Scary Film Review: August 2009

Monday, August 31, 2009

End of August 09 Death Toll

Friday, August 28, 2009

The Descent 2 Official Trailer

Well folks, yes, it is another Friday and considering that the end of the month falls on a Monday, I didn't do a review for today. However, you should really check out my review of The Ruins, or my Rewind of The Ruins, because it will get you ready for this next trailer.

This trailer is for the sequel to The Descent, and while I haven't reviewed the first film from Lionsgate, I still think this looks halfway decent. I think it shows too much of the monster, which is the main draw, but oh well. Check out the trailer below:

If you didn't see The Descent the first time around, then you need to get with the times and order it online. Of course, I'm an idiot and haven't reviewed it, which is lame.

I know, it was probably unnecessary to make a second Descent film, but what are you gonna do? It's the industry.

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.

After Dark Films Announce Lake Mungo Press Release

AFTER DARK FILMS ANNOUNCES LAKE MUNGO AS THE NEWEST ADDITION TO HORRORFEST: 8 FILMS TO DIE FOR IN THEATRES JANUARY 29, 2010

Lake Mungo Joins the After Dark HorrorfestÒ 8 Films to Die ForÒ Lineup

Los Angeles, CA (August 27, 2009) — After Dark Films CEO Courtney Solomon has announced that After Dark has inked a deal with Arclight Films to feature Lake Mungo in it’s next incarnation of After Dark Horrorfest®: 8 Films to Die ForÒ. The supernatural mystery is written and directed by Joel Anderson making his feature debut. Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger and Martin Sharpe star. Georgie Nevile and David Rapsey produced. Dana Lambert, VP of Acquisitions at After Dark brokered the deal with Arclight Films who represented the filmmakers in the negotiations.

In Lake Mungo, sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, Ray Kemeny. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues lead the family to Lake Mungo where Alice's secret past emerges.

“Joel has created an eerily crafted, suspense piece that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats and will leave them with a sense of unease for days to come.” stated Solomon. “We’re pleased to bring such an original film to audiences in the US.”

Gary Hamilton, Managing Director of Arclight Films, added, “Arclight is extremely proud of the continuing success of Joel’s film and feel that After Dark has the right vision to bring maximum success for Lake Mungo in the US market.”

After Dark Films will continue to announce their line up over the upcoming months leading up to the January 29, 2010 release. “With Horrorfest entering its fourth year, we’re pleased that we can continue to bring to our fans exciting, new films that expand the entire horror genre.” added Solomon.

After Dark Horrorfest 4 runs for one week in theatres across the United States from January 29nd – February 5th, making it the largest nationwide film festival.

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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

All Horror Movies Released August 2009

Here you go, all the horror movies that have come out this month. This includes the last 3 weeks of releases that I posed, and you can check out the latest and greatest from the dvd horror world, so get to picking stuff up!

