THE WICKED ONE

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to start off by saying thank you to Andy Palmer of Petri Entertainment for allowing me early access to an online screener of “The Wicked One”, a Horror/Slasher film Co-Written/Directed by Tory Jones. The Wicked One follows a five-some made up of two couples and a friend, headed by Alex (played by Katie Stewart) and Adam (Dale Miller) who plan a weekend away to the country for a Halloween inspired concert. Along with couple, Quinton and Kris (played by Adam Atherton and Jessica Bloom) and fifth wheel, Olivia (Sonya Delormier), the group find themselves being hunted by a recently escaped serial killer who goes by the name “The Wicked One” (played by Jack Norman). The film also stars Cheyenne Gordon, Deb Perkins and James Tackett. I thought I’d reach out to Petri Entertainment after having seen and reviewed a couple of Palmer’s films in “Badlands Of Kain” and “The Funhouse Massacre”, two really good quality films *see reviews* https://adamthemoviegod.com/badlands-of-kain-review/ and https://adamthemoviegod.com/the-funhouse-massacre-review/.                                          It’s great to see Andy not only making films but distributing them as well.                   Thanks go to Tory Jones as well.

THE GOOD

You don’t have to look all that far to see that Director, Tory Jones is first and foremost a fan of the slasher sub-genre, particularly some of those films from the early 80’s. Filmmakers don’t usually opt to shoot this kind of film unless they are big fans of the genre. These days originality is pretty much all but unattainable (unless you’re the extremely creative type), so the next best thing to do is to at least attempt to pay homage to the kinds of films you’re imitating. I like the look of the Wicked One mask but that’s probably because I’ve seen it before. It’s essentially a mash-up of the villain’s mask from David Ryan Keith’s “The Redwood Massacre” *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/the-redwood-massacre-review/ and the killer in Rene Perez’s, “Playing With Dolls” (films which were both made prior to this). Now that’s all just semantics really, it’s not enough to put me off the film but nonetheless, I’ve seen it before and I’ll no doubt see it again. Along with having a small role in the film, Roman Jossart was the DP. I remember Jossart from “Don’t Fuck In The Woods” but I had no idea he had the technical know-how in his skill set. Most of the framing looks good and some of the camera techniques are quite impressive given this is a low-budget affair. The primary location is a lovely, heavily wooded area and the film opens with a nice tracking shot as Colin comes up and out of the cellar. Later, there’s another reverse tracking shot as he chases a girl through an area of the asylum that’s under construction. In addition, a high to low panning shot is used outside the asylum and my favourite sequence employs three or four superbly smooth shots of a man in an antique store.

The music was a bit hit and miss for me but like most things, its subjective. The live band used in the film are called “Vintage Voodoo”, they’re essentially a Rock band that sound like something from the 80’s or early 90’s. I preferred the fusion sounding synth score to the band, though even that was a little one-dimensional and didn’t manage to elevate the  suspense level. Some of Tory’s little nods to several classic slasher flicks added a nice touch. Characters and location names are taken from past films and there was even a tip of the hat to Ryan Nicholson’s “Gutterballs”, with the inclusion of a party-goer that dons a bowling ball bag atop his head. Jones script reveals a sufficient amount of exposition surrounding Colin (aka The Wicked One) and the inner workings of his mind, but it’s mostly through the writing, not visually. He’s said to have heard voices and that’s the reason for the murders, regrettably the viewer doesn’t get much more than that thin pointer. The performances are fairly standard for this type of affair but I still liked seeing Stewart and Miller pair up again, the two previously acted in a short I reviewed called “Hazard” *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/hazard-review-2/. Atherton supplies a bit of comedic relief and Bloom is serviceable, although she’s given very little to work with. Gordon plays Travis, Alex’s brother. Most of the internal drama stems from their rocky relationship. I respect the writing surrounding Olivia’s character arc, because in the beginning she’s somewhat of an unknown, whereas you feel like you know pretty much all there is to know about the others. There’s a decent body count on display and some solid practical blood spray during most of the kills. On the downside, several of the deaths occur off-screen and there’s no real prosthetics or gags to speak of, which is rare for a slasher these days. Keep in mind that this is a low-budget independent film, that said, at the very least it needed more blood spray.

THE BAD

A lot of my complaints with The Wicked One are technical related ones, but there’s also personal preferences with the content too. The cinematography is not without fault. On more than one occasion it seems as if Jossart is trying to find the desired distance for the shot mid-frame, and then just eventually settles on an over the shoulder shot. That option is used numerous times throughout the film, there’s also a bit of uneven camera work in the scene that reveals Trevor sitting in the graveyard. Those inconsistencies only stand out because everything else is so well shot. The film begins with a brief section of home video footage, static tape lines and on-screen data to accompany it. The whole thing feels rather unnecessary considering it transitions straight into modern footage shortly there after. Though that may have just been Jones showing his appreciation for the days of VHS and SOV (shot on video). What follows is the first death in the film, which I must say was a little lack-lustre. I mean you never really lead with a standout death (for the most part), but this one looks as if the effects team hadn’t quite worked out their blood coloring and consistency before shooting, so the result doesn’t hit the mark. Audio, Lighting and Music are all suspect at different stages throughout the film. The external scenes have fairly consistent audio but the dialogue sequences inside the asylum, either hiss or echo and you can’t always make out what the characters are saying. There’s a cool “Jaws” esq, three note piano piece used in part of the film, but it leads into a scene that isn’t remotely suspenseful, yet an earlier scene that could have used it doesn’t. Then there’s another eerie piano score that bleeds over into a dialogue scene between Alex and Olivia, where once again nothing is really happening. The lighting is probably the most disappointing aspect of the film. Most of the color appears washed out (which may have been the intention) and from scene to scene the quality of light changes. There’s such a contrast, with shots outside looking considerably better than anything inside. The diner scene is far too dark and so is the asylum content, so much so that you can’t always see the actors faces. The various wide shots utilizing yellow inside the barn, look fantastic. It’s a pity the same can’t be said about all those close-ups during the romance between Quinton and Kris. That part of the film doesn’t look as if it was lit at all, nothing in the shot draws you in because it’s all murky.

I know we’re all inspired by something, but it pays to breathe some of your own creativity into your writing (I’m not saying that’s easy). I understand that it’s a difficult thing to do, especially if you’re exposed to a lot of films, but if there’s not even a trace of it then what you end up with is just a rehash of formulaic clichés. Slasher fans aren’t usually that hard to please (well most of us) but when Jones unfortunately lifts enough of a scene from Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” to raise a red flag, it’s hard for a reviewer to ignore it. Other questionable particulars occur, such as a muzzle like contraption covering Colin’s face, (Hannibal Lector eat your heart out) then his placed in an asylum/institute of which you just know he’s just going to break out of. Then head of the facility, Sybil Shaw (Perkins) walks us through the dangerous criminals they house, throw in a trio of hapless and childish security guards making bets and you’ve got yourself a scene from Halloween (more or less). Come to think of it, “The Funhouse Massacre” begins in almost the same fashion (though it had to be that way for the origin of the story to work). The dialogue between said guards during those scenes is predictable and immature, fortunately it gets a little better as the story picks up with Alex and Co. Speaking of dialogue, Perkins is guilty of momentarily pausing a few times during her early scenes, as if she’s thinking about her lines prior to actually saying them. There’s more than a handful of specifics here that don’t add up either. For example, Sybil claims that the facility holds all the worst serial killers from around the world, yet we’re told that Colin only killed five people. I’m not sure if that classifies the worst of the worst but okay, I can swallow that part. So these guys are dangerous then? The most dangerous psychopaths you can get, right? Well okay then, one might ask why the rooms clearly have wooden doors attached to them. It probably wasn’t a great decision to show those four or five wooden doors being opened by guards for guests to take a gander inside, especially because the other prisoners have no real bearing on Colin escaping (he would have anyways). Bringing me to my next question, How was he able to get free from the restraints in the first place? I guess the same way Michael Myers did. You don’t actually get to see Colin escape, it’s one of those times they conveniently cut to an irrelevant conversation instead, and later return to the old body switcharoo. I would’ve loved a more realistic approach in order to move that part of the story forward. It’s also established quite early on that Adam comes from a military background, though when it comes to his combat skills you wouldn’t know it. He’s less than useless. He gets his ass beat numerous times by The Wicked One, so I’m not sure about that one.

I’ve been highly anticipating the release of The Wicked One since following it from its pre-production phase through to the re-shoot. It’s nice to see it finally come top fruition. Tory’s love for the iconic slasher film is ever-present with this ambitious attempt, so I give him some credit. I do like the mask and that the antagonist has a reliable past grounded in reality. A sizeable amount of the cinematography looks great and these guys are only going to continue to improve. Some of the synth score fits the mold and there’s some solid practical blood and gore effects that look good. The performances do range a bit but everyone is serviceable given the amount of experience and the budget constraints that go along with that. It’s unfortunate that a lot of the technical aspects weren’t carried out as well as they could have been. The score needed a lot of restructuring and editing, the audio must have been a constant battle and the lighting just simply isn’t adequate, at times barely even present. A lot of those imperfections can often be chalked up to budget and time constraints but the failed inner workings of the script were certainly preventable. I had difficulty looking past the holes in the specifics and some of those sequences that almost border plagiarism. More practical effects and excessive graphic kills would’ve been a welcomed distraction, but I understand that’s not always possible. Hardcore slasher fans might be able to find something in here that I couldn’t, so be sure to check out the trailer below. You can also pre-order the film here if you’re interested: https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-One/dp/B06WPBNMWC/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1492429666&sr=1-2&keywords=the+wicked+one

My rating for “The Wicked One” is 4/10

SABLE

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to say thank you to Writer/Director, Michael Matteo Rossi (Misogynist) for allowing me early access to an online screener of his Crime/Drama film, “Sable”. Sable is about a young woman (of the same name, played by Ayla Kell) who dreams of a fresh start in Wymoing and the ultimate happy ending. Sable’s plans are temporarily derailed when her unpredictable boyfriend, Landon (Jon Briddell) accidentally kills a man. Needing to cover their tracks, they end up becoming involved with a mysterious socialite named Andreas (Rodney Eastman of I Spit On Your Grave). The film also stars Chris Petrovski (TV’s Madam Secretary), Bojesse Christopher (Point Break), Nicole Alexandra Shipley (Buddy Hutchins) and Brianna Mazzola. I didn’t realize that “Loss Of Life”, a solid found footage style horror film that I reviewed way back in 2013, was actually Co-Directed by Rossi *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/loss-of-life-review/. Michael started making short films ten years ago and has since added three or four full length features to his body of work. It’s nice to get reacquainted with him, I have his previous film “Misogynist” but much like a lot of my collection, it remains unwatched (haha).

THE GOOD

In a round about way, Rossi’s script reminded of another indie Crime/Drama I reviewed called “Misfortune” *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/misfortune-review/, there’s actually even a touch of 1993’s “True Romance” about it minus the violent content. The comparisons aren’t necessarily made to what’s on-screen, just the way in which the story forms. The ethos being ones attempt to better their current lot in life (much the same as Clarence Worley does in the latter film). There’s a good amount of experience between DP’s (director of photography), Corey Waters and Jason Weary and it definitely shows here, exhibit A (see image above). It’s not that often that I venture into low-budget (relatively speaking) films expecting the highest quality technical aspects, so I was surprised with the result. A majority of the framing looks good and the cinematography clean and compact. My favourite sequence takes the viewer through Andreas’s private club, utilizing a series of stellar tracking shots, its stylish. The audio levels are nice and clear, minus one or two spikes that’ll catch you off guard, and Chris Petrovski tries his hand at some narration and does it quite well. Most of the editing is smooth and I particularly like the way in which the time lapses are used (normally something I don’t like). It took me a while but I eventually warmed to the score when the orchestral themes took front and centre. Initially I liked the opening ballad, which sounds similar to a piece that “Explosions In The Sky” would write, but then there was a lull for a while. The best technical aspect on display here has to be the lighting, its exquisite. It starts on the highest of highs, with that opening alley shot bathed with yellows and greens, to the yellow streetlights while Sable and Landon talk in the car. Lighting for the club scene feels as if it was inspired by the likes of a Nicolas Winding Refn film (Drive and Only God Forgives), the mixture of pinks and blues look amazing.

I found a few familiar faces in the cast of Sable and for the best part, the performances were solid. Kell leads well from the front, not only does she look lovely but she appropriately gauges the required apprehension for her characters private encounters with Andreas. I’d only seen her on one other occasion in the creature feature “Snakehead Swamp”, so I was impressed with her take on a much more serious role. As for Petrovski, he plays the part of Colton, the angst filled and somewhat repressed son of Landon (Briddell). He’s had roles in Rossi’s “Loss Of Life”, as well as the teen slasher “All Cheerleaders Die” and more recently CBS’s “Madam Secretary”. He definitely looks the part, covered with creative ink and sporting an attitudinal problem that makes for solid drama. I think he more than held his own and I liked how his character was used in order to fuse the arcs of the other lead characters. Rodney Eastman has had a 30 year-long career, mostly as that guy you kind of recognize from something but you can’t quite put your finger on exactly what it is. It wasn’t until Steven R. Monroe’s unrelenting but superb remake of the exploitation cult classic, “I Spit On Your Grave” that I really saw what a talented actor he was. I didn’t really have any interest in his character in this one but he did what was required of him in the role. Jon Briddell delivers a firm performance and boy does he look a dead ringer for fellow actor Viggo Mortensen, I’m looking forward to seeing Jon in Rossi’s other aforementioned film. Brianna Mazzola’s, “Karen” fits into the film quite nicely too. Secondary characters like Nicole and Bojesse’s help fill out the world of the story but have little bearing on any of the film’s key events.

THE BAD

The bulk of the technical aspects are really well handled but not everything’s perfect and there are some hiccups along the way. In the opening act there are sequences where the actors heads are framed rather unusually, although that could just be down to what your preference is for the shot. The sun wreaks havoc spilling light onto the lens during a flashback scene by the pool involving Lilian (Shipley) and her boyfriend Zac (Atli Fjalarsson). In another scene involving Karen and Marco (Christopher), there’s several frames where an indistinct reflection can be seen and it’s a bit off-putting (may just be the screener copy). For the most part the music is appropriately arranged, but on occasion the drama heavy score drops out abruptly while one scene transitions to the next. I think Rossi wrote a befitting script for the genre but he’s guilty of some sluggish pacing and the lazy overuse of profanity in the dialogue. The first act is certainly a slow-burn, no action to speak of. Sable is pretty plainly built around the crisis the two find themselves in, and those internal dramas that go along with their respective relationships to the other characters. Now that’s fine if you’re building to something bigger and better in the climax, unfortunately I don’t think that was the case here. The script fails to deliver on the crime aspect, nor does it give any real edge to Andreas, the supposed antagonist of the piece (for lack of a better word). Sure, you go back and forth on him perhaps being somewhat misunderstood or even lonely but there’s simply no passion, he offers up very little in the way of sensibility. Flashbacks come on without warning, nothing obvious for the viewer in the edit or transition titles to depict what you’re seeing. You’re temporarily taken out of what might have been a key scene and planted in a different setting altogether with new characters that haven’t been introduced prior.

I think the biggest hindrance to the credibility of the story lies with some of the specifics, and to a further extent Rossi’s casting. Don’t get me wrong, the performances are good so I don’t mean it in that sense, but I shouldn’t really be questioning each of the three key characters and their relationships to one another. More of the audience than not are probably going to think the same thing as me in assuming Landon is looking out for his daughter in the beginning of the film, but is he? Is it his daughter or someone else altogether? The early interactions between Sable and Colton back up those sentiments. It feels far to natural for two people who may have only just met each other (for all the audience knows). Ayla and Chris even look as if they could pass for siblings. The truth behind the relationship is revealed quite early but it remained a hard pill to swallow for the duration of the film, especially when I see there’s a 24 year age gape between Kell and Briddell. Rossi does save face somewhat though because later, during a flashback, there’s a piece of dialogue that raises the age difference, so there’s that. The scene where Sable knocks on Colton’s door (while he is mid intercourse) requesting help is a strange one too. It seems more appropriate that Landon would be the one to set the whole thing in motion, given what transpires is due to his own doing. I guess we’re led to believe that he has mentioned Colton to Sable and so she’s familiar with him, because there’s no questioning, Who the hell are you? Or how do you know Landon? etc. Making matters worse is there’s a scene of good-natured verbal banter between the two later in the film but it’s jarring and completely misplaced. It’s as if the two have known each other forever, yet in the beginning we learn that Colton has essentially had nothing to do with Landon for such a long period of time. In hindsight, there’s probably not quite enough layers in the content to warrant a full length feature and therefore it halters the films betterment.

