elements, but in the full frame of things you are going to get a lot of slow down and ramp up for a bear that is laughable at best. Sure, it’s better than some of the ones that I’ve seen in recent years even though some were passable.

Perhaps the best thing about Grizzly is that it’s not a man in a bear suit, it’s a real bear. Yes, a real bear is used through the film and it’s not half bad. Mix a serial killer movie, with nature and you may start to see this one develop before your very eyes. The whole natural killing elements, camp sequences, and screaming will definitely have you smiling, but it’s far from “classic”.

Grizzly does have some good scenes, and the filmmakers didn’t completely botch this one. I don’t hate it, but I feel that it hasn’t stood the test of time. It’s definitely something to put on during your Halloween season of watching horror films, but repeated viewings? Well, only diehards will want to get Grizzly and watch it over and over. Not me, but I’m not really a measuring stick.



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