Abduction Dvd
Behind The Wall Dvd
Boot Camp Dvd
Dungeons & Dragons: The Animated Series Dvd Set
Genshiken 2: Volume 1 Dvd
Ghost Image Dvd
Gradiva Dvd
Onechanbara Dvd
Promise Dvd
Pumpkin Scissors: The Complete Series Box Set
Red Velvet Dvd
Sick Girl Dvd
Welcome to the NHK: Complete Series Box Set
When They Cry: Complete Box Set
Alien Uprising DVD
Bakugan, Vol. 4: Heroes Rise DVD
The Beast (Special Extended Edition) BLU RAY DVD
Big Trouble in Little China BLU RAY DVD
Blade: Trinity BLU RAY DVD
Blade 2 BLU RAY DVD
The Chaos Experiment DVD
Cravings DVD
Gomorrah DVD
Gomorrah Blu Ray Dvd
Hot Blood Sundae DVD
Mutant Chronicles DVD
Nature's Grave DVD
Sakura Wars TV: Complete Collection Box Set
Samurai Deeper Kyo: The Complete Series
Slayers: Seasons 1-3 Box Set
Slices DVD
Trapped DVD
Wolfhound DVD
The Zombie Apocalypse DVD
Alien Trespass DVD
The Crypt DVD
Dark Rising DVD
Devil in the Flesh DVD
Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid BLU RAY DVD BOX SET
The Last Resort DVD
Lone Wolf and Cub Collection 1 DVD
The Ninth Gate BLU RAY DVD
Replicant BLU RAY DVD
See No Evil BLU RAY DVD
Spring of Life DVD
Starman BLU RAY DVD
The Weekend Murders DVD
The Wild Man of the Navidad DVD
Adventures in Space DVD
Dexter: The Complete Third Season Dvd Set
Final Destination Collection Dvd Set
Ghost Adventures: Season One Dvd Set
Gunslinger Girl 2: Il Teatrino--The Complete Series Dvd Set
Icons of Sci-Fi: Toho Collection Dvd Set
Inglorious Bastards 2: Hell Heroes Dvd
Kagemusha- Criterion Collection Blu Ray Dvd
Last House on the Left Dvd
The Last Starfighter 25th Anniversary Blu Ray Dvd
Sons of Anarchy: Season One Dvd
The Strangeness Dvd
Wyvern Dvd

And if you missed out on previous months in regards to what came out, click on the links below:

All Horror Movies that Came out July 2009
All Horror Movies that Came out June 2009
All Horror Movies that Came out May 2009
All Horror Movies that Came Out April 2009
All Horror Movies that Came Out March 2009
All Horror Movies that Came out January 2009

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.

Monday, August 24, 2009

The Witchunt Trailer

I was gone all last week, and didn't watch any new horror movies, but I met a man one morning. His name was simply T, and he told me about a horror movie that he's making and pointed me to this trailer.

The movie is called The Witchunt and here's the trailer...I'll have a review on Wednesday...I'm not sure when this one is coming out, but it looks sinister.

Friday, August 21, 2009

From The Mail Bag Mid August 2009

Here we go, we're heading into the midpoint, or we have passed it somehow. Here is the bulk of comments that I received this month. Some are good, some are not so good, but I appreciate all the comments, and here are my replays to your thoughts. So keep them coming, buy some horror films, and keep reading. Thank you so much for commenting, I appreciate anyone who is reading this. You can email me of course or contact me on aim if you have it. I'm open to talking about anything horror, movies, and music.

CaroleMcDonnell said in response to the Full Eclipse Review:

Sounds fun. BTW, I'm here often. I just don't post cause it's such a challenge with javascript. -C

Yes, this film is fun, but terrible. I know, the two are somewhat repellent and contradicting, but it's interesting to see werewolf cops. I can't help the javascript...but maybe someday I'll get a dot com for this site, until then, keep on reading. Thanks for the comment.

the posturing (and admittedly rather irritating) little popinjay said in response to my Rewind: Videodrome Review:

sir jorge, with regards to this film we are in total and complete agreement, Videodrome is an astonishing masterwork of the highest calibre, it is easily Cronenbergs best film.

Yes, Cronenberg is so stylish and yet so perverted. This film has such overtones of S&M and so much more. When I first saw it, I didn't understand the references. However, now that I'm much older, and dare I say wiser, I realize how deep this film's metaphors really are. To some he's bashing you over the head with sexuality, but I think it's far more stylized. It sure is masterful, and hopefully more people agree and watch it again. Thanks for the comment!

Anonymous said in regards to my Jack Frost Review:

i saw the movie for the first time a couple of months ago it was ok but those childs play movies kick ass

Yes, Jack Frost is ok at best, and laughable in the way it tries to treat itself seriously. The Child's Play films, a different beast altogether, is interesting too. Thanks for the comment.

. said in regards to my American Psycho 2 Review:

I dont understand how someone can carry on the footsteps of a serial killer who, as the story lines seem to put it, killed everyone in his head?

Exactly, you said it correctly. I don't get it either, but for some reason they felt they could continue the legacy, and really it doesn't work all that well. They should've renamed it, or better yet not made this at all. Thanks for the comment!