Sable is an intriguing Crime/Drama film, albeit much more about the family dynamics of the characters than the display of actual criminal behavior. I liked the premise of the film and its polished technical aspects really impressed. The cinematography gives it a high production value, the audio is clean and the soundtrack steadily lifts. The colorful lighting was absolutely gorgeous and I commend the crew on executing that aspect so well. Everyone turned in consistent performances and I always enjoy seeing familiar faces working across the independent film community. The story has its moments and the acting keeps it moving along. The downsides are that it’s missing the crucial component of a well-rounded antagonist and it also stifles in its pacing, especially when the clunky flashbacks are present. Sable is essentially missing its element of crime, I suppose there’s a hint of it there but it gets lost in the grounded drama, something the trailer doesn’t convey as accurately as it probably could. I don’t think the film needed re-casting per say but something needed to be done about the ages. Unfortunately several other key character interactions fell down and I found it very difficult to set that age difference between Sable and Landon aside, something you’ll need to do in order to stay completely invested in the story. Rossi’s not even 30 yet and he’s honing his craft, getting a fair bit right here. That said, there’s still plenty of room for improvement in his writing and I look forward to seeing what he does next. Keep an eye out for Sable if you want to check it out!

My rating for “Sable” is 5/10

CARVED

THE SETUP

Firstly I’d just like to say thank you to Co-Writer and Director, Mary Russell for sending me the link to her 12 minute, Horror/Thriller short “Carved”. Carved follows Eden (played by Marissa Crisafulli) and her three friends who are on a road trip to Vegas for the weekend. Unbeknownst to them, the soul of a violent prison inmate begins possessing them one by one. The film also stars Chia Chen, Angelica Chitwood, Kate Nichols, Christopher Karbo and Paris Dylan. I got lucky and stumbled across the IMDb page for Carved and discovered that Mary not only writes/produces and directs, but she’s done some acting as well. This is her directorial debut but she’s since made several more shorts that I’m sure will be released in the near future.

THE GOOD

Let’s start with Daniella Batsheva’s eye-catching poster illustration because it’s a big part of the reason I was interested in Carved. I’m a sucker for hand drawn artwork and this is great, so to is the supernatural premise behind Russell’s film. Carved opens with some slick establishing shots while immediately introducing us to Officer Jenner (Karbo) and his violent prisoner (played by Dylan) mid facility transfer (maybe?), and that’s where things take an interesting turn. The film is pretty well shot and the audio levels are nice and clear. The score consists of mostly synth and sounds reminiscent of the music in some of Stephen King’s film adaptions. The lighting is probably my favourite aspect of the film, especially considering a majority of the short takes place at night. Those scenes in the car with the girls in transit are most noteworthy. The visual effects are adequate given the budget and there’s a decent amount of practical blood spraying across the screen during the 12 minutes. Most of the cast weren’t given a lot to work with in terms of character development but the performances are mostly solid. The combination of Chitwood, who plays “Eboni”, and Crisafulli as “Eden”, does work quite well.

THE BAD

Much like with most sophomore attempts there’s a few issues, but it’s not anything that really weighs the film down. Some of the framing is a little close at times, particularly during the first couple of minutes but that kind of criticism is just down to creative license and personal preference. In the same series of shots there’s something odd going on with the visual backdrop, again later when we see the girls car traveling on the road, I don’t know if perhaps that was done with CG or not (not sure). Some of Greg Nicolett’s music is simply too loud in the mix and chunks of the dialogue are riddled with extra profanity that isn’t essential for the viewer to realize the gravity of the girls situation. Most of the general interaction felt real enough but Chen’s crying fell flat and the ending of Carved is rather predictable.

Carved makes for a nice introduction to the works of Mary Russell, I was entertained for its duration. I love the poster art and the script definitely has a hint of Stephen King’s “Desperation” meets “The Hitcher” about it. It’s well shot, the score works and the stylistic lighting helps make for an atmospheric little thriller. There’s pretty girls and some nice blood flow, even if the direction of it all is somewhat expected. Some more attention to detail on the technical front would have just tidied up what’s already a solid product. Odd weak moment aside, it serves its purpose and I’d definitely recommend this to fans of the genre! You can check it out at the link below, Enjoy!

My rating for “Carved” is 6.5/10

http://www.blumhouse.com/2016/09/06/exclusive-online-world-premiere-of-the-horror-short-carved/

KREEP

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to say thank you again to Circus Wheel Productions and Writer/Director, Brett Bentman for allowing me early access to an online screener of his latest film “Kreep”. Kreep is a Crime/Drama that follows a young Hispanic woman, aka Kreep (played by Lymari Nadal), whose being pursued across West Texas by the dangerous bounty hunter, Grady (Charles Baker from TV’s, Breaking Bad). Along the way she crosses paths with farmer, Whitman Thaw (Judd Nelson from The Breakfast Club) and together the two are thrust into a life or death situation. The film also stars Steven Michael Quezada (Breaking Bad), Linda Gehringer (TV’s Justified), Mollie Milligan and Damon Carney. I recently reviewed Bentman’s two previous films, “Apocalypse Road” and “The Night Before” *see reviews* https://adamthemoviegod.com/apocalypse-road-review/ and https://adamthemoviegod.com/the-night-before-review-2/. Apocalypse Road was a gripping drama about two sisters fighting for survival in an ever changing world and The Night Before was a home invasion thriller centered around a mother and her daughter on Halloween. Brett’s latest venture feels a little like an old school western, but with heavy dramatic themes, again very different to both of his other films. If there’s a constant in his work it’s the importance he places on character relationships.

THE GOOD

After having seen three or four Texas-based films back to back, I get the feeling that whole setting is automatically going to get me on board anything Circus Wheel Productions puts out in the future. As it is I’m a pretty big fan of Western’s and there’s no better place to shoot them than in Texas. Once again Bentman delivers on high production value, making the most of minimal locations and a few recognizable faces. Both the audio track and dialogue are nice and clear. The cinematography in each of Brett’s films has been a cut above what I’m used to seeing in the world of independent film (at least outside the confines of horror). Michael Ray Lewis was the DP (director of photography) on both of Brett’s previous films so I was surprised to see Travis Jones taking the reigns here. I wasn’t sure how another set of eyes would affect the aesthetics, but that was quickly put to bed after a series of gorgeous aerial shots over the Texas plains, not to mention a number of other wonderful establishing shots of property fence lines, fields of hay and bare highways. Everything is nicely framed and the clever focus pulls and zooming techniques scream professionalism. My favourite sequence of shots sees the lens aimed up from the dirt, focusing on Grady and his right hand man Slopes (Derrico Thomas) as they’re tracking Kreep. I was looking forward to hearing what type of score Brett might have opted for here, especially considering this has more of a western vibe than anything else. There’s plenty of that complementary acoustic blues guitar, but it’s the inclusion of both banjo and mandolin that help give it a slightly different feel. Some effective violin strokes are also thrown into the mix during some of the more suspenseful moments.

Given that more than half of the film takes place outside, I thought Brett and his crew battled the lighting issues extremely well. As I was watching things play out, I had one eye on continuity regarding the weather and how this might have been cut together from all the footage. You can usually hide some imperfections during the color grading process but overall this was really well blocked, a wonderful job by the grips. There’s no intense light piercing the frame or the actors faces and all the internal bar and house scenes are suitably lit as well. I’d be lying if I said Judd Nelson wasn’t a big part of the reason I wanted to check this one out. He turns in a very fresh performance, playing a recluse farmer whose fallen on hard times emotionally and financially. This is much more of a reserved an internal performance than it is a scene stealing one. Lymari plays the principal character of Kreep and you’re not completely sure what to make of her. She’s made some poor decisions and occupies that grey area for most, if not all the film, but it’s that age-old saying of desperate times call for desperate measures. The brief reunion of BB alumni in Baker and Quezada will be sure to warm a few people’s hearts (even though they don’t have any scenes together). Baker gets to play something with a little more backbone than “Skinny Pete” and he does a serviceable job playing a pretty standard antagonist. Much the same as in “The Night Before”, Quezada plays a cop who only appears in a brief sequence, but he does what he can with it. The secondary female roles of Isabella and Millie (played by Gehringer and Milligan respectively) were welcomed additions. In Brett’s previous work, namely Apocalypse Road, the secondary characters had no real arc or bearing to events or furthering the plot, but I’m pleased to say that’s not the case with Kreep. Both women deliver punchy performances and are perhaps solely responsible (along with the writing) for winning me over with the direction the climax takes.

THE BAD

Right from her opening moments on-screen Kreep is quite a dour young woman, seemingly stern and stubborn which makes for a tricky protagonist to want to root for. As a few layers of her metaphorical onion get peeled away we start to learn a little more about her during the journey with Whitman. There’s a scene early in the first act where the two stop in to see her stepmom.. foster mom (one of the two), any who… needless to say, the two have never seen eye to eye and a connotation of violence and abuse from the past is clearly evident. After copping an earful from her terminally ill former guardian, Kreep storms out only to come back moments later with her own barrage of insults. The sequence itself might have been powerful with better delivery, but it’s diminished with forced dialogue and a misplaced piece of fusion music in the background. I felt that most of the shortcomings in the film were simply due to lack of conversation between our two lead characters. That argument is two-fold though I suppose, because one, you want any bond between two characters to feel like its grown organically across time, but on the other hand you need to give the viewer enough to warrant them sticking with it for the long haul.

I know in life we don’t always dive right into divulging everything that’s made us who we are, but in Kreep when there were times that felt appropriate for things to be revealed, they weren’t. Nelson’s character doesn’t seem at all phased by the situation he finds himself in, now in light of the things we come to learn I suppose that can be understood to a degree. It still doesn’t explain why he didn’t immediately ask where she got the money from before making a decision on what to do. Why would he get involved? I’d say the financial incentive but he didn’t seem to place much importance on his land nor remaining on it. I wanted more exposition surrounding Kreep, not just a bare bones outline, so that way when push came to shove I could actually care. Why had she left the child? What had happened to her partner? Why was there question surrounding who the father was? A few to many questions were left unanswered to fully satisfy me, and I don’t know if it was some of her dialogue or just a lack of conviction from Nadal, but her performance came across as somewhat inconsistent. I was also a bit disappointed that the action wasn’t a little more gritty, save that final showdown.

Circus Wheel Productions have been working flat-out, having shot three or four films in the space of a couple of years, each one very different from the next. Kreep is like a cross between the Coen’s remake of “True Grit” and the Australian, Crime/Drama “The Rover”. I like the western genre themes and the Texas setting which is perfectly showcased through outstanding aerial shots. The cinematography is slick, the color grading bleak, and the lighting expertly established when you take into account the challenges of an outdoor shoot. I really like the unique mix of instruments used in the score and Bentman’s frequent ability to cast the right people in the right roles. It’s great to see Nelson doing something completely different, Baker as more of a heavyweight and Nadal return with the first film I’ve seen her in since “American Gangster”. I think the film’s strongest aspect has to be those interesting secondary characters of Isabella and Millie (the details of which I won’t spoil). I don’t have a lot of complaints with Kreep other than the lack of conversation between our two lead characters, that and the fact that we don’t really learn much about them until it’s almost too late. I think Lymari’s character and performance are going to divide audiences and that might determine how much you’ll get out of this one upon repeated viewings. It’s a quick run time of 75 minutes and there’s plenty to like here, so be sure to check out the trailer and keep and eye out for its official release!

My rating for “Kreep” is 6.5/10

THE NIGHT BEFORE

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to start off by saying thank you to Circus Wheel Productions and Writer/Director, Brett Bentman (Apocalypse Road) for allowing me early access to an online screener of his latest film “The Night Before”. The Night Before is a Horror/Thriller that follows mother, Kristina (played by Rachel G. Whittle) and her daughter, Penny (Kimi Acosta) on the eve of Halloween. With an escaped mental patient on the loose, the authorities request that the townspeople do their trick or treating a day early. Come the end of the night, Kristina and her young daughter find themselves being held captive by a psychotic man in a gas mask (played by Tom Zembrod). The film also stars Steven Michael Quezada (from TV’s Breaking Bad), Eric Hanson, Tiffany McEvers and Drew Farmer. I recently reviewed Bentman’s wonderful post apocalyptic drama, “Apocalypse Road” *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/apocalypse-road-review/. It’s refreshing to find independent film makers who aren’t necessarily tied to any one genre and Brett is one of those, with two of his upcoming films being grounded in Western and Sci-fi.

THE GOOD

I found The Night Before had a few things working in its favor right from the get go. The poster art, at least in relation to the mask, looks similar to the classic 70’s Romero film “The Crazies” with a bit of Scott Schirmer’s, “Found” thrown in for good measure, it looks nice. The selling point for genre fans is the combination of a Halloween holiday setting and the films home invasion scenario. One of the unique specifics in The Night Before is Brett’s approach to flipping the rules within the foundation on their head. Once again, the audio track is crisp and clear as is all the foley. Due to a majority of the film taking place at night, there’s more creativity involved with the lighting style. The internal shots are plainly lit but there’s plenty of color radiating off the front of the house and near the barn. Michael Ray Lewis acts as DP on The Night Before (director of photography), and much like in AR, does a superb job with the cinematography. I’m a sucker for these particular locations and this is just one of many examples of small town USA, (somewhere in Texas to be more accurate). It lends itself perfectly to the genuine cinematic feel which is impressive given the film’s budget. There’s a number of gorgeous aerial shots showcasing the town, its healthy nature strips and the impressive housing. Each of Lewis and Bentman’s shots are expertly framed and there’s some really great dolly/tracking shots throughout the course of the film, most notably during a sequence in a bar with Kristina and her soon to be ex, Michael (Hanson). The opening musical theme helps set the ominous mood early. A “Final Destination” like orchestral score, mixed with piano plays through the introduction, and then much like Bentman’s previous film, the bass kicks in as the situation magnifies.

With a quick run time of just 78 minutes, The Night Before doesn’t get bogged down in too much of its own exposition and that’s one of its key strengths. The audience is immediately introduced to a man shortly revealed to be Jasper. Following that, Detective Perez (Quezada) tells a family of locals about the recent escape of the tormented and abused man, warning them to stay on guard. For most of the movie that’s all we’ve got to go on in regard to the mask wearing stranger, though I love the way Brett presents said scene with Perez and the local family. Shots of the detective in the house describing Jasper are intercut with voice over and frames of what appears to be a man navigating an area nearby. Much like in Bentman’s, Apocalypse Road the casting here is really good as well, especially with the mother and daughter pairing of Whittle and Acosta. It definitely doesn’t hurt that the two look the part, but that being said, they’re still able to gauge that natural chemistry with one another which isn’t always easy to do. Kudos have to go to Brett for getting Steven Quezada on board, whose Steve Gomez from “Breaking Bad” will probably forever be etched in our minds. He’s a natural in front of the camera and does his thing yet again, as a cop none the less (haha). Tom Zembrod, the Bill Moseley look-a-like of all look-a-likes if there ever was one, plays the antagonist of the film and turns in another decent and consistent performance. McEvers and Hanson round out the cast with serviceable secondary roles. There are some brief practical effects on display but this one plays as much more of a suspense/thriller.