Anonymous said in regards to my Chaos Review:

chaos is one of the most violent btutal and sadistic films i have ever seen. Only 2 films ever ever made me uncomfotable irreversible and chaos!

Yes, this film is so brutal, and really not necessary. This film made me squirm, because they really try hard to make a near true to life SNUFF film. It is the best example of exploitation and unnecessary violence in horror that I've ever seen. It's a sick movie, and those that take joy in watching this film should be questioned; it's an insane piece of entertainment. Thanks for the comment!

Anonymous said in regards to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Review:

Chop Top makes this movie and the macabre is a amazing.

Yep, Chop Top makes it all worthwhile; I'd like to get a chop shop t-shirt. Oh well. Thanks again for the comment.

That's a wrap folks. I can't thank you guys enough for commenting on these poorly written reviews. I encourage everyone to comment, and converse with me. I spend a LOT of time online and would love to engage you guys about anything film related. Maybe someday I can get a dot com and can start a podcast based on this site, but until then; please keep on reading and commenting.

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.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Ghoulies II Review

Today, we get another review, but this review is yet again not so serious. It's not that I'm trying to screw over you, my 2 readers, it's just that I haven't been getting a lot of great "serious" horror lately. Plus, with no requests, no recommendations, and my schedule, I can't really get so serious. So today, I present to you a sequel, Ghoulies II. That's right, the second film in the Ghoulies quadrilogy. A little bit of trivia, did you know that Matthew Lillard's film debut was in Ghoulies 3? Yeah, that's the one where they went to college...sadly this horror comedy wasn't as good as the premise of Ghoulies III.

Before I get into the full review, or lack there of, here is the trailer for Ghoulies II:

Ghoulies II has a simple premise. There is a carnival that is being invaded by the Ghoulies! There's no more explanation to this, they are just there. Well, to be fair, a truck driver and his son show up at a gas station and the ghoulies go into the truck on their way to the next stop of the carnival.

The subplot of this film involves the owner of the carnival telling all the carnies that if they don't make money, they are through. So with the pressure on, the horror themed ride that our main characters run gets a special boost; the Ghoulies. The Ghoulies start terrorizing people that are visiting the ride, and things go downhill.

As the film progresses, the Ghoulies start to mop up and the main characters try to fight them off. Eventually they figure it out, and well we get the mother of all Ghoulies to end the film.

This movie is a notch above straight to dvd. The movie really lacks good acting, and to top it all off it's only pg-13. Despite many variations of the F-Word, the movie is not rated R and shows no major gore. The kills are cut out, hard edited, with little to no impact. This movie is terribly filmed, terribly acted, and stupid to most horror movie fans. This horror comedy is worst than the original, and looks like a parody of Gremlins or dare I mention Critters.

Check out Ghoulies II on dvd, if you must, however it's not that great. I don't recommend this film to everyone, but if you're big on the Mystery Science Theater style movie watching, you'll enjoy this one. You'll be making fun of all sorts of things in 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.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Interesting Horror Movie Releases 8/18/09

Here are this week's horror movie and science fiction releases. If you're going to buy dvd's please use our links, so that I can save up to get a domain name. Scary Films is not just a blog, it's a way of life....ok, maybe not that much, but I try to bring you some good stuff, although not always that great.

Adventures in Space DVD
Dexter: The Complete Third Season Dvd Set
Final Destination Collection Dvd Set
Ghost Adventures: Season One Dvd Set
Gunslinger Girl 2: Il Teatrino--The Complete Series Dvd Set
Icons of Sci-Fi: Toho Collection Dvd Set
Inglorious Bastards 2: Hell Heroes Dvd
Kagemusha- Criterion Collection Blu Ray Dvd
Last House on the Left Dvd
The Last Starfighter 25th Anniversary Blu Ray Dvd
Sons of Anarchy: Season One Dvd
The Strangeness Dvd
Wyvern Dvd

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.

Monday, August 17, 2009

The Washingtonians Review

The Washingtonians is part of the second season of Masters of Horror. This episode was directed by Master horror director, Peter Medak. This episode was based on a book by the same title, and was not a full length movie, therefore, I'm going to try to review it in non-traditional style, shorter than usual since I have only 1 hour to work with.

The Masters of Horror series is a showtime show that has produced a lot of mediocre stories, with a much better production value than Tales from The Crypt, and with the sting of The Twilight Zone at times.

The Washingtonians is a movie that is not too crazy. It takes a while to set up, and by the time it fully gets into the action, it crashes just as fast. With such a limited amount of time you have to set em up for a good three quarters of the time, only to finish it off fast with the ending and sub ending.

The plot revolves around a family that inherits their grandparents home. They find that in the basement there is an oil painting of George Washington, and after it falls over from their kid (who is afraid of everything) they discover a scroll. The scroll is a letter, and in it George Washington claims he eats children! A cannibal? Yep.

So the rest of the movie we slowly get introduced to those that call themselves The Washingtonians. They dress up in clothing like the 18th century and are cannibals just the same. The climax of the film ends up with the family being taken hostage and the Washingtonians showcasing their big feast featuring Human Flesh....and then...

Well you'll have to see it for yourself.

The Washingtonians is an interesting re-writing of history. It was kind of cool, it had a lot of camp humor and it fits the style of Masters of Horror. I recommend checking out Masters of Horror, as it is really like a modern "Tales from the Crypt" turned on more towards straight horror, opposed to simply comedic values.

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, August 14, 2009

Full Eclipse Review

Today we have a special movie review. While I was under the impression that this film was a blaxploitation film, but turns out it wasn't such. This 1993 film is not exactly the first thing you hear about in the cannon of Mario Van Peebles. However, it's an interesting movie that takes a look at a genre of film that is dominated by bigger budgets, that genre of course is werewolves. The movie I'm going to try and review for you guys today is the 1993 film Full Eclipse.

Full Eclipse is a movie about a group of werewolves who have infiltrated the local police infrastructure, becoming an elite unit of vigilante crime fighters. When our main character resists joining the elite group, he's dragged into it, only to want to fight out tooth and nail.

The movie starts with two detectives responding to a call in a night club. Together they unload shot after shot and one of them nearly dies. As the movie progresses we see a sinister plot unfold and someone gives a serum to the fallen. We learn that the serum wasn't poison, at least not in the traditional sense, it's werewolf serum and we get into the action portion of this film. The former slain victim is now super human and we see a poorly choreographed chase scene to illustrate the fact.

As the movie progresses our main hero is wrangled into an elite group of werewolf warriors, but he doesn't want in. After finding out more about these hero's things go awry and he fights them, and that only progresses after about 90 minutes of set up, creating a boring film.

Seriously, this movie took a major turn after the first twenty minutes. The first twenty minutes of this film has a lot of action, and at times you really think you're watching a Batman film or something because this thing is tedious in its initial set up and action packed for apparently no reason. As the movie progresses though, it starts to slow down, then really slows down, eventually it slows down to a crawl and you start to compare this film to Scifi original tv films. I started to give up on the film, and then the last ten or so minutes really sewed it up.

At the full eclipse of the moon the main werewolf transforms into a monster. The transformation is instant, and you can completely tell that there is a man inside a werewolf suit. The characters fight it out for a good four or five minutes, and it's interesting to see how this turns out.

The computer graphics are terrible. The story is full of plot holes and really terrible acting. The make up and effects on the werewolves themselves are mediocre. The wolves don't even have legitimate claws, they come out of their fists like Wolverine! The film is terrible, it's not scary and really insults your intelligence.

However, that's the type of film that I enjoy sometimes. Sure Full Eclipse isn't going to win any major awards soon, but I'd watch this film over any recent Nicolas Cage film. I enjoyed this film on a comedic level, even though it's suppose to be a serious film. This film has a scary premise, consider it. Think about the idea that the Police were run by werewolves, outlandish, but if it were possible it'd be scary. This whole movie could be a metaphor for drugs. If you take drugs you will become an animal, and won't be able to control yourself. You know what, it's more of a metaphor for cult activity. Once you get in, you can't get out without blood being spilled.