THE BAD

The first thing that stood out to me and probably will to horror fans alike, is the inclusion of the token gas mask (hazmat mask, whatever you want to call it). You might draw comparisons to those previously mentioned films, or perhaps something different altogether, either way it’s been done. Now let’s not act like The Night Before is the only genre film guilty of this, I critiqued “HazMat”, “Scrape”, “Found” and a number of other independent films in the same manner due to that exact identifiable specific. Personally, it doesn’t really bother me, nor does it curb my overall judgement of the film, it just has to be acknowledged is all. My other issue surrounding the mask is the noise it makes. Even taking into account Jasper’s back story, his breathing through the tube sounds like purring from a cat, only further enhanced, and it gets rather tedious over the course of the whole film. I thought the performances from the husband and wife that Perez visits in the beginning were rather flat, fortunately they don’t play any significant part in proceedings. The Night Before definitely plays as a slow-burner in terms of action based escalation and that’s something I wasn’t expecting. It’s really without warning that Jasper appears (think Shyamalan’s, “Split”) but in this case it has little to no impact, whether that be from a shock and suspense point of view or simply just the missing lead in. I’m glad that Quezada was in this film but I can’t help feeling like he was just shoehorned in. I say that because he only visits the one family in what is seemingly a decent sized town (bit of a stretch). There’s also no scenes that take place in or around the facility that’s mentioned, hell, even questioning of the staff would have been a welcomed inclusion. There was a lot more room to move here and unfortunately it wasn’t taken full advantage of.

In my opinion The Night Before falls down somewhat because of its marketing and I’m afraid audiences may be a little misled. There’s actually very little horror in the film, it’s much more a suspense/thriller than it is anything else and that’s where I think it comes unstuck. If you’re approaching the material with tension in mind and not gore, then it’s got to be good, and unfortunately, while there’s glimpses of suspense, overall the intensity dips too often throughout the film to really elevate it in its fitting genre. The way in which Jasper first surprises Kristina and her daughter is evidence of that, it didn’t go the way I was hoping. Brett appears to set the scene nicely, placing the antagonist in an interesting pose but then when it comes to delivery it falls flat, I think the timing may have effected it. I admit that I was a little blindsided by the trailer and such, so my complaints with the lack of kills and on-screen gore is just purely personal preference and probably not completely justified now I know Bentman’s intent behind the film. For what was ultimately a short film, a sizeable chunk of screen time felt wasted on the inner workings of Jasper’s mind, where instead, Brett could have opted for a substantial flashback or two to clarify some things, and maybe even added additional action in terms of the body count. There’s a lengthy scene toward the end of the film where Jasper starts hearing voices, ultimately leading him to the barn/shed to mess around or fix his “monkey rig” (for lack of a better word). Yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like, a gimmick monkey that laughs and swivels, similar to that of the “jigsaw” doll from the “Saw” franchise but not scary. I still don’t know the purpose that those scenes served, it may have just been an extension of the man’s obsession with toys, I honestly don’t know but it took me out of the film. What I do know is that there was potential to cover quite a lot more here, maybe in the end it was just Bentman’s decision to keep things confined, and that’s his right.

After seeing Bentman’s previous film Apocalypse Road I was really looking forward to The Night Before and his first foray into the Horror/Thriller genre. There’s some things to like here, initially the poster and premise peaked my interest and the chance to see and review a film with Quezada in it didn’t hurt. The small town America approach really appeals to me, not to mention all the technical aspects are well conceived again as Brett continues to hone his craft. It’s got sharp audio, good lighting and some stylistic shot choices and cinematography, most notably those establishing shots of the small Texas town. I like some of the scripts specifics, namely the way Brett flips the usual home invasion revelations on their side. The casting and performances are probably the standouts and some of the cat and mouse chasing plays out entertainingly. Although the use of a mask doesn’t bother me, the sound chosen to match the breathing got a little tiresome and the setup regarding how Kristina and Penny even got to the house stretches the plausibility somewhat given the size of the town. The films slow burn nature and lack of action hurts it, especially when the tension levels constantly waver and on occasion don’t even hit at all. A lot of screen time was sucked up by Jasper’s mundane activities, where a successful substitute may have been some additional scenes that correlate to his foundation, particularly if there’s no killing. There’s still some entertainment to be had for fans who enjoy the blending of genres. I still had fun with this one, though I don’t know how it will fare with the re-watch ability factor. I’ll say just don’t go in expecting a bloodbath because you’ll be caught off guard. The Night Before is coming soon so keep an eye out if you’re interested!

My rating for “The Night Before” is 5.5/10

SHI

THE SETUP

Shi is a 9 minute Horror/Thriller short, Written and Directed by Pablo Absento. It follows a man (played by Justin Berti) whose clearly just out enjoying nature, that is until he receives a phone call with some bad news. Is it possible for his day to get any worse? The film also stars Atsuya Kodama and Tensei Sugahara. This is Absento’s second short in the genre and it was filmed in Japan. I recently read a review from my fellow critics at http://www.pophorror.com/ for this spooky little mystery and thought I’d check it out.

THE GOOD

Right off the bat you’re going to notice this stunningly beautiful location and its interesting terrain. What makes it so alluring is the stillness in the area, seemingly free of any background noise from nature or any other distractions. Combine that with gorgeous color grading and a light mist in the air (probably digitally enhanced), but incredibility effective all the same, and you’ve got a superb production value for this brief entry. The audio levels are crisp and clear and the score consists of that energetic, Congo style drumming that you’ve heard in other Asian films like “The Grudge” and “Oldboy”. My favourite aspect of the film has to be Dmitriy Bobrov’s cinematography. It opens with a lovely approaching jib/crane shot as the camera stops in the gorge. Later, there’s some great close-ups and a clever aerial shot of the man as he looks out from a top the bridge. The eerieness in the unknown is what makes Shi work on all levels. It’s worth mentioning the makeup effects by Keisuke Aiso because they’re impressive too.

THE BAD

The only issue I had on a technical front was the handheld shots during the running sequence. They were executed okay, I’m just not personally a fan of that stuff unless it’s going hand in hand with a POV (point of view) method film. Other than the phone conversation in the beginning, there’s no dialogue, which is fine, but the excessive profanity was a little unnecessary. With hindsight, there’s also a moment toward the end where the man should have chosen to use his keys long before he actually did.

I was completely blown away by Pablo Absento’s, Shi. It’s a creepy little tale with extremely high production value. I love the location and cinematic approach to the shot choices and overall presentation. The audio and score are both sharp and the makeup effects are very professionally done. A couple of creative decisions weren’t fully to my liking but nothing to weigh this one down much. Do yourself a favor and check out Shi at the link below and be sure to pass it on to the people you know in order to help this one go viral, it’s almost note perfect and we need more of these!

My rating for “Shi” is 9/10

APOCALYPSE ROAD

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to start off by saying thank you to Writer/Director, Brett Bentman for allowing me early access to an online screener of his post apocalyptic Drama/Thriller, “Apocalypse Road”. Apocalypse Road follows the journey of sisters, Natalie and Sarah West (played by Katie Kohler and Ashlyn McEvers) who during a post apocalyptic depression, attempt to make their way toward the only safe haven they know, the coast. The film also stars Billy Blair (The Cain Complex), Todd Jenkins (Knucklebones), Lance De Los Santos, Ben Rigsby Jr, Tiffany Heath and Nellie Sciutto. I only recently discovered Brett Bentman, a Texan based filmmaker, after having stumbled upon a trailer for one of his upcoming films titled, “The Night Before”. Brett began writing and producing short films back in 2013 eventually starting his own production company, Circus Wheel. Apocalypse Road is his first full length feature but he’s also got three more films in the post production phase, each of them a different a genre to the next.

THE GOOD

Bentman’s screenplay calls to mind the likes of John Hillcoat’s post apocalyptic slow burner, “The Road”, while still identifying with other indies like “The Battery” and “Young Ones”. It’s a familiar premise but one gift wrapped with its own specific agenda and presentation. I knew immediately that I was in for some high quality production value. Brett did what a lot of film makers do (especially independent ones), he went out and learnt the craft through shooting multiple shorts before even considering tackling something bigger, and its payed dividends. There’s an array of locations used throughout the 85 minute run time, as well as some sizeable set pieces. DP, Michael Ray Lewis really knows his stuff, with just about every frame of this film exquisitely shot. The framing is consistently good and the shooting style in general is smooth. Cinematography is a huge deal on all films but even more so on indie features because you don’t necessarily have the highest quality gear at your disposal. Brett and his crew made some really bold decisions and clearly wanted to exhibit as much diversity as practically possible. There’s a few wonderful ideas at work, like some gorgeous focus pulls during a dialogue scene between Natalie and Derek (played by Rigsby), lots of tight close ups and even a grand shot of gentle water flow in a creek bed that slowly turns crimson (reminiscent of “The Revenant” only on 0.1 percent of the budget haha). There’s also a handful of perfectly conceived tracking shots including one that goes sweeping over a junkyard full of scrap metal, through the side of a van eventually landing on the other side. I think this might be the smoothest shot independent film that I’ve ever seen. For once the chase sequences aren’t done with the DP on foot, trying to run like a crazy person and balance a Steadicam (film makers take note).

As for the lighting, most of the film is shot during the day and it looks sharp, but even the night sequences are well-lit. The crisp and clear audio track is another one of the technical accomplishments in Apocalypse Road. David Levy’s music is atmospheric and prevalent in the mix. The film opens with a Shyamalan, “Signs” esq piano score and only starts to intensify once the severity of the sisters circumstances do. The underlying theme remains the same but as the character arcs change, the pounding bass kicks in under the keys. There’s some low-fi synth (think “Drive” in style) that plays during some of the more suspenseful scenes and that worked well too. Apocalypse Road doesn’t contain a great deal of action and often that can hurt a film, fortunately that’s not the case with Bentman’s debut feature. There’s a couple of prosthetic pieces that are briefly shown and some action that involves gun play, but that’s about the extent of it. Going back to the script, Brett establishes some early drama during the first act and it helps you engage with our sister pairing of Natalie and Sarah. You don’t know the magnitude of their troubles but you know there’s some definite animosity there. Bentman shows confidence with the willingness to force his characters apart, and in turn the narrative in order to share their individual experiences in the same time line. I was fully engaged for that very reason, otherwise it’s too easy for things to get stagnant in this type of film. There’s also the inclusion of a couple of genuinely suspenseful scenes (something rarely seen in a post apocalyptic drama). The forest sequence comes to mind, as does the beginning where the sisters have to navigate a corridor full of bodies and later they’re even hunted by a military man (of sorts).

The casting choices for Apocalypse Road are smart especially when it comes to the West sisters. Not only do Katie and Ashlyn look remarkably well suited to play sisters, they’ve both got the natural talent required to carry a film that’s grounded in drama. Neither of them have the right to be this good given they’ve only got a couple of credits each to their name. The interactions are believable and the dialogue between the two flows quite naturally. Todd Jenkins, Billy Blair and Tom Zembrod play a trio of drifters with their own agenda, who happen to cross paths with one of the sisters. These three have worked together previously on films such as “Blood Sombrero” and the aforementioned “Knucklebones”, so they’re all familiar with each other and it shows in the groups dynamic. Jenkins’s, Roger leads the pack and the other two wield the weapons and follow the orders. The acting from all three is pretty solid. Sciutto and Heath aren’t given much to work with, and in fact neither is Santos, who plays Hugo, a mysterious and dangerous man with a rifle. He looks the part but there’s little to be learnt about the character due to his lack of dialogue and references. I suppose the same can be said about Tiffany’s character, The General. She appears to occupy a Victorian style mansion full of servants (on the face of it, they’re seemingly sexual ones) but the true purpose of it remains unknown. Rigsby plays Derek, a young man looking for company more so than anything else. He stumbles upon Natalie as shit hits the proverbial fan. His opening scenes weren’t bad but I never really warmed to the character.

THE BAD

I happened to spot a couple of minor focus issues during a scene or two, usually occurring when the camera was on the move and with a characters face in frame. As I said, I didn’t love Rigsby’s performance, though it didn’t help that the character offered very little. He, too, has very limited experience with acting but the difference between him and the girls was that unfortunately his showed up in some of the scenes. My only other minor complaints lie with some of the details in the story. There’s one scene involving Hugo that I can only assume is purposely revealed out of sequence. He’s shown interacting with The General as she persuades him to do her bidding in return for time spent with one of her girls, I may have missed something in there but that’s how I read it. The point that scene takes place at doesn’t seem to fit the timeline, so I’m assuming it was a flashback. Although if it’s a flashback it would be more logical to give us something of importance, exposition based, so we can better understand who he is. In another scene with no real suggestion, Natalie suddenly just knows about these soldiers/military men (whatever you want to call them) and what they do, but even more farfetched than that, she knows where to find them. She offers a deal to said man (played by Tony Senzamici) for safe passage to a place she believes will offer asylum. I couldn’t see the logic in her making a deal and sacrificing who or what it is that she ends up sacrificing, especially while believing that her sister is still alive somewhere. Some of those finer points didn’t quite add up for me.

Apocalypse Road was my first foray into the work of Brett Bentman and I was extremely impressed with the end result. The film contains some of the slickest cinematography you’re likely to see from an indie film, and if nothing else, it will go down as one of the first of its kind to avoid shaking the camera profusely during its chase sequences. There’s a number of fantastic shots you can single out here (and I did), not to mention the lighting and audio are great. The score creates a stark mood that goes hand in hand with the post apocalyptic setting. Bentman’s writing and pacing is superior to most of what I’ve seen done in this setting, the specifics surrounding the sisters is where the heart of the film lies. There’s good drama and solid suspense and a majority of the performances are surprisingly good, especially when you take into account the limited experience overall. Aside from the odd hiccup in performance and the finer points of the script raising some questions without answers or a lack of plausibility (at least from my viewing), they don’t come any better than Apocalypse Road. This is far in a way a better paced and more entertaining film than the aforementioned “The Road” and contains plenty more substance than its other counterparts like “Young Ones”. I highly recommend checking Apocalypse Road out when it becomes available and I’m looking forward to more films from Circus Wheel Productions!

My rating for “Apocalypse Road” is 8/10

BETHANY

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to start off by saying thank you to both Uncork’d Entertainment and Co-Writer/Director, James Cullen Bressack (Pernicious and Hate Crime) for allowing me early access to an online screener of the Horror/Thriller film, “Bethany”. Bethany centers around Claire (played by Stefanie Estes of “The Bunnyman Massacre”) *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/the-bunnyman-massacre-review/, a fragile woman suffering from past childhood trauma at the hands of her mother, Susan (Shannen Doherty of TV’s, Charmed). Claire finds the situation compounding even further when her and her husband, Aaron (Zack Ward from “Dark House” and “Don’t Blink”) move back into her childhood home. As job security begins to look up for Aaron, Claire’s past and present become one, as she attempts to find out who or what the mysterious figure is that haunts her. The film also stars Tom Green (Freddy Got Fingered), Anna Harr (Restoration), Leon Russom and Felissa Rose. I thoroughly enjoyed the last of Bressack’s films that I saw, Pernicious *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/pernicious-review/ and he continues to notch up credits in Writing/Directing and Producing, while at the same time building quite a rapport with those in the industry. Paranormal entries aren’t necessarily always high on my priority list but I like to support young up and coming filmmakers like James so here we are.

THE GOOD

It’s clear from the outset that Bethany has a relatively high production value. There’s a lot of nice diverse shot choices and all the framing is consistent. This isn’t quite as cinematic with wide shots or the use of a dolly as some of Bressack’s previous work, but that could simply be down to equipment or perhaps even the fact that the subject matter is a little darker, I don’t know. A majority of the lighting is fairly effective as is Alex Csillag’s score. The soundtrack utilizes orchestral orientated themes and a lot of classical piano but it sounds definitive. The script was penned by Bressack, along with Ward, who previously wrote “Restoration” and was involved with “Blood Lake” (another of James films). While Bethany often treads over routine ground seen in countless other paranormal based chillers, this particular duo are able to inject some productive elements into the stories specifics. The film is actually much more about Claire’s own personal fears and demons than paranormal occurrences, which is both a good and a bad thing depending on your expectations and personal preference. The film opens with a sequence from Claire’s childhood (which will become evident when you see the scene that follows) and it gives the viewer initial insight into the type of environment this little girl has been brought up in. The way in which cinematographer John DeFazio shoots Susan as this larger than life presence, is great. She stands carefully silhouetted in the shadows of the doorway overlooking Claire, which helps to convey some good ole’ fashioned suspense early into proceedings. These days flashbacks are almost essential in the world of the paranormal and Bethany is no exception to the rule. It’s a crucial part of the narrative here but it’s nicely presented and doesn’t jolt you out of present day like a lot of these films do, they’re brief but informative pieces of the puzzle instead.