Nevermind, this movie doesn't deserve much more review. Full Eclipse is laughable, but it's not worse than Vegas Vampires. In fact, you want a good time? Watch Full Eclipse and Vegas Vampires back to back, and enjoy the show. It doesn't add or take away much from the werewolf lore or stories from the past, even though it's definitely a sore spot for horror movie fans that saw this one.

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Thursday, August 13, 2009

After Dark Films Horrorfest Press Release

I was forwarded this complete press release from After Dark Films, as they are presenting Horrorfest 4! I'm excited to see that Clive Barker is involved in this and it's going to be so rad!

Here's the official Press release from After Dark Films Horrorfest 4

CLIVE BARKER CREATES A SENSE OF “DREAD” FOR
AFTER DARK FILMS’ HORRORFEST 4® LATEST ACQUISITION

--Directorial debut of Anthony DiBlasi in the
“8 Films To Die For”® Festival set for January 29, 2010--

Los Angeles, CA (July 21, 2009) — After Dark Films CEO Courtney Solomon announces the latest addition to After Dark Films’ Horrorfest4 lineup today in Hollywood. Anthony DiBlasi directs his own script of the eagerly anticipated Clive Barker tale, “DREAD,” which goes out to theatres January 29, 2010 as part of After Dark Films Horrorfest4 “8 Films To Die For”.

DREAD is the second film in the Book of Blood franchise. The action follows three college students who set out to produce a documentary about fear, only to find themselves the subjects of an experiment in terror. DiBlasi, a producing partner of Barker’s on such films as Book of Blood and Midnight Meat Train, makes his directorial debut with DREAD, working from his own screenplay. Jackson Rathbone (Twilight Saga and The Last Airbender) stars alongside Shaun Evans (Boy A), Hanne Steen and Laura Donnelly.

Clive Barker is a versatile artist and pop culture icon who hardly needs introduction to legions of fans worldwide. An author, director and producer, the English born Barker is renowned for his horror fiction and fantasy writings. The creator of the Hellraiser and Candyman series, Barker is also an acclaimed visual artist and distinguished playwright.

After Dark Films CEO Courtney Solomon calls the production “relentlessly disturbing and truly scary,” adding, “We are thrilled to have beaten the competition on this film as we just HAD to have it for Horrorfest!”

"Anthony, Clive, Joe and I couldn't be more excited about After Dark featuring DREAD in this year's festival, and handling its national release,” said Jorge Saralegui of Midnight Picture Show. “Their legendary, provocative marketing campaigns make them the perfect partners for a sexy and intense psycho-thriller like DREAD.”

Nigel Thomas of Matador Pictures added, “We’re delighted to be involved with After Dark. DREAD is a real crowd-pleaser and there’s nobody better to showcase it to our audience.”

Dread was produced by Clive Barker, Joe Daley and Jorge Saralegui of Midnight Picture Show, Nigel Thomas and Charlotte Walls of Matador Pictures and Lauri Apelian of Ocean Sky Entertainment. Essential Entertainment CEO Jere Hausfater and Director of Sales and Distribution, Mark Padilla, negotiated the deal on behalf of the producers with Dana Lambert, VP of Acquisitions at After Dark Films.

Both Barker and DiBlasi are repped by APA and Evolution Management.

After Dark Horrorfest 4 runs for one week in theatres across the United States, from January 29nd through February 4th, making it the largest film festival in the nation.

About After Dark Films:

Founded in 2006 by film producer/director/writer Courtney Solomon and real estate and textilefinancier Allan Zeman, After Dark Films is a leader in independent film finance, production and the acquisition of genre films for theatrical release.