Bressack’s casting choices for Bethany were very interesting and for the first time in a long time, I witnessed not one, but two players stepping well outside the confines of their safe place. It’s Doherty and Green that I speak of. I’ve long been a fan of Shannen’s, even met her on a couple of occasions. She was delightful, down to earth and engaging, and in light of recent events I’d like to take a second to wish her all the love and best wishes in the world as she fights the most personal of health battles, we’re all pulling for you! Doherty really gets to lash out by playing the domineering head of the household and she does a fine job of it. Then there’s Green (oh how people continue to ridicule me to this day for my guilty pleasure love of Freddy Got Fingered, haha). Kudos go to Bressack for bringing Tom on board this project. He doesn’t feature a great deal but when he does he comes across as natural and believable as psychologist, Dr Brown. Both Zach and Stefanie work well enough together, though neither have any real stand out moments, and young Anna Harr is serviceable too. There’s an array of visual effects shots featured in Bethany, some executed better than others. The mysterious figure that appears in the last act looks as though it’s been pulled from the same universe that gave us Samara (the girl from The Ring) which is not necessarily a bad thing, just something that you’ve probably seen before is all. On the upside, there’s a highlight that involves a finger nail and it’s bound to make you wince in response. Bressack also showcases his love for the red stuff, with a decent amount of blood on show for a movie of this nature.

THE BAD

There’s nothing obvious to get hung up on with Bethany. There’s the odd technical inconsistency or in my case, differing of opinion based around some of the specifics. I found the sound cues were a little bit too loud in the mix (probably intended though in order to build tension) and the incessant piano score does become a little tiresome when it’s included from scene to scene. The color grading was fairly washed out at the beginning during the graveyard sequence and I would’ve preferred a slightly different look but that’s just me. The same goes in regard to the lighting for those overly dark sequences when Claire is navigating the walls and basement of the house. A couple of sections of dialogue just felt like filler, especially the interaction at the table between Dr Brown and Aaron. Claire is busy preparing food and dealing with hallucinations and the two men are talking about Canadians and their mannerisms and idiosyncrasies and it sort of felt out-of-place. At times the film is bogged down with sluggish pacing too. For example, it seems as though drama ensues pretty quickly between Aaron and Claire before they’ve even really spent a day in the house, although I suppose we’re led to believe they’ve had problems for a while before this. Then there’s the obligatory “Is she really experiencing this haunting or is it all in her head” portion of the film, complete with “husband who thinks she’s losing her mind” plot point. My problem with Bethany is the same as it was with my most recent review for “Ghosts Of Darkness” *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/ghosts-of-darkness-review-2/ it’s simply just more of the same. Much the same as the conventional slasher (or any sub-genre for that matter), more of the same has never been a real problem, if you love these types of films that is. I take some issue with the marketing and the fact that Doherty and Green get top billing (considering they probably only share 10 minutes screen time total between the two of them) and like I said, in the end the film is far more a psychological deconstruction about self-worth than it is a scare based horror film.

Bethany feels like a cross between something like “Stir Of Echoes” and Nicholas McCarthy’s superb film, “The Pact”. Bressack continues to grow as a Writer/Director and I think he’s definitely found his niche in Horror. The cinematography, lighting and score are all pretty well conceived. James and Zach combine nicely and are able to breathe a couple of different elements into what would otherwise be a totally stock standard carbon copy. Instead, the flashbacks work a treat (better than most) and some of the sequences gauge some solid tension through atmospheric lighting and sound. The casting is where the film is its strongest. Each of the performances are relatively even and it’s great to see Doherty and Green doing something so far removed from what audiences have come to expect from them. Some of the visuals though not that original, still work well and I always appreciate a blood flow where it would normally be lacking. From a technical point of view I can’t complain because my gripes are down to personal preferences. The only thing with Bethany is that it’s all very conventional and predictable in regard to its revelations. This universe is just about out of new ground to cover and unfortunately due to some false marketing (even if unintentionally) and a lack of scares, it makes it difficult to recommend this over any number of the straight to VOD thrillers.

My rating for “Bethany” is 5.5/10

HOME EDUCATION

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to say thank you to Writer/Director, Andrea Niada for allowing me early access to an online screener of his 24 minute, Horror/Drama short, “Home Education”. Home Education centers around a family living in an isolated home in the English countryside. Carol, the domineering mother (played by Jemma Churchill) and her curious daughter, Rachel (Kate Reed) have been keeping their husband/father’s corpse (Richard Ginn) in the upstairs attic. The two firmly believe that if they show how much they care for him, he’ll no doubt come back to life. I was fortunate enough to be contacted by Andrea and asked if I wanted to watch and review the film and me being me, said yes (I’ll watch anything). A while back I’d heard a couple of things about a short he’d made called “Wasteworld” but I never actually saw it, so this is officially my introduction to his work.

THE GOOD

The film opens with the reading of a poem from daughter to father, only problem being, the man of the house is clearly deceased. It’s not until the dynamics of the relationship between the mother and daughter surface, that you actually get some insight into why these two have hope for their loved ones return. I knew very little about Home Education heading in but it didn’t take long for me to get a sense of the tone of Niada’s film, reminiscent of “Der Bunker” *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/der-bunker-review/. It’s an interesting story with specifics you’re not entirely sure what to make of, which both hinders it somewhat but intrigues the viewer on some level. From the outset, the dialogue audio is crisp and clear and the top-notch cinematography drives the high production value. To an outsider, the cottage seems warm and quaint, when in actual fact it’s anything but. There’s an array of lovely shot choices on display and all the framing is expertly handled. The highlight is a smooth but brief tracking shot as Rachel moves toward her father’s bedside. I also really enjoyed the external scenes in the woods near the house, they looked excellent. Andrea’s got an eye for sharp editing. All the still frames and establishing shots run the perfect duration, allowing you to relish in the uniqueness of this families situation and the oddities of the house.

Andrea and his music department managed to create quite an eerie score to accompany the strange narrative. The score is mostly made up of bass and violin drives, but as the mystery escalates, the bass notes are used to effectively accent that enigma. The performances from both Churchill and Reed are very solid and not really what I expected from an indie film, particularly from someone as raw and young as Kate Reed. Her reaction time was natural, and when required, the intense communication between her and Churchill was dominant. Richard Ginn is as important to Home Education as our two female leads. Now while he doesn’t have any dialogue, he’s able to stay perfectly still in each of his scenes (which isn’t easy). There’s a lot of peculiar behavior going on in the household, what to make of it all is left up to the viewers interpretation. Carol is an intense figure whose trying her best to educate Rachel the only way she knows how, through fear tactics and paranoid perceptions. There’s a clear obsession with dead animals, they’re on display throughout the house and she’s constantly concerned with dust particles and fleas and how they operate and how one counters them to prevent a spate.

THE BAD

There were a couple of finer points that I didn’t quite follow but that’s common in films with heavy symbolism. There were a handful of small details that didn’t quite add up. For instance, Carol appears to be using a hammer at one point to prepare some meat, I’m not sure if that was intended or if it was just another bizarre occurrence. The scenes involving Rachel throwing a bone didn’t seem to have any real relevance either, well none that I could find. Was it her way of attracting food in the forest? I didn’t get it. Even when she does find what can only be described as “remains”, she picks them up, puts them to her ear and tries to listen to them. I couldn’t work out what she was listening for or how it would determine what she would take home for her father to try to resurrect/please him.

Home Education made for an interesting introduction to Andrea Niada’s work, it reminded me somewhat of films like Robert Eggers, “The Witch” and Philip Ridley’s, “The Reflecting Skin”, at least in terms of its unsettling atmosphere. All the technical aspects are well conceived but it’s the striking cinematography and suspenseful score that eventually won me over. The editing is smooth and the run time ideal for something like this (take note Mr Eggers). The performances are the best part of Home Education and I can definitely see a bright future on the cards for young Kate Reed. Not everything here translated as clearly as I would’ve liked and some of the particulars seemed redundant but even with that, Home Education is very much a breath of fresh air and for those that like the obscure works of David Cronenberg (as well as the aforementioned films), best keep an eye out for this one soon!

My rating for “Home Education” is 8/10

                                               IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE

THE SETUP

This is a review for the brand new Drama/Western, “In A Valley Of Violence”, Written and Directed by Ti West (The Sacrament and House Of The Devil) *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/the-house-of-the-devil-review/. In A Valley Of Violence follows the journey of a mysterious stranger (played by Ethan Hawke) and his dog as they make their way to Mexico. A random act of violence in the small-town of Denton, sees Paul’s (Hawke) fate cross paths with a town of misfits, headed by Gilly (James Ransone) and the Marshal (John Travolta). The film also stars, Taissa Farmiga (of American Horror Story), Larry Fessenden (Carnage Park and We Are Still Here), Karen Gillan (Dr Who) and Burn Gorman (Game Of Thrones). It’s quite rare that Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions back a film in a genre that isn’t Horror. I’d heard a few things about this one over the last couple of months but it hasn’t had the same publicity as its counterparts in “Jane Got A Gun” and “The Duel”, among some others. I thoroughly enjoyed West’s, House Of The Devil, an homage to old school 80’s Horror, and can always respect film makers that attempt to add further strings to their bow.

THE GOOD

I love a good Western, although being born in the 80’s, I never experienced the genre at its absolute peak. The times when Sergio Leone (The Good The Bad and The Ugly), John Ford (The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance) and Clint Eastwood (High Plains Drifter), along with many other greats, were making some of the classics that fans still know and love today. Over the last few years I’ve managed to get my hands on a selection of old Westerns and quite enjoyed them but the one thing I will say, is that they always feel overly long, given their simplistic stories. Where as if you take a look at modern films like Quentin Tarantino’s, “Django Unchained” or “The Hateful Eight”, you’ve got several more layers that warrant more content. Other westerns in recent years have fallen well short of the desired mark. “Jane Got A Gun” felt extremely muddled and “The Duel”, despite good performances (particularly from Woody Harrelson), was unnecessarily drawn out and I’m really glad that wasn’t the case with West’s latest film. The clever opening title credits, accompanied by a really good musical theme by Jeff Grace, get In A Valley Of Violence off to a catchy start. The shooting style and genre of film lends itself perfectly to great shot choices and stylish cinematography. The color grading is accurate for the time period and that’s an important aspect when making a western. There’s great establishing shots that showcase the barren lands and a nice series of shots that stood out during the bathroom scene in the Denton hotel. Synth and Bass aren’t something you’d associate with westerns but they work surprisingly well here. Ti opts for big orchestral based themes while depicting the drama but his clear love of old school Horror can’t help but peak its way through the mix.

Ti West has built a film career through a low-budget, DIY (do it yourself) style of production and to this day, continues to do so. In A Valley Of Violence is much more like an independent film than a studio one, in terms of the amount of money behind it (in comparison to other westerns), yet somehow West was able to bring this well established group of actors/actresses together for his film. I think that’s a true testament to the type of film maker he is and how people see the high quality work he puts out. The cast is led by a wonderful character actor in, Ethan Hawke. I’ve been a fan of Hawke’s for a long time and before I saw the trailer for “The Magnificent Seven” remake (which he also appears in), I never thought he’d do a western and now somehow he’s done two in a year. His portrayal of a man trying to find himself is admirable and although he doesn’t actually find his own voice or walk/strut, something that we’re used to seeing from our heroes of the west, he still grounds himself nicely. All the scenes Paul shares with his dog, Abby, are thoroughly enjoyable and further highlight why we love our four-legged friends so much. In the beginning, Paul crosses paths with a priest (played by Gorman) and as often is the case, things take a turn for the worse. This introduction really helps set the scene and tone of the film and gives you an idea of what sort of individual Paul is. Taissa (the younger sister of Vera Farmiga), gives an energetic and likeable performance as Mary-Anne, co-owner of the hotel in Denton with her sister, Ellen (Karen Gillan).

The real surprise here though is the inclusion of John Travolta. Here’s a guy that’s done work in almost every genre, some of it successful, some not but it’s something about this older, more disheveled looking Travolta (which I know is probably mostly makeup), that really suited the role of the “Marshal” perfectly. His lengthy mustache looked authentic and his voice and dialogue delivery was as good as anything he did in his heyday. There’s a lot of great content in West’s script and though the film is a bit of a slow burn at times, the second half of the film churns out plenty of fun sequences that contain a bit of everything. Larry Fessenden’s, Roy, makes an impression with his limited screen time and James Ransone, who I’ve been a fan of ever since Larry Clark’s art house film, “Ken Park”, turns in a slightly uneven performance but his good is quite good. A lot of work clearly went into the costume design and recreating the period authentically. Not only that, but even the set dressings, which may be scarce in volume (mostly due to budget I imagine) but not quality, help to create the world for this tale of revenge to take place in. Most of the action gets underway toward the end of the second and third acts but the gun slinging is a good bit of fun. There’s some brief practical blood on display as well.

THE BAD

As with each of Ti’s films (maybe minus Cabin Fever 2), the technical aspects are all very polished, so no complaints on that front. I loved ninety percent of the music but the film is occasionally a touch to melodramatic as far as the score goes. Especially when you consider there’s a connotation that this isn’t as serious of a film as you might think, so those over dramatic cues don’t always work. As I previously stated, I enjoyed parts of Ransone’s performance but the character overall was just a pest and someone who Paul wouldn’t have any trouble dealing with in real life. I understand that Gilly was written that way but it’s far more impactful if you’ve got that callous, larger than life leader and he was anything but that. There’s a slight lack of attention to detail in Hawke’s makeup as the film wears on. One sequence essentially sees him take a fall and be left for dead, yet when he surfaces again, he barely appears to have a scratch on him. It’s quite a common problem, especially in Action films where the hero takes a brutal beating but never seems to exhibit the full after effects of that beating. A couple of scenes throughout the film weren’t that important to the direction of the story either, namely a discussion of pregnancy between Gilly and Ellen at an inopportune time. That scene just felt like unnecessary comedic relief. Another night scene features a brief flashback to Paul’s army days but it doesn’t highlight any real significance to him and his dog, or the root of the battle with his conscience. The only letdown with In A Valley Of Violence is some of its predictable revelations but most films have certain events you can see coming in advance.

In A Valley Of Violence is Ti West stepping out of his comfort zone and delving deep into the world of the wild west and doing a damn fine job of it I must say. I’d heard whispers about the film and most of them were positive but it far surpassed my expectations. The cinematography is impressive and the film is color graded appropriately for the genre and its period. I dug the interesting opening credits and a majority of the films score, particularly the memorable theme. The costume design and set decoration looks good and the inclusion of John Travolta and Ethan Hawke, only raise the films stocks. I liked that Travolta not only played and entirely different character from anything he’s ever done before but also that Ti strayed from the path most often taken, in giving Travolta something different to work with altogether. There’s a lot of great dialogue driven scenes and the bond between Paul and his dog will be something most viewers can connect with. I didn’t fully feel Ransone’s character and some of the attention to detail wasn’t perfect. A couple of sequences could have been cut but as it stands, the film runs the perfect length at just over 100 minutes. In A Valley Of Violence is somewhat predictable but it doesn’t take much away from the overall enjoyment. In my opinion it outshone last years “Bone Tomahawk” ) and is one of the best modern westerns I’ve seen since, “310 to Yuma”. West with another winner!