After Dark is perhaps best known for its creation and execution of After Dark Horrorfest® – 8 Films to Die For® (www.horrorfestonline.com). Debuting in 2006, After Dark Horrorfest ® is a weeklong, nationwide film festival that celebrates all aspects of the horror genre. In its first year, Horrorfest became the first film festival in history to break into the Top 10 of the domestic box office, grossing more than $2.5 million. Additionally, it has sold over 1.6 million DVDs through distribution partner Lionsgate.

After Dark's initial film release was the box office success, An American Haunting (2006), written, directed and produced by Solomon. An American Haunting opened at the #2 spot in the nation and maintained its position for four weeks. Subsequent releases include The Abandoned; Skinwalkers, starring Jason Behr, Rhona Mitra and Matthew Knight; Captivity, starring Elisha Cuthbert and directed by Oscar-nominee Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields); and Frontier(s), directed by Xavier Gens (Hitman)

Earlier this year, After Dark Films announced its first foray into television, partnering with Lionsgate and IFC to co-produce the best selling book series, Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, written by Laurell K. Hamilton.

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.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Cube Review

Before Saw came through and people started using the terrible adjectives "Torture Porn" a Canadian science fiction film did the formula right. In 1997 a film directed by Vincenzo Natali, about a group of strangers that find themselves inside a cube, with no other information or recourse. The movie that I'll try to review for your reading, enjoyment, is called Cube.

Cube was released to mediocre fan fare because the budget wasn't exactly the size of Saw. The movie is an interesting piece of paranoia and horror. It relies heavily on abstract, rather than clear answers and had it been released in 2009, people would hate it and call it "torture porn".

Here is a trailer for the 1997 trailer film Cube:

The movie starts off with several strangers waking up in a box. This box has doors on each wall, the next room could be safe, or it could have a trap. The traps kill you instantly, and the opening sequences show us a crazy death with someone getting cut into several compact pieces, in a pre-cgi classic horror/gore kill. The movie progresses like all movies where strangers are found trapped, with the people involved wondering what's going on and trying to work together to move through to the outside world.

As the movie goes forward people start to find out more and more about themselves and how they got there. one guy even helped build the Cube which doesn't go over very well. Initially they figure out a number sequence to try and avoid traps, and things progress calmly.

The people start to argue and things go awry. Major plot points involve problems between the camp, and one guy is going nuts, while a woman is trying to go forward. There is even another problem with a mentally handicap person falling out of a door in a ceiling. This guy really helps make the movie a little more tense, with the group trying to progress and still help the disabled member.

The kills are not too gorey. While movies like Saw, P2, Vacancy, and Identity, involve death sequences that are not only full of blood are extremely focused. This movie doesn't create the sense that you're watching a snuff film or anything along those lines. The deaths are usually off camera, until the end of the film when all hell breaks loose.

If you hate math, you'll hate this movie. The movie works towards heavy math to figure out not only how to get out but where they are. Math is a central point to this movie, and in order to really understand what's going on a minor knowledge of prime factors, combination and numerology is needed. If you do not have any idea what the characters are talking about you will not enjoy this movie. There is also very little music, there is a lot of dead space, dead air, and silence, to push the tense suspense more and more to their advantage. You might find that boring.

Is Cube Scary? : Yes and No.

The movie really does a good job of showcasing despair. It really pushes the weightlessness of ideas if you're not good with numbers. It is painfully obvious that these people would die immediately if they did not figure out the whole geometry to the trapped rooms and the clean rooms. I, for example, would die immediately because I wouldn't know what is going on. Even in my post graduate status now, am confused as to how the prime factors of a cube would create a way out in a cube world! It's like a bad case of Tetris to me.

The movie is kind of like reading a Kafka novel. I enjoy it, but it doesn't make sense sometimes and the over powering message seems to be lost in the end of the film. The film really doesn't strive to be much more than a suspense filled thriller of a film.

It's not scary at times because the music, the dead space and interval shots of the interior cube rotating. Much like my critique of The Dark Knight film showing too much aerial views of the outside of buildings, this film has a lot of shots that are just useless somehow.