My rating for “In A Valley Of Violence” is 7.5/10

                                                        DON’T FUCK IN THE WOODS

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to say thanks to Concept Media films and Writer/Director, Shawn Burkett (Bludgeon) for allowing me access to an online screener of the Horror/Creature Feature, “Don’t Fuck In The Woods”. Don’t Fuck In The Woods is equal parts slasher film and monster, b movie. A group of friends decide to take a camping trip to celebrate graduating college. While some are looking to party and get laid, Alex (Ayse Howard) hopes to find her friend Meg (Brandy Mason) and Meg’s boyfriend, Luke (played by Scott Gillespie) who haven’t been seen since they ventured into the same woods. The group quickly realizes they’re not alone and must band together to survive an unknown evil. The film also stars Brittany Blanton, Roman Jossart, Nadia White, Hannah Herdt and Brian Cornell. I first heard about Burkett’s film over a year ago and thought it sounded like something worth getting behind. I ended up donating some funds toward the IndieGoGo campaign that made this film happen. I’ve seen a couple of Shawn’s previous films and although I wasn’t a big fan of them, I could see plenty of potential in him. There were issues at play out of Shawn’s control when he first attempted to bring this film to life, yet here we are twelve months on and it’s finally complete.

Mac (Jossart) and Parker (Herdt) argue over Horror movies at the video store.

THE GOOD

The first thing is quite obviously that crude yet catchy title. Clearly a round about reference to the fact that when people have sex in horror films, they usually die. Back in 1996, Randy Meeks (of Scream) warned us of the rules one must abide by in order to survive a horror movie and let’s face it we’ve never forgotten them. The pretty simple rule of DFITW, is if you have sex you’re probably going to die. Burkett’s written a speedy little film (62 minutes minus the credits) that mixes our love of the slasher sub-genre, with the creature feature element that maestro, Roger Corman made famous back in the 50’s and 60’s. The key location in Burkett’s film is a plush, heavily wooded forest which he showcases using some pleasant establishing shots to transition between his scenes. The inclusion of a sequence in a video store (or more accurately DVD) was great to see and brings back the days when that was pertinent. Given this was a low-budget, independent film there’s some impressive aerial shots used during the time lapses. Shawn employs a nice tracking shot during an apartment scene and there’s also some good over the shoulder shots scattered throughout the film as well. The audio track is fairly decent and all the lighting is consistent, a key factor when you take into account the amount of night shots. There’s some solid 80’s style, bass orientated synth that plays regularly throughout the course of the film, usually to try to build the suspense. Burkett also exercises orchestral cues during the chase/action sequences, a technique often used in 80’s slasher films right before a kill. As far as the music goes, it’s pretty diverse. We get a Hardcore/Metal song over the opening and closing credits, Rock in the middle of the film and even a Ballad thrown in for good measure.

Lacey (White) getting something she didn’t see coming.

If stereotypical young adults getting naked and having sex is what you desire, Don’t Fuck In The Woods has it in spades. The group of 6 is made up of lesbian couple, Alex and Jane (played by Howard and Blanton respectively), straight couple, Lacey and Conor (White and Cornell), stoner and self-proclaimed ladies man, Mac (Jossart) and outcast horror movie buff, Parker (Herdt). Each of our ladies are attractive in their own right but my favorites were the sassy, Jane and promiscuous, Lacey, both of whom look sexy. Like most guys, I’m a boob man and there’s plenty of all shapes and sizes on display in Don’t Fuck In The Woods, the best being Nadia Whites. Mac supplies us with the comedy, some good, some not so good and then there’s Parker, whose dialogue I liked because it was mostly horror related, perhaps Burkett’s personal commentary on his clear love for horror. The performances vary in quality and not everyone gets their moment to shine but I enjoyed watching Nadia, Brittany and Roman the most. There’s some early blood and gore around the ten minute mark but unfortunately it takes place off-screen. You’ll have to wait until the last twenty minutes to get to the good stuff. I dug that all the effects were practical and there’s one or two impressive and nasty deaths during the last act. Taking into consideration the budget of $10,000 (or somewhere thereabouts), the creature design looked solid and the sharp teeth give it a slightly different look to your classic monster. At the same time, it tips the hat to classic b movies like, “Creature From The Black Lagoon” and even more modern adaptions like Fred Andrews film, “Creature”.

Jane (Blanton) and Mac (Jossart) coming to terms with their situation.

THE BAD

Most of the issues I had with Don’t Fuck In The Woods were technical aspects, which you can often but not always chalk up to budgetary constraints. Some of the framing in the opening scenes involving Meg and Luke is a little off centre. You get mostly him and little of her and given that she looks so damn fine, the emphasis should have been on her. While I think of it, kudos to Brandy Mason for baring all in this one, she looked great. Often shots inside the tent (which occur on multiple occasions) feel claustrophobic, simply because it’s just to tight of a space for shooting (unless your camera is out the back of it) and it’s a little difficult to get your bearings as a viewer during those scenes. Fortunately as the film progresses, the distance and positioning of the camera gets better and keeps the production value looking pretty solid. Although there’s also a handful of lapses with the focus when the camera is on the move. The only poorly executed effects in this film are a series of green screen shots. They’re spotty, with an odd filter spread over the screen during a sequence that sees the group travel in the car. Even though the score is quite good, there’s a continuous and dreary bass note that lingers over scenes on a couple of occasions, it gets a bit old. Some of the dialogue is rather immature too and the cast a bit stiff with their delivery at times. The conversations between Howard and Blanton don’t always flow smoothly and some of the secondary campers aren’t all that strong. The one thing I wanted more of in Don’t Fuck In The Woods was the blood and gore. With such a short running time, things take a little too long to heat up. Viewers expecting copious amounts of carnage within the first thirty minutes will be sorely disappointed. Very few horror movies actually satisfy my appetite for action, so this issue is nothing new and I try my best to keep in mind, this is a low-budget film so you should too.

Going in, I had pretty high hopes for “Don’t Fuck In The Woods” and in the end had a reasonable amount of fun with it. I really like the original title and poster art, along with it being a mashup of slasher movie and creature feature. The location makes for decent cinematography and some of the shot choices were nicely detailed and in my opinion, a step above any of Burkett’s previous work. The audio and soundtrack were both reliable and the lighting was another well conceived aspect. You’ve got the cliché archetypes we all know and love, chunks of horror orientated dialogue, a few laughs and plenty of the nudity and sex you expect from a good horror film. The eye candy is definitely a plus and the blood and gore, when it does hit, is more than serviceable for the size of the budget. Some of the technical features could have used some work, most notably the poor green screen stuff and the focus issues. The approach to the framing in the beginning could have also been a bit sharper. I wasn’t a fan of parts of the writing and the killing doesn’t strike soon enough in a film this short and I think that might tease the audience more than they’d expect. Issues aside, horror fans should be entertained and this is by far in a way Shawn’s best work, I look forward to seeing what he does next!

My rating for “Don’t Fuck In The Woods” is 6/10

https://vimeo.com/188223303

                                                PRESIDENTS DAY

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to say thank you to Co-Writer/Actor/Director, David Zuckerman for allowing me early access to an online screener of his feature-length, Horror/Comedy “President’s Day” (not to be confused with Chris LaMartina’s slasher of the same name). President’s Day sees a group of ill-fated teens, take a trip to a cabin in the woods to celebrate the annual holiday. Shortly after arriving, outcast, Max (played by Chelsea Taylor Leech), accidentally reads from an old journal, in turn conjuring zombified leaders in the form of past presidents. The groups only chance of survival is to call upon the demonic spirit of John Wilkes Booth (Michael Minto). The film also stars Monica Ricketts, David Zuckerman, Brittany Rosoff, Jud Zumwalt, Benjamin Goodwin, Dax Hill and Mike Ostroski. Zuckerman (a dead ringer for fellow actor, Ben Feldman) has been involved in the film making biz for around five years but this one is my introduction to his work. In horror right now zombies are all the rage. Even as I write this review, I’m sure everyone is still coming to terms with the conclusion of that latest episode of The Walking Dead (a show that I myself do not watch but I hear all about). Zombies are just as frequently the subject matter in the Horror/Comedy sub-genre as they are on TV. I’m not the most hardcore of fans when it comes to zombie related content but I’ll still give most of it a go.

The group arrive at the cabin in the woods.

THE GOOD

The script for President’s Day was penned by a trio of Actors from the film, Goodwin, Zuckerman and Zumwalt. They definitely take a couple of cues from Sam Raimi’s, iconic “Evil Dead”, through the plot device that brings about the apocalypse (for lack of a better word) being an old journal, close enough to a book. I’m sure Raimi’s film probably wasn’t the first of its kind to be set in a secluded cabin in the woods either, though we can’t help but draw that comparison when we see a horror film with a cabin in it. I really enjoyed the opening credits, they’re interesting and well-edited, utilizing character motion in black against a backdrop of the U.S flag. The cabin itself makes for a wonderful location, particularly because the seasons look mid change during the shoot (hence the sections of snow still about). The framing is really nice, considering most of the internal shots take place in what I can only imagine were small rooms. Most of the shot choices are pretty diverse and the brief scene inside the car looked slick, not to mention the pleasant and easy on the eyes, color grading. Nearly all the dialogue audio is consistent (even with some of the ADR) and I enjoyed the piano ballad during a sensitive scene between Lilly (Ricketts) and Jake (Zuckerman).

Jake (Zuckerman) and Lilly (Ricketts) discuss their options as they try to outwit the zombies.

Our group of high-schoolers are made up of your assorted Horror movie, stereotypes. There’s straight A student and tutor, Lilly and her maybe boyfriend, Clarence (Dax Hill), a film geek of sorts. Now I say “maybe” boyfriend because it’s never really completely clear and she’s not overly affectionate with him at any stage. Then there’s the blockhead jock, Brett (played by funny man, Jud Zumwalt) and his cheerleader, bimbo girlfriend, Ashley (Brittany Rosoff) as well as tag-along, loner sister, Max (Leech). Rounding out the group are motorcycle riding, cool guy, Jake (Zuckerman) and king of the nerds Ruttigger (played by Benjamin Goodwin), whose Brett’s key to passing high school. The performances are mostly decent given the whole film has that campy vibe about it. Both Monica and Brittany look lovely and in this case, more true to life than what you normally see in the film industry. I think everyone does their bit here but no one can doubt that Jud Zumwalt is the best thing about President’s Day. This is a guy that was born to do Comedy and it doesn’t surprise me at all that he was a Co-Writer on this film. His portrayal of Brett is hilarious. With dialogue delivery that sounds like a cross between South Park’s, “Cartman” and Ted Logan (of Bill and Ted), combined with his ridiculously over the top antics, channeling something seen in Adam McKay’s “Step Brothers”, it’s a genuine blast. So much so that in one scene where he runs naked, David himself can be seen almost laughing and breaking character (a fun easter egg).

A couple of kitted out zombies prepare to attack.

There’s some genuinely good comedic word play on display in Zuckerman’s film. Right from the outset, Brett’s tomfoolery has you shaking your head and asking yourself, Why am I laughing at this? It doesn’t matter, the important thing is that you are (haha). His line, “She’s got an oral exam but I promise she’s coming” is just one of many humdingers throughout the film. Brett’s banter with Ruttigger, who sports a dreadful hairstyle that looks a bit like a dead skunk cross with Molly Ringwald’s do from “Sixteen Candles”, is where the humor is its strongest. Toward the end of the film there’s also some amusing dialogue about the logic of horror movies when it comes to running away. Two characters are trying to escape zombie, Abraham Lincoln (Jordan Leach) and they’re like “Why did we keep going towards the edge when we could have just turned” (haha). There’s a handful of decent practical effects in President’s Day but the film is much more comedic than violent. The highlight was in impressive axe kill with a bloody aftermath. The only thing countering it was a horrible body replica and a painfully obvious wig, neither of which matched the actor at all. During another sequence where someone is shot at close range, there’s visible squibs being used but I still applaud the effort given this is a low-budget film. Both that and the terrible props add a certain amount of charm to this little indie flick, at least in my mind.

Ricketts, Zuckerman and Minto looking like they’re in a play together.

THE BAD

The opening scene sees a young man hurriedly writing in a journal, the same journal you can assume appears later in the film. The background noise in the beginning is a bit loud in comparison to the narration. Certain musical cues are used to surprise the viewer and elevate suspense, even those are quite loud as well considering this isn’t supposed to be a suspenseful movie. I thought a majority of the score was quite bland and most of it only seems to play as background noise in order to avoid to many scenes being solitary dialogue. The most disappointing aspect of President’s Day is its heavy reliance on sub-par CG, blood and gore and the lack of impactful deaths. I understand this is an independent film, so not everything I expect to see will make it to the screen but when you’re dealing with zombies, it’s got to be better than the competition. A good number of kills in this film take place off-screen and even the aftermath is seldom presented. Splashes of computer generated blood always look the worst, especially when most things can be done practically. There’s a tendency to want to blend separate vfx (like gunshots) with CG blood so it all fits the shot (continuity wise) but trust me when I say the bulk of fans want to see practical blood. If we get that, we can ignore second-rate effects. I managed to pick one minor slip up in dialogue delivery from Actor, Dax Hill, no big deal though because that’s quite common from actors with little to no experience.

Brett’s (Zumwalt) exaggerated response to the fate of his study buddy, Ruttigger (Goodwin).

Parts of the acting aren’t always great and some of it’s a little to hammy for my liking but each to his own. The intonation in Goodwin’s voice got on my nerves after a while, notably when the proverbial shit hits the fan and Ruttigger’s frantic manner goes up a notch. Rosoff has an impromptu duel with one of the group near the end of the film and some of the delivery there feels a little heavy-handed as well. The Tollbooth operator only appears in the one scene but he fails to hit the mark on his exaggerated send up of characters played by the likes of Tom Bower and Tracey Walter. The only reason the entire scene isn’t a complete bust is due to Zumwalt’s ability to rescue it with more of Brett’s preposterous backchat. In fact, the only scene involving Jud that wore out its welcome, was an elongated proclamation to his sister for a beer. Aside from a couple of funny gags involving James K. Polk (Ostroski), surrounding his frustration with those that don’t know who he is, all the president stuff lacked appeal. Big chunks of the second half of the film contain scenes with the various zombie presidents joking among each other and it feels like filler because it’s just not that funny. Once again, there’s even more downtime when Booth (Minto) enters the picture, trying his best to bring the film back around but by then it’s a little too late. Nothing against the remainder of the cast playing the presidents because they gave it their all but unfortunately the enjoyment just evaporated by then.

Clarence (Hill) and Ashley (Rosoff) share an intimate moment together.

David Zuckerman’s, “President’s Day” was an interesting but uneven entry into the zombie themed, Horror/Comedy genre. On the technical front, David has a really good grasp of what it takes to present something with a high production value. The intro credits are really inventive and the cabin and its neighboring location looks gorgeous. The camera work and shot choices are professional and most of the audio sounds good. The cliché’ and one-dimensional characters are a deliberate ruse, with dickhead, Brett being the most watchable of the bunch. The self-aware performances work more often than not and there’s a decent amount of genuinely funny chitchat, at least in the first half of the film (which I’ll assume Jud helped write). I applaud the practical effects that were presented but I just wished there were more of them. The film could have used a more distinct score and there’s a couple of volume issues with sound and cues (easily adjustable). The acting takes an occasional dip but even still, the first 50 minutes is a lot of fun but then unfortunately from there, things go kind of south. The scenes with all the presidents become a bit of a grind and the lack of on-screen carnage (at least for this viewer) leaves the last 20 minutes feeling overly long. There’s no doubting this trio of writers have talent and I’m interested to see if they venture into these horror and comedic woods again. In fact, I would have loved to have seen Zumwalt put his two cents into Jim Hosking’s “The Greasy Strangler” script, I think he could have ironed that out.. any who. As it stands, I think I prefer LaMartina’s take on “President’s Day” but if you enjoy the holiday and you’re that way inclined, keep an eye out for this one in the future because Zombie enthusiasts may enjoy it more than I did.

My rating for “President’s Day” is 5/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiyWcOKRG-Y

                                            THE GREASY STRANGLER

THE SETUP

This is a review for a brand new Horror/Comedy film called “The Greasy Strangler”, Co-Written by Toby Harvard and Jim Hosking (and directed by Hosking). The Greasy Strangler is about the ongoing shenanigans of Ronny (played by Michael St. Michaels) and his son Brayden (Sky Elobar), who both run a disco walking tour in Los Angeles. They share an unhealthily close relationship that threatens to fracture apart upon meeting Janet (Elizabeth De Razzo), whom they both develop feelings for. This drawback marks the arrival of an oily strangler who stalks the streets at night looking for his next victim. The film also stars Gil Gex, Joe David Walters, Holland MacFallister and Sam Dissanayake. The Greasy Strangler had a handful of producers backing it, including the likes of Ben Wheatley (Kill List and High-Rise) and Elijah Wood (Maniac and TV’s, Wilfred). I initially heard about this film over twelve months ago and it peaked my curiosity, mainly because of the bonkers plot outline and the fact that Wheatley and Wood produced it.