I would recommend Cube to see where Saw came from, not that it had anything to do with Saw but it's a similar plot structure. I liked Cube the first time I saw it, but this time around it's not that great. It's a little slow, but it has a few moments that are slow, to the point where you want something to happen, and keep waiting.

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.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Interesting Horror Movies Released 8/11/2009

This week in horror movie releases isn't the most exciting. I threw in some filler, I admit it. Hang in there with these links, pick something up and support this site. I want to grow it into a dot com but I need to raise funds to do so. Here are the horror movies released 8/11/2009, enjoy:

Alien Trespass DVD
The Crypt DVD
Dark Rising DVD
Devil in the Flesh DVD
Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid BLU RAY DVD BOX SET
The Last Resort DVD
Lone Wolf and Cub Collection 1 DVD
The Ninth Gate BLU RAY DVD
Replicant BLU RAY DVD
See No Evil BLU RAY DVD
Spring of Life DVD
Starman BLU RAY DVD
The Weekend Murders DVD
The Wild Man of the Navidad DVD

Don't worry, tomorrow I have a very special movie for review :).

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.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Amazon Online Indie DVD Sale

If you’re a fan of Indie film you’re in for a treat. Amazon online is having a huge Art House & International Sale with DVDs as low as $5.99 going on through the end of the month! The guys over at Amazon are have a huge clearance on tons of indie film on dvd. I for one am a big fan of indie, and will most likely be picking up a few Independent Movies online.

If you’re looking for something more high end, now is also you’re opportunity. Amazon’s Blu-Ray collections are now 2 for 1! 2 for 1 Blu Ray dvd sale going on now, and if you have buy any 2 blu ray discs from amazon you get an additional Blu Ray disc absolutely free!

Click here to check out Amazon’s huge dvd sale, before you miss out on another shot to build your movie and television show collections.

The Collector Review

This weekend I once again went to see a movie. The Collector was playing as so was another film that I wanted to see, but I settled for this one. The Collector is a movie from the guys that brought you Saw 4, 5 and 6, and I had some high hopes because I heard some good overall reviews for this film.

The Collector opens up with a problem. Our main character needs to save his family from financial turmoil, so he decides to rob the house that he was working on all week. It turns out that upon arriving to steal a rare jewel in the home, that someone is already there and the people in the house have been tied up. To make matters even more scary, the house is rigged with death traps, and there is a mysterious box in a closet that is rattling.

The movie has a duality issue. Does our main character deserve praise? He's a scumbag though! However, there is a masked man that is our major villain, like a throwback to slasher kings of the 80's. This movie goes from different tides, with more often than not pushing the gore elements and dare I say torture as a crux to move the plot. That being said, this movie is not based on torturing people, unless you mean mental anguish.

The movie progresses through some scary moments, and our main character wants to save the people at the house. Meanwhile the box, the box we discover has someone in it!

The movie is insane. The movie is well plotted, has some dark dark moments, and involves a lot of gore. The film is a classic throwback to formulas that made the 80's slasher genre so great. However, it mixes in a twist that is related to modern films that some might say are "torture porn", which I hate.

The movie is a good horror film, however, it suffers form nit picky moments. It is not without it's flaws, but it does measure up well enough to get praise. I liked it, and it was quite a good film in the horror genre. Now it's not going to win everyone, but it is gritty enough for me to enjoy it. Although, it is cliche at the end, and well...I am not sure if they are going to make this a franchise, it definitely has room for growth. I liked it.

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Friday, August 7, 2009

Rewind: Videodrome Review

If you haven't set your eyes on this classic, you should really see it. This movie could be the basis for term papers on sexuality and hedonism. However, it is not overtly surreal and it is not pornographic in its approach. It's a mind altering formula that can only be matched by stories from drug users. This film is not for everyone, and upon my original review (posted below) I found it quite disturbing.

I recently rewatched it, and still stand by my original review. This is a great film to introduce to fans of horror that say they've seen it all, but obviously missed this one. I liked Blondie in this, making her more than a disco/punk princess, and more of a hot blooded American woman. So today, we're rewinding to a review I posted at the inception of this site, a review of the film Videodrome; an instant classic.