THE GOOD

Let’s dig in to Harvard and Hosking’s script for a minute because it really is something to behold. I saw a snippet of a review from one of the festivals it was playing at earlier in the year and it said something like, “This movie happens to you” (haha) and I think that’s quite an accurate quote. No if’s but’s or maybe’s, the script is balls to the wall, bat shit crazy and these writers leave no taboo uncharted. Its characters awkward and mundane interactions are akin to something like “Napoleon Dynamite”, even down to some of the line delivery (particularly from Elobar). The vulgar situations and lowbrow humor rival Tom Green’s “best bad” film, “Freddy Got Fingered” and even “Anchorman”, to a lesser extent. When it comes to the eccentricity of the whole thing, Hosking takes plenty of inspiration from the films of John Waters (Pink Flamingos and Polyester) and even more so with his approach to casting unusual leads, much like Waters did with Divine (originally born Harris Milstead). The camera work and shot choices look sharp and the audio track is loud and clear. I dug the light keys throughout the film and the obtrusive 80’s style synth with its repetitiveness, which in this case works. After you see the film I guarantee you could hear Andrew Hung’s, “Fizzy Barf” again and you’d remember exactly where you heard it.

The Greasy Strangler is a simple 90 minute journey that takes a look at the lives of Big Ronnie and his son Brayden, whom I’m almost sure are both legally retarded (haha). This on-screen relationship will have to go down as one of the most, if not the most, uncomfortable ever to be committed to film. By day, Ronnie and Brayden stroll the streets, leading small tourist groups who are looking to learn more about the disco era in Los Angeles. The mornings usually consist of Brayden cooking his dad breakfast, which never seems greasy enough for the old boy, so he proceeds to chew him out… rip him a new one about it.. etc. The duo’s nights don’t get interesting until Janet comes into the picture, from there, it’s a feeble battle between the two for her affections. I don’t always get personal in reviews but I want to say kudos to everyone involved in this film, particularly the colorful cast who clearly have no shame, agreeing to do a film like this (haha). I can’t fault the performances here, given how awkward everything is made to feel. I’ll be honest by saying I’ve never seen two more out of shape and unappealing guys than Michaels and Elobar. In this case it plays to the tone of the film and is funny in of itself. Nearly all of Sky’s delivery sounds like a cross between Napoleon Dynamite and Ron Burgundy and it’s hilarious. Michael is given a bit more of a range to work with and sounds distinctly like actor, Elliot Gould. De Razzo carries Janet with line delivery like one half of an embarrassingly, childish and lovey dovey couple.

For some unbeknown reason, Ronnie and Braydon spend all their time at home sitting around in their underwear. They’re clearly comfortable having no barriers or filter between them but that’s clearly not how most of our relationships with our family members are (or at least I should hope not haha). If Big Ronnie isn’t in his underwear, he’s naked, sporting a rather large and novelty prosthetic penis, running himself through the car wash to clean off grease he’s previously covered himself in. Why has he covered himself in grease you ask? Your guess is as good as mine, I don’t know why he does anything (haha). Even when these guys finally decide to get dressed, it’s always into the most hideous, non-gender specific attire. During disco tours they wear pink turtle necks and matching pink chord shorts (which can be seen in the above images). Ronnie likes to wear velvet when he goes out for a night on the town and Brayden usually dresses up in his 70’s, brown colored coat and disco pants for dates with Janet. My favourite gags in the film are so utterly stupid that I couldn’t help but laugh. In the beginning, a group of tourists ask about free drinks with the tour, it’s a silly gag that’s taken to a ridiculous extent (as are most of the gags) but it’s damn funny. Another sequence has an Indian man with a lisp (played by Dissanayake) trying to say “potato” and failing over and over and over again (it has me laughing just thinking about it). Ronnie refers to “cutting cheese” as he tries to catch Brayden out with his flatulence (yes it’s as stupid as it sounds) and their constant “I call bullshit”, “I call bullshit on that” continues to remain funny for most of its duration.

THE BAD

With this many inane scenes and interactions rolled into one, not everything is going to hit the mark. I think the several harsh uses of the C bomb were out-of-place when you take into account the infantile repetition and behavior of our father and son. Aside from those words there’s not a great deal of profanity in the film which is good. The Greasy Strangler contains a few action scenes and some practical effects, though neither of them are particularly memorable. There’s several eyeball gags but most of the other kills take place off-screen, leaving this one feeling more like part drama and a screwball comedy than horror. I wanted to see some crazy gore effects to go along with on this outrageous ride but alas. At least half of the films scenes stretch to an uncomfortably awkward length and another chunk of them consist of bizarre interactions that don’t drive the plot forward and really weren’t necessary. Gex’s character “Big Paul”, is a blind black man who works at the car wash and he’s a sort of dancing buddy of Ronnie’s, so he fits into the story. Walters plays “Oinker”, Brayden’s supposed best friend. Apart from one pointless and dull sequence between him and the duo, he’s just there to be killed off and never actually spends any screen time with Brayden. Ronnie and Brayden forever trying to out bullshit each other plays as the films running gag. It’s funny up until the end where Ronnie starts naming animals and placing “shit” at the end of them.

There’s endless sequences throughout The Greasy Strangler that aim to violate you in some way and they more than accomplish it. There’s plenty of stuff I could have done without seeing but I suppose that’s par for the course with a film this left of field. I didn’t need to hear about feces from all three of the main characters, or watch Janet (and in turn Razzo) peeing, as Ronnie brushes his teeth looking like a pervert. Ronnie’s detailed Michael Jackson/ejaculation story to Janet seemed futile and only served as word porn (for lack of a better word). The phone sex scene between Janet and Brayden missed the mark completely and only served to showcase more male genitalia. Let me tell you this, the feminists out there couldn’t complain about a lack of male nudity in film if they saw something like The Greasy Strangler (haha). The oil covered, grapefruit scene only serves to gross you out and makes damn sure you won’t finish that chocolate thick shake you started (just my experience). Ronnie’s addiction to grease is never actually explained and given it’s kind of a key plot point… I don’t know why it wasn’t, I mean it’s even in the title of the film. The consumption of eyeballs is another plot point that comes out of nowhere… maybe in a movie this nonsensical I shouldn’t ask for explanations, I don’t know. Another scene sees Ronnie doing his best impersonation of Gene Kelly from “Singin’ In The Rain”. Only in this rendition, he’s wearing what looks like a figure skating outfit with the crutch all cut out so you can see that fake genitalia yet again.

In a puerile attempt to aggravate Brayden, Ronnie cuts in on the relationship with Janet and showboats with a continuous chanting of “Hootie, Tootie, Disco Cutie”. The line initially got a chuckle from me but it wasn’t that funny to begin with and the longer it goes on the more annoying it becomes. So after a solid two minutes it had more than irritated me (maybe that was the point) and to make matters worse, it’s briefly repeated again ten or fifteen minutes later. A couple of scenes in particular took me right out of film, the first involving an investigator who Brayden and Janet contact in regard to the ongoing killings. What’s so dense about the whole thing is that the character is clearly just Ronnie playing dress up and trying to disguise himself to his son (awfully by the way). Brayden thinks his dad might be responsible for the murders and wants some help looking into it, yet can’t figure out that this mystery man is his dad. Those couple of scenes were the dumbest part of the whole movie and I understand that was probably the point but it just wasn’t funny. Then there’s the poorly written ending that includes a complete jolt in character motivation and logic, as well as an out-of-body experience of sorts that we see the father and son having while in a forest. The last ten minutes made no sense and strayed so far from its original path but I guess Hosking had the right to take the movie wherever he wanted and I have the right to say I didn’t like where it went.

The Greasy Strangler was pretty much what I expected it would be, unconventional, eccentric and totally offbeat, in every sense of the word. At the same time, I had no idea what I was really in for because you can never truly know until you see it for yourself (which I suggest you do). I love the retro poster art but the film has been somewhat mis-marketed. Drama is far more dominant in Hosking’s film than Horror is and in the end that stumped me. The script goes places not many others dare to and you have to respect it for that. The camera work and technical aspects are all sound and the obtrusive synth score is one of my favourite aspects of the film. I enjoyed all the performances, as much as one can with a movie like this but Elobar’s,”Brayden” was the highlight, probably because he reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite (who I’ve got a soft spot for). Many props to all the cast for putting themselves completely out there. I laughed at fair portions of the film but the lack of blood and gore left me feeling disappointed. A lot of the scenes are longer than they probably should be and most of the filthy descriptive stuff comes across as cringe worthy. There’s way more dick here than I cared to see (ideally none being that number) and the end of the film lost its way. I can’t really recommend The Greasy Strangler but what I will say, is that it’s truly an original experience and if you like the films of John Waters, I think it’s worth your time. People often ask me why I watch films like this and I say the same thing, if you’re going to do stupid go the whole nine yards. Do yourself a favor and skip whatever Hollywood’s version of funny is these days, fraternity movies with Actors/Actresses who are too old to be doing drugs, binge drinking and all that partying. Instead, If you’re going to watch something that’ll kill brain cells watch something that makes an impact whether that be good or bad.

My rating for “The Greasy Strangler” is 5/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPl1vcb4hao

                                                              CANDY SKIN 

THE SETUP

Firstly I’d just like to say thank you to Writer/Director, Kyle Martellacci for allowing me early access to an online screener of his 18 minute, Body Horror/Mystery short, “Candy Skin”. David Yersin (played by Renny Jachowicz) has recently taken a trip to the doctor’s office, with the hopes of finding out the cause of his sudden ill-health. He’s given relief and told to go home and rest. Shortly after falling asleep, he wakes to realize his seemingly normal existence with partner, Lynne (Stephanie Moran) isn’t what it seems. The film also stars Charles Alexander and Clayton Millette. With the independent film community being a fairly tight-knit one, Kyle knew of me and was kind enough to reach out with his latest short film. After doing a little digging, I realized he was in a scene from a short that Fatal Pictures released called, “Worm” *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/worm-review/, as well as also appearing in Brett Kelly’s horrible creature feature “Jurassic Shark” (not to hold anything against him haha). This is Kyle’s fourth short and my first introduction to his work.

THE GOOD

Candy Skin feels like an idea inspired by the likes of David Cronenberg, particularly films like “The Fly” and “Crimes Of The Future”. It’s a somewhat uneven but intriguing blend of Mystery and Drama with a hint of science fiction about it. This is a Canadian made short and the production value looks really good. Most of the scenes are well shot, the camera work feels personal and everything is framed accordingly. During the opening section of the film there’s a lovely “Twin Peaks” style, synth theme, it doesn’t last long but it sounds great. From there, some clever bass drops help build the suspense. The remainder of the score is a mix of 80’s, Giallo inspired synth and intense vibrato sounds, which accelerate as the narrative does. The sound is the best part of the film and reminded me of some early Polanski films and more recently Mickey Keating’s *see reviews* https://adamthemoviegod.com/carnage-park-review/ and https://adamthemoviegod.com/darling-review/. Kudos go to Martellacci for being able to clear the streets and surrounding locations in order to make this environment feel uninhabited. I’m not sure how you go about doing that in small town Canada but somehow he did. The practical effects and makeup work is of a high standard and took the short in a direction I didn’t think it was heading.

THE BAD

On the technical front, the dialogue audio could have been a little higher, that said, it’s only being played through standard computer speakers. Like “Pigskin” (another recent short I reviewed), I wasn’t a fan of the rotating camera work conveying David’s sudden isolation in the streets. I understand it serves a purpose in magnifying the gravity of the characters situation, it just makes for a difficult watch is all and my personal preference was to see it established in another manner. There’s also a brief slow motion sequence as David comes under potential threat outside his house, it didn’t really add anything to the film and only confused me. Some of Martellacci’s dialogue feels a little stiff and the delivery from both Jachowicz and Alexander during their interaction, seems a bit forced. Not all the details of the story were entirely clear to me either (could be because I take notes), so it’s probably the type of short I’ll have to go back and watch again at some point.

Candy Skin is my first foray into the work of Kyle Martellacci and I’m pretty impressed with what I saw. I like the Cronenberg style narrative and the consistent framework and shot choices. The highlights though are definitely the 80’s synth based score and the detailed practical effects and makeup. A couple of decisions down to creative license weren’t necessarily to my liking and the audio could have been a little louder. I’m not entirely clear on all the stories specifics but I was more than entertained and I can see the potential to expand on this story. Candy Skin is currently doing the festival rounds but you can check out the trailer below!

My rating for “Candy Skin” is 7.5/10

                                              DEATH METAL    

THE SETUP

Firstly I’d just like to say thanks to Writer/Director, Chris McInroy for allowing me access to an online screener of his 5 minute, Horror/Comedy short “Death Metal”. Death Metal is about Lars (played by Kirk Johnson), a metal head whose lacking in the talent department. One day his father (Michael Dalmon) passes down a satanic guitar said to help one shred gnarly riffs…. but it comes at a cost if you don’t follow the rules, something Lars finds out the hard way. McInroy and Johnson teamed up previously a couple of years back on Chris’s short “Bad Guy #2” which was an absolute blast *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/bad-guy-2-review/. I’ve been eagerly anticipating something else from these guys and it comes in the form of a Peter Jackson esq (Bad Taste and Braindead) gore fest.

THE GOOD

It doesn’t take much to peak my interest when it comes to the Horror/Comedy sub-genre. Occasionally you’ll get something that tries a little too hard or doesn’t quite get the balance right but when it’s done well, there’s nothing better than watching a gory humorous romp. Much like in Bad Guy #2, the production value in this one is impressive. The camera work is steady and the framing consistent. There’s also some gentle zooming, aimed to highlight Lars being caught off guard with the events that unfold. The tight and snappy editing works well in such a short run time and the couple of well-timed comedic moments are fun. The design of the satanic guitar was impressive, it looked very black metal and came up nice on-screen. Much like Chris’s last short, Death Metal is all about the carnage and showcasing plenty of those practical effects we all love. Bad Guy #2 was twice the length of this quickie, so there was room to pack in a bit more but the kills here are just as glorious. A healthy (or unhealthy as it would seem) variety of deaths make this a very fun watch.

THE BAD

It’s kind of ironic but the only disappointing part about Death Metal is the death metal itself. I’m a metal fan and the lack of skillful riffing in this one is the same complaint I had with last years New Zealand, Horror/Comedy “Deathgasm”.

Chris McInroy delivers yet again on both fronts in his latest short, Death Metal. He belongs in this genre and if all is right in the world he’ll continue to be able to make these sorts of films. All the technical aspects are well executed, the body count is high and the practical effects are impressive, given the modest budget. This is easily recommended for repeat viewings, the shorter running time the only thing stopping it from being as impressive as Chris’s previous film. Make sure you check this one out when it becomes available, it will riff you to shreds!

My rating for “Death Metal” is 8.5/10

                                                          PIGSKIN

THE SETUP

Firstly, I just want to say thanks to ChicArt Public Relations for sending me an online screener of the 13 minute, Body Horror short “PigSkin”, Written by Jake Hammond (who also directed) and Nicola Newton. Pigskin follows a body image conscious, high school cheerleader named Laurie (played by first time actress, Isadora Leiva) as she struggles with an eating disorder that begins to manifest itself in the form of a faceless evil. The film also stars Pablo Gonzalez, Isabella Groff, Julie Moss and Luke Evans.

THE GOOD

I wasn’t expecting to open my email this morning and find a link to this brand new short film that’s currently doing the festival rounds. If you ask me I wish that would happen more often, particularly for films that I haven’t heard about because there’s so much great content out there that I’m sure gets by me. I’m a huge fan of the body horror sub-genre and I’ve reviewed some fantastic films within it, most notably the works of Richard Powell and Zach Green from Fatal Pictures *see reviews* https://adamthemoviegod.com/familiar-review/ and https://adamthemoviegod.com/heir-review/. Jake and Nicola have written a pertinent script that explores the possible link between psychosis and those with body image issues (which most of us have had at one point in our lives). For entertainment purposes, the film takes a much more exaggerated approach to what can happen when the mind becomes a trap. Pigskin has wonderful production value, only further highlighted by Newton’s cinematography. There’s a fantastic mix of shot choices on display, a visual feast you might say, at least for those of us interested in the technical side.

The opening frames linger underneath the bleachers as Laurie attempts to make herself presentable, in the process revealing the long-lasting impressions of self harm. There’s some gorgeous tracking shots in the school’s locker room, a handful of distinct wide shots (one of which can be seen in the image above) and consistently good framing throughout the speedy 13 minute run time. The 80’s style, synth pumping score works a treat. Music from The Chromatics and the recognizable track “A Real Hero” from Nicolas Winding Refn’s masterpiece “Drive”, both help to set the mood. The remainder of the score exercises low-fi synth sounds and well-timed bass notes. Ordinarily I’m not a fan of films with sequences that slow their frame rate, usually because there’s no real reason for it but much like the aforementioned “Drive”, it works here for artistic merit. The performances from this small cast of five are good although there’s not a huge amount of dialogue. The dashes of creepy imagery throughout is where the film is most engaging.

THE BAD

I wasn’t a fan of the rotating camera work in the closing part of the film. I understand the character was probably feeling disoriented and hence the aim is to make the audience feel the same, it’s just a personal preference and I’d rather have seen it executed differently. The dialogue audio could have been a fraction louder in the mix as well, to be fair though, I’ listened through computer speakers which isn’t ideal.

Pigskin is a fantastic entry into the Body Horror sub-genre and more importantly, it touches on a couple of very important issues arising in young people today (particularly girls). The production value is truly impressive, the cinematography as good as anything I’ve seen and the 80’s influenced soundtrack gives it the vibe of something like “Carrie” and “It Follows”. If there’s a short film to watch out for at the end of this year it’s Pigskin, so keep an eye out!

My rating for “Pigskin” is 9/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzkFfZkHzpc

CAROUSHELL

THE SETUP

Firstly, “Who brings a taser to a party!?”. I’d just like to say thanks to Co-Writer, Actor and Director, Steve Rudzinski for allowing me early access to an online screener of his Horror/Comedy film “CarousHELL”. CarousHELL is about one particular unicorn named Duke (voiced by Steve Rimpici) whose stationed at the local theme park. On a daily basis Duke has kids jumping on and off of him, hitting him, wiping things on him and he’s finally reached boiling point. Laurie (played by the lovely Se’ Marie) is tasked with babysitting her younger brother Larry, aka “Lunchbox” (Teague Shaw) and it just so happens that he’s the unlucky kid Duke sets his revenge filled sights on. Duke follows Laurie (yes that is a unicorn following a girl haha) and her younger brother to a house party where all hell threatens to break loose. Only a fellow amusement park employee who goes by “Cowboy Cool” (P.J. Gaynard), knows what it takes to stop the unicorn. The film also stars Haley Madison, Chris Proud and Steve Rudzinski himself. A few years back I watched “Everyone Must Die!”, Rudzinski’s micro-budget entry into the slasher sub-genre and I’ll admit, it was a very disappointing experience. Forget for a minute that it was a slasher with little to no actual slashing (at least on-screen), and the acting was terrible, it was really the technical aspects that were so poorly conceived that it bogged down any potential it may have had. To be fair, it was made for under $5,000 so there’s that, not to mention Steve was pretty new to film making at that point. Since then he’s dabbled in everything from Comedy to Action/Adventure and he’s back for another crack at the Horror genre, So how did this one fare?

THE GOOD

CarousHELL’s script, penned by Rudzinski and Aleen Isley is quite an outlandish one. They’re channeling similar tones to that of a creature feature, B movie you would’ve seen lining the video store shelves in the mid to late 80’s. Now I’ve seen and reviewed just about everything on this site. I’ve done Bunny’s sporting wood (in the form of extravagant erections), Sleepwalking cannibals, Demons of the anus, Zombie beavers, Wolf cops and even Brass teapots that pay out, however, a Killer Carousel Unicorn is a new one, even for me (haha). Those crazy flying sharks that Fin Shepard fights off aren’t seeming so crazy now are they? Anytime we think we’ve seen it all, were inevitably defied and so I commend Steve and Aleen on being the two pushing us this time around. The shooting style in CarousHELL is an even blend of still shots and Steadicam work. Most of the framing is solid and there’s a bunch of tight shot choices, particularly in the second half of the film. The film’s crisp and clear audio track is probably the highlight of the technical aspects. Usually with micro-budget films like this there’s so much inconsistency in room tones and proximity of mics to the actors/actresses, so kudos to this crew for getting it right. A lot of the score just felt like background noise but the carnival themed music was a nice touch and a welcomed addition given the complementary narrative.

The film opens with narration by Steve Rimpici, as Duke (the unicorn) voices his displeasure for simply being viewed as an object. On a daily basis he’s mistreated by the children that ride him, he can’t take it anymore and he wants out. After hearing Rimpici’s articulation, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the memorable narration from David Evans in the 1993 film “The Sandlot” (a nostalgic favourite of mine), the two sounded very much alike despite the films being the furthest thing from each other. I enjoyed plenty of the script’s specifics, even down to the basics of our lead actress playing a character named “Laurie”. Anytime horror fans hear that name, they automatically associate it with Jamie Lee Curtis’s character in the iconic, John Carpenter film “Halloween”. This Laurie pretty much lives a life (and I use that term loosely) that revolves around social networking, this app and that app and feels the urge to Tweet and Instagram everything that happens. It’s a really humorous plot point relevant in today’s society. At one stage she basically tells her mother that if she doesn’t post she’ll become “slightly less popular” (haha), which is about the total sum of the ramifications. The film only runs 68 minutes (with credits), most of which take place at a house party where we’re introduced to some of the films secondary characters. The two main inclusions being Sarah (played by Haley Madison), the host of the party and her boyfriend, Preston (Chris Proud).

My favourite parts of the film (killing aside), involved interactions between Laurie and the pizza delivery guy, Joe (played by Rudzinski). The film’s running joke revolves around no one being able to pay Joe for the pizzas. Every time he’s on the verge of getting his money and leaving, something or someone gets in the way. That someone is usually Laurie, displaying an over sexed veneer and physical attraction to Joe in the most obvious of ways, yet like a lot of us guys… he just doesn’t get it. Toward the end of the film there’s a great gag poking fun of the fact that Laurie is using a phone but claims no one has a phone to call for help. In other words, we all have phones but we can get so wrapped up in social networking that we forget there’s these things you can make with them called phone calls…. I know right?! In another instance there’s a humorous scene between rambunctious Preston and Joe, following an altercation with another party goer. Preston is distraught with how his face looks after said altercation and Joe just wants his money, its well-timed and delivered cleverly. In terms of characters and performance, majority of the cast do a decent job in their respective roles. Proud is over the top but entertaining, Marie looks great and balances the film out and Rudzinski has the best comedic timing of the bunch. Steve’s definitely improved over the years and I enjoyed watching him in one of his previous roles in “Scream Park” *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/scream-park-review/. Some of the secondary performances in CarousHELL aren’t that great but those characters only have limited screen time.

Let’s get to the good stuff aye, the violence. There’s a surprising amount of carnage and practical effects work on display in CarousHELL. I don’t know the actual budget for this one but I’d imagine it wouldn’t be much higher than any of Rudzinski’s previous films. On a good note, there’s an early kill less than ten minutes into proceedings. More often than not most of the deaths are fairly ambitious and graphically presented and given the budget, that deserves some praise. As a Slasher and Horror fan, kills and a body count are what most of us are after and that was sorely missed in Steve’s last slasher film. This time around we get plenty more of what’s desired, including a couple of nice prosthetic neck pieces, as well as a cool death involving some wire. The highlights for me were a shock face split and a breakdown using effects that depict melting. As a fan I really appreciate and value the attempt as much as I do the execution. I’m glad that Steve and Co really put in the work with this one to make the action far greater than it had the right to be (given the budget). I’m interested to see what else he’s able to do in the genre.

THE BAD

CarousHELL, like Rudzinski’s previously mentioned film, suffers again from some poor technical execution but the upside is this time around it doesn’t put as larger damper on things. Most of the camera work is alright but there’s a brief sequence that utilizes shaky cam while a young victim runs from our deranged unicorn. Without a dolly or stabilizers, that type of shooting style comes across as amateurish so I probably would’ve opted for a wide shot or something else. On several occasions during the party scenes, the camera loses focus completely and it becomes quite distracting. Early in the film there’s some inconsistent lighting and some harsh glare during a scene in the car with Laurie and her boyfriend Scott (Chad Bruns). The editing is another one of those aspects that’s difficult to get right, especially in independent film making. There’s no interesting transitions here and some scenes feel like they’re cut too quickly, while others wear out their welcome. I mentioned the memorable carny music earlier but other than that, everything else is so low in the mix that it simply acts as background noise. I don’t recall the house party even having music playing, so I think the soundtrack definitely needed a lively boost.

I couldn’t get into a lot of the comedy in CarousHELL. I’m a difficult sell when it comes to what the masses usually find funny, even more so when in the Horror/Comedy sub-genre. For example, most people I know love films like “Zombieland” and “Shaun Of The Dead”, whereas I could take em’ or leave em’ and much prefer some of the lesser knowns. With that being said, Laurie’s constant hashtag references were totally lost on me (being a bloke who doesn’t use Instagram or Twitter). Don’t get me wrong, I know what they mean and I chuckled at one or two but that word play continues for almost all of her screen time and it gets old. Then we’ve got the inclusion of the “cheesy pun” every time Duke kills. Now I like a cheesy pun as much as the next slasher fan but it’s a tricky one to navigate. You’ve got iconic films like “Child’s Play” and “Nightmare On Elm St.” that kick started that whole phase but these days it just doesn’t quite work, as is the case with recent films like “Knucklebones” and now CarousHELL. I’m not sure if it’s the style of voice-over and whose doing it or the lines themselves, probably a combination of both but in this film they’re just lame and not even the good kind of lame. Toward the end there’s one of the most awkward and unhealthy sex scenes you’re likely to witness anytime soon. The scene itself and one character’s unicorn fetish is clearly played for laughs but it will depend on your sense of humor as to whether you think the gag actually hits. I thought it was beyond stupid and if I laughed it was just uncomfortably but hey that’s just me.

I suppose in a movie about a talking Carousel Unicorn with the ability to comprehend thought, I shouldn’t complain about the lacking exposition surrounding Duke and instead just sit back and enjoy the ride, Right? The film doesn’t have an introduction per say, Duke is already Duke by the time the first frame rolls and the origin behind the unicorn is never divulged. Aside from an apparent connection to the mystery Cowboy Cool character, you don’t find out how anything happened in the first place. I enjoyed most of the action sequences in the film but it’s still not without those typical run of the mill kills scattered throughout. There’s also one sequence that fails completely, at least on a visual level. Rudzinski looked to use prosthetics and cheaply made molds wherever he could and I commend that, however, one particular kill involving a pizza cutting tool could have been insanely executed, similar to one or two of the other kills. The implement ends up just rolling back and forth on the actors head for laughs and failing to make an indentation. My only thought was that Steve wanted to keep the actor performing throughout that scene and needed him in the frame. Otherwise why not use a dummy head cast and make a bloody mess of things? In the end that was one of the most disappointing scenes of the film because I had high expectations due to what I’d seen prior.

Steve Rudzinski’s “CarousHELL” feels like it was made with genuine passion and effort, similar to the b movie schlock that Troma releases. Not only did I enjoy watching a whole new type of villain, I thought the shot choices and framing were neat and the audio track was superb. The addition of some carnival themed music was good and I liked Rimpici’s voice over, even with the shitty puns. There’s a few fun characters and some genuinely good jokes with solid comedic timing, albeit in patches. The performances from Marie, Proud, Madison and Rudzinski are very even, something that’s usually a rarity for the cast of a micro-budget film. The most fun you’ll have here is bound to be with the resourceful practical effects and the respectable body count. Some of the kills are damn gruesome and that’s what I was hoping to see in some of Steve’s future work. I’ve got to be honest and say that some of the technical aspects are still pretty rough around the edges (partly due to budget) but in particular those focus issues which need to be ironed out. The soundtrack needed some more life and the lack of plot details behind Duke make it hard to decipher the film’s rules if there are any. Big chunks of the comedy missed the mark and the sex scene was wacky to say the least. CarousHELL is like a blend between “Killer Pinata” and “Attack Of The Killer Backpacks” and still has its moments. On a personal note, there’s no denying it’s a huge improvement for Steve and I look forward to seeing what else he does down the track.

My rating for “CarousHELL” is 5/10

THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL

THE SETUP

This is a review for the 2009 Horror film, “The House Of The Devil”, Written and Directed by Ti West (Cabin Fever 2 and The Sacrament). It’s 1983 and financially challenged college student, Samantha Hughes (played by Jocelin Donahue of “Insidious: Chapter Two”) decides to take a babysitting job under mysterious circumstances. On the cusp of a full lunar eclipse and inside the Victorian manor, she quickly realizes that not all is as it seems in the Ulman household. The film also stars Tom Noonan (from TV’s “Hell On Wheels”), Mary Woronov (Silent Night, Bloody Night), Greta Gerwig (Arthur), AJ Bowen (You’re Next) and the infamous, Dee Wallace (E.T). Prior to this, West had only made a couple of short films, along with a couple of his lesser known features, “Trigger Man” and “The Roost”. The first film of Ti’s that I saw was Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, the sequel to Eli Roth’s hard-hitting horror film about a flesh-eating bacteria. I’ll admit that aside from some decent practical effects and a couple of funny moments, I loathed that sequel. It was a weak screenplay for a follow-up film that we just didn’t need (the original is great). I heard of a couple of Ti’s other films not long after I saw him in a brief role in Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett’s home invasion film, “You’re Next”. I purchased House Of The Devil about five years ago and finally got around to watching it!

THE GOOD

It’s clear from the outset that West’s, House Of The Devil is visually inspired by genre films of the 70’s and 80’s but even more so by the likes of, Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho), Stanley Kubrick (The Shining) and Roman Polanski (Rosemary’s Baby and Repulsion). Ti fully commits to the 80’s aesthetic here, his eye and attention to detail are as sharp as anybody working in the genre. There’s a great freeze frame when the opening title is displayed and the end credits play out over one singular shot (both techniques that were commonly used in that period of time, A Clockwork Orange if memory serves me correct). This film was shot on 16mm and color graded to emulate some of those films I mentioned earlier, the estimated budget was just under a million dollars. The cinematography is unbelievably sharp and the variation of shot choices give this a higher production value than you might think. A majority of the run time takes place inside the house but due to the tension created through the lens, it never feels boring, even with its slow approach. There aren’t a lot of still shots, the camera is always gently focusing and panning and I love that shooting style. Tone-wise you can’t help but be reminded of certain classic 70’s slasher films such as “Black Christmas” and to a greater extent, John Carpenter’s “Halloween”. There’s even a knife wielding sequence that’s shot extremely effectively, as Sam creeps down the hallway and knocks on one of the doors.

The audio levels are nice and consistent and the sound design, through good foley, helps maintain the tension that’s built within the first hour. The lighting is another standout feature in this one. In terms of the color palette the film stars out quite warm but as Sam’s situation escalates, it all darkens accordingly. Some of the highlights lighting wise, are a sequence where Sam goes into the bathroom to investigate and another where she makes her way up the staircase to look around. There’s fragments of light shining through the slats on the staircase and it’s a very subtle sequence. The wardrobe and set design are quintessentially 80’s, as you’d expect with it being a period piece. Sam’s always got her walkman playing (pumping out 80’s retro tunage) and along with her best friend Megan (played by Gerwig), pull on the faded denim jeans, flannelette button up shirts and wool sweaters to get into the swing of things. Everything inside the Ulman’s home looks old, older than the 80’s which should tell you something. The heavy pattern designs are reminiscent of rooms in The Shining and the couple themselves are quite strange to say the least. Ti’s approach to the soundtrack is an interesting one. Usually with films set in the 80’s, the complementary synth is just a given and while that’s ever-present here, there’s also some great songs by Grazer and The Fixx. It’s a fusion mixed score when things amp up and the use of synth and bass is what gives it that Carpenter esq feel, I really dug it.