Videodrome is the creepiest, weirdest, and coolest horror film I've ever seen. It features a younger James Woods as a television producer who's looking for the next big thing in "cult" and obscure television. One day he discovers a pirated air signal showing a program called Videodrome, and the fun begins.

At first I was trying to figure it all out, and it looks as though the main character, Max, is trying hard to locate the producers of the program "Videodrome" but along the way the movie has a way of unraveling what is really going on.

Max is dreaming, hallucinating, based on all the things he's viewing. At one point there is a doctor that claims that his hallucinations are due to a brain tumor, meanwhile, he's trying to figure out what is real and what is not real. At one point the main character is whipping a television set, a true metaphor for S&M of sorts, as the woman on the television set pretends to feel the painful strikes of the whip.

The woman, played by Deborah Harry (Blondie) is really good in this film, and surprising how young and pretty she looks, considering her latter work in films like "Spun" doesn't exactly portray her as the beauty she appears to be in this film.

I do not believe that I would have enjoyed this film if I was younger. I remember watching weird stuff like this when I was a teenager and it just didn't stick to me. However, now that I have been a little more traveled and read up, I realize that this film is more than just a horror movie, more than just a weird look into how reality and fantasy become blurs, once dipped in entertainment. This movie is strange, but it's good, and with robotic emphasis on the idea of videodrome as a controlling entity, the film takes a great turn for the better, creating an atmospheric, creepfest that is well worth the price of admission.

This movie is going to suck you in, and never let you go. From the visuals, to the S&M metaphors, and the complete disregard for critical praise, this film is amazing. James Woods is perfect, and the music plays a companion piece fo this amazing movie. It's truly the best creep-out, weird, film I've seen. Check it out, it'll suck you in...literally! Videodrome is a must see, a must buy, a must own!

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Vacancy 2: The First Cut Review

I'm not sure why I must do this, but I do it. I watched the straight to dvd sequel for Vacancy. Vacancy 2: The First Cut is probably one of the worst films that I've seen in recent memory, that wasn't suppose to be terrible. I mean, Vegas Vampires is one thing, but this thing is not in the same caliber.

Here is a trailer for the film Vacancy 2: The First Cut:

The movie opens up much like the first film, with a couple on a road trying to get to a hotel. They are newly weds, and eventually land at the Motel. The camera's turn from professional to lower grade to show that there are voyeurs in the motel. If you're a fan of sex scenes, you'll be glad to know that this film puts things into full gear right away with sexual situations. While this is somewhat out of place, the movie then gets into slasher mode. The film really gets disjointed at this point and from the first slaying, caught on tape, to the second couple that shows up to the motel, you really aren't sure what's going on.

The overall storyline is that people are trapped at a hotel, and the hotel is filming snuff films. However, where the first film had a good set up with some great payback at the end of the film, this one really struggled to get its bearings and really never finished off that way, it was just a long painful set up to what should've been some unnerving action.

The film struggles to place itself into a story line that is similar to the first film. While the first film was creepy and had some major hits, this film suffered from a lot of things. From bad acting, bad sequencing, and very poor edits, the film really has few redeeming qualities.

The only great part to me, in this film, was when a couple of teens run into a strangers home for help. The people at the house help them, but once the motel owners show up tension gets high. I won't ruin the scene for you, but this was definitely a highlight for me.

I admit, I wasn't expecting much out of this film, and it delivered less than that. This film is a terrible movie, and I really didn't like it. The ending was ok, with the first snuff tape changing hands and continuing the storyline ripe for a third film.

Where the first film was heavily character driven, this film was plot driven and really done poorly. I won't even debate whether or not this film is scary, because it's not worth it. It's worth checking out if you're curious, but Vacancy 2: The First Cut fails on all levels. It really bored me, and while I found some of the scenes weren't half bad, the overall film is just poorly done and executed.

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