Storywise, The House Of The Devil is all about its build up and there’s not a great deal of action until toward the end. Now that’s not to say the payoff isn’t there but there’s no doubting it’s quite a wait (even a little slow for me). The first act sees the viewer getting to know a little bit about Samantha and her plight, as well as the dynamics of her relationships with her roommate, plus her best friend, Megan. The second act is our introduction to Mr and Mrs Ulman, an elderly couple (played by Noonan and Woronov) who’ve been desperate to get a babysitter so they can have just one night to themselves. Shortly after arriving, Sam finds out that Mr Ulman hasn’t been entirely honest with her about the specifics of the job. I won’t spoil any of the revelations from that point on but needless to say, it becomes a very tense situation for our heroine. The cast all turn in solid performances, particularly Donahue and Noonan. Their two characters share a conversation in the kitchen upon first meeting and it’s executed effortlessly. It was interesting to hear Ti West talk about the look of this cast and how they all personify that “classic horror” appearance which is what he wanted. Jocelin has that “Laurie Strode” (Halloween) look about her, Greta looks like the classic best friend and Noonan is that larger than life man shrouded in mystery. Both of our female leads are incredibly likeable (as are their characters). Donahue carries a large chunk of this film on her own and she does so admirably. As the action picks up during the climax, there’s also some really great practical blood and gore effects.

THE BAD

The only lapse in the acting came from Mary Woronov’s when her character has contact with Sam toward the end of the film. An exaggerated response to a certain action is the only thing that was sub-par (those of you who’ve seen it will know the scene). There’s the usual continuity problems (or stretch of plausibility) in some of Sam’s actions early in the film. It’s quite clear that she has her own trust issues (perhaps a little bit of paranoia), yet after Mr Ulman withholds important information about the job, she’s still willing to do it. I understand that money talks but Ulman doesn’t help his case by saying “we can’t pay your friend” (meaning Megan whose with her) but then follows up with a “we can pay you extra”…. well you either have it or you don’t, right? Obviously without Sam agreeing to babysit we don’t have a movie so yeah I can let that one slide a little… There’s a couple of other plot points that I found difficult to swallow, mainly because they could only occur due to decisions made by Sam. There’s an ongoing issue with the pizza in the town, Megan gets a slice or two early in the film and complains about how average it is. During Sam’s night of babysitting she also orders a pizza and everything that follows on from that, only occurs because she orders said pizza. I would have preferred a different approach to that whole scene, e.g, Mr Ulman has pizza already in the fridge and tells Sam to help herself and that way what follows isn’t so typical. There appears to be a room upstairs that’s locked, eventually we get a glimpse inside but I’m not sure (given the ending) why we needed to be shown that because it’s never really addressed again. The major let down of the film for me occurs during a scene in a graveyard, I’m assuming it’s only there to set up the closing shots and final twist but that’s a highly unlikely situation to be withstood by someone.

Ti West’s, The House Of The Devil is an immensely atmospheric and slow burn horror film that pays homage to its 70’s and 80’s counterparts. The screenplay is tension filled and the approach to the “cult like” sub-genre, reminds me of what Mickey Keating (Darling and Carnage Park) is trying to do for modern Horror. The camera work is exceptional, the shot choices exquisite and the sound design crisp. I love the 16mm shooting style and some of the stylistic editing, the lighting and score are what make this one of the most unnerving films of the last decade or so. The attention to detail is clear in every aspect of the film, all the way down to the casting and the really solid performances by all. Topping it all off are some gruesome practical effects, which add a nice touch. It’s really only the small continuity issues and a handful of convenient plot details that curb West’s film somewhat. After my experience with The House Of The Devil, I’m looking forward to watching Ti’s other films “The Innkeepers” and “The Sacrament”. If you prefer much slower pacing and mood based films over the visceral carnage of a conventional “slasher” film, look no further than The House Of The Devil.

My rating for “The House Of The Devil” is 7.5/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SOur3WwZvM

ZOMBIE BEAST OF THE CONFEDERACY

THE SETUP

Zombie Beast Of The Confederacy is a Micro-budget Horror film from Wild Boar Films, it’s Written and Directed by Diamond Troy Justice (who I’ve been given the impression is a wrestler at least part-time) and stars Justice himself, Bad Bubba Brewer and a bunch of other independent actors. The story goes, that in 1863 Confederate President, Jefferson Davis sent a dangerous chemical virus to Gettysburg to help in the fight but it, along with the soldiers, vanished into the hills of the county. It’s now 2016, the virus and plenty of the undead, have risen to fight once again and it’s up to just three local men to stop the virus from spreading before it’s too late. A company called “World Wide Multi Media” are distributing this one and I purchased it from Amazon.com. Now I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve been caught out on several occasions with inferior products released through WWMM. “Milfs Vs Zombies”, “Season In Hell: Evil Farmhouse Torture” and “The Experiment Who’s Watching You” are just a few of their previous releases. They’re not exactly known for releasing high quality films but in the past I’ve bought a couple of decent films in Mike O’Mahony’s low-budget affairs, “Deadly Detour” and “Sloppy The Psychotic”, so you win some you lose some *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/sloppy-the-psychotic-review/.

THE GOOD

N/A.

THE BAD

Okay, here goes nothing. So right off the bat, it’s not a positive sign when you pick up the DVD and no one has actually been credited on the front cover (which in fairness to me I could have only known once it arrived). Of the countless films I’ve watched in my time, I think this is the first time I’ve encountered something like that. The only conclusion I can draw is that each person involved with the film doesn’t want to be shown as having been involved with it. The lead actors are not credited, the producers/finance (if there was any) are not listed and most importantly the Writer/Director isn’t credited either. Even once the films credits begin to roll, it’s apparent that several of the cast members have been credited with nicknames and only some listed with their actual names. After noticing this irregularity, I thought I’d dig a little deeper into the film but it that’s difficult to do because it turns out there’s no official IMDB page for it either. Any film, big or small, you can find it on the international movie database, so I’m stumped. The site is there for that very reason, as well as to better inform people about the film. It wasn’t until after I watched it that I checked for a trailer and YouTube does actually have one, so there’s that (and now I’m annoyed I didn’t know that before hand).

The DVD also comes with three quotes from online reviews, one on the front and two on the back. “Awesome Mag” say Zombie Beast Of The Confederacy is “Weird, Gory Schlock. Fun As Hell”. In addition to some sharp look stills on the back, there are two more summaries, one from “Extreme DVD”  that says “So badly homegrown, it’s great!” and another from “Deadly Indie Drive In” saying the film is “Downright Apocalyptic”. Okay, bear in mind I can’t say this with absolute certainty because after all, the world-wide web is an infinite database of information but I really don’t believe any of these websites or reviews actually exist. On the other hand, if they do exist then I sincerely apologize to everyone involved with the film for not doing a more thorough research. I figured after entering each website into the google search engine and browsing the first five or so page results and finding nothing, that it was a pretty safe bet that these sites and reviews were fake. Everyone’s taste is different and I’m not saying these quotes are fake just because I thought they couldn’t be any further from the truth. I do ask the question though, Why don’t they show up when you search them? This is a brand new film, there should be reviews for it, right? It’s bad enough that the running time is listed as 80 minutes when it’s actually 107 minutes but I draw the line at fake reviews and if that is the case, they have no respect for the buyer and therefore I have no respect for the filmmaker.

Onto the film itself. Zombie Beast Of The Confederacy opens with stock footage and gun shots playing over sloppy credits, displayed with different colored fonts. We then get given a small monologue about the events of 1863, which is essentially the exact same synopsis on the back of the DVD. Following that, is an introduction to some military man who reads off mission parameters, as he points to monitors that consist of a couple of really poorly placed photos and a giant map of the world, when I’m sure we’re supposed to just be looking at a small county (haha I’m not sure why that’s there). Enter a whole bunch of stereotypical redneck characters who are poorly portrayed by an amateur cast. From a technical point of view the film is an absolute mess. Big chunks of dialogue are completely out of sync, there’s no sound bed or impact foley for any of the action sequences and the score continually fades in an out. I don’t expect a lot from a filmmaker working with no money but the worst mistake you can make is to not even try. Troy’s camera has to be worse than my $80, DXG 5.0 Megapixel handheld one. The shots are either out of focus or atrociously framed, characters heads are out of the frame or the height of the shot is around people’s midriff, not to mention all the editing is glitchy as well. Most of my readers know me well enough and know that I’m always looking for positives in film, so if it’s done well I can dig thrills even on as cheap of a budget as this. Take Richard Mogg’s micro-budget work on “Massage Parlor Of Death” and “Bigfoot Ate My Boyfriend”, they’ve both got heart and good intentions unlike this one.

The digital effects are by far in a way the worst part of Zombie Beast Of The Confederacy. I don’t know the actual budget for this film but I imagine it couldn’t have been more than $1,000 and if it is, I feel sorry for these guys. Logical thinking should tell you that you probably want to limit the amount of digital effects in a film of this nature. Nope, these guys decide they’re going to go all out, with what must have been 25 to 30 vfx shots just in the short amount of time I watched for. There must have been countless lengthy sessions in “Paint”, creating drawn on blood, fire and fake weapon flashes. I can’t actually fathom why you’d choose digital effects, or for that matter any effects, for a film with such a small amount of money and think you’d be able to produce something people would want to see. I’ll be honest with you, this film ran 107 minutes and I lasted all of 14 minutes and 12 seconds, this from the guy that will watch just about anything. I know some readers will probably say I’m not in a position to give a fair and honest critique because I only watched a very brief portion of the film, hell maybe they’re right. Though maybe, just maybe, that should tell you all you need to know about Zombie Beast Of The Confederacy.

My rating for “Zombie Beast Of The Confederacy” is 0/10

31

THE SETUP

“It’s time to play 31”. Violence has been the cornerstone of the Horror genre for as long as I can remember. Today there’s many sub-genres within horror, most of which contain violent themes but even before we specifically started categorizing films, there’s been violence in cinema. Back in the early 30’s there were films like James Whale’s, “The Invisible Man” and “Frankenstein” that illustrated a fair share of violence (given the times). Since then we’ve seen the birth of the iconic “Slasher” and its subsequent rejuvenation, in addition to graphic works like “Cannibal Holocaust” and “Salo 120 Days Of Sodom”, all the way through to a new wave of extreme horror that’s coming out of Asia and Europe. Takashi Miike’s “Audition” and “Ichi the Killer” initiated what would eventually become known as “torture porn”, ultimately leading us all the way to the farfetched works of Olaf Ittenbach (Dard Divorce and No Reason) and Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police and Mutant Girls Squad), both Directors of exaggerated movies coined as “Splatter films”. As we’ve all evolved and grown (well most of us), so has the genre and its hardcore fans ongoing appetite for violence. For the most part, my love for the genre lies more in the behind the scenes phase, I take interest in the creative process as much as I do the end result. I don’t advocate violence simply for shock value. Showcasing the talent of special fx artists, via realistic practical effects isn’t violence for violence sake (at least not in my mind). Some of the most extreme films, such as the appalling “A Serbian Film” or aforementioned “Cannibal Holocaust”, have no real reason to exist other than to shock and disgust. They essentially have no redeeming qualities, they’re not art, they’re not meaningful and they’re most certainly not entertaining (if you find them entertaining I suggest you seek professional help).

This brings me to 31, the latest Horror film from Musician turned Filmmaker, Rob Zombie. Here’s a guy that up until 2003, only had experience shooting music videos until he came crashing onto the scene with “House Of 1000 Corpses”, a film about a backwater family of sadistic killers (I still haven’t seen it yet). Since then, he’s made four more feature-length films, most notably a stellar remake of John Carpenter’s 1978 classic, “Halloween” and 31 is his fifth effort. I’ve seen all of his films excluding his first and there’s no doubt that each have been a startling experience in their own right and making that sort of impact is a big part of succeeding in the genre. 31 is about five traveling carnival workers who are kidnapped, held hostage in a compound of sorts and forced to play a life or death game called 31. The goal of which is to survive 12 hours against a group of sadistic clowns. The carnie’s consist of motherly figure, Venus (played by Meg Foster of “Lords Of Salem” Zombie’s previous film), free-spirited, Charly (Sheri Moon Zombie), Roscoe (Jeff Daniel Phillips), Panda (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) and Levon (Kevin Jackson). The film also stars Richard Brake, Pancho Moler, David Ury, Lew Temple and Malcolm McDowell.

THE GOOD

Let’s begin with the obvious shall we? The poster art. It’s a great layout and design that will undoubtedly change when the film hits DVD and Blu Ray, unfortunately these types of one sheets don’t stick around long. One might compare aspects of 31’s premise to that of Leigh Whannell/ James Wan’s “Saw” franchise. They’d be right in terms of the game style and set amount of time for events to play out in but this is a tonally completely different. What I mean by that is simply this, Rob Zombie films have a certain harshness about them, he’s a pulls no punches kind of guy and if you’re a hardcore horror fan that’ll please you and you have to respect that even if you’re not a fan of his. The very opening sequence of the film is one of my favorites, it’s in Black and White which is extremely effective. A slender man in the distance steps out of the light and into the shadows, the constant sound of dripping water echoes, as he makes his way down a dark and dingy basement corridor to address the camera (and in turn the viewer). From there, “Doom-Head” (played by Richard Brake of “Ray Donovan”) explains to the audience what’s about to take place, what you’re going to witness and why you’re going to witness it. It’s a disturbing introduction that showcases a hate filled monologue, some great makeup and really good foley to kick the film into gear.

The opening credits reveal that the movie is set in 1976, on display are some trendy Polaroids of the traveling carnival group doing their thing, being young and wild and free. I dig the 70’s aesthetic when it’s done well, look at films like Tarantino’s, “Death Proof” and Mickey Keating’s pulsating Suspense/Thriller, “Carnage Park” *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/carnage-park-review/. Zombie’s worked inside the parameters of the 70’s before, so his approach to the color palette here is much the same as it was in “The Devils Reject” and even the Halloween reboot. Washed out saturation and gritty detailing are what make this one feel like a 70’s exploitation flick. Scenes with the group in transit feel directly lifted from Tobe Hooper’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, minus them picking up a hitchhiker (which actually almost happens haha). Apart from the opening scenes, the highlight in a cinematic sense is a series of fantastic aerial shots over grimy and decayed bathroom stalls, eventually landing on a frightened Charly. As I said earlier, the foley all sounds great, as does the horn and tornado sound warnings used to commence the game. There’s a stylish, 1920’s piece of blues/jazz music toward the beginning and when the suspense picks up, the rest is a bass and synth pumping soundtrack. The detail in set design is yet another well conceived element of 31. You have to admire Zombie’s extravagant set pieces, he’s been doing it for years and you can’t say these aspects of the production value take a backseat when he’s driving because they don’t.

A lot of the cast is made up of Zombie’s regulars, most notably his wife Sheri Moon as well as Meg Foster, Jeff Daniel Phillips (both from Lords Of Salem) and the infamous Malcolm McDowell. I think as much as he likes working and reuniting with old friends, he’s all about the right look for his characters. I know fans were complaining that Bill Moseley (who plays Otis in The Devils Rejects) wasn’t cast as Doom-Head or at least one of the other psychotic clowns. I’m not saying Moseley wouldn’t have fit the part but everyone was chosen for a specific reason. For example, both Jacobs and Jackson have that 70’s feel about them, I bought them as carnie members even with their uneven performances. Phillips sports those extra long side burns that flow into a gnarly mustache and beard… very 70’s. As for Meg Foster, she looks like she’s done it hard and that goes hand in hand with her character of Venus. Sheri Moon is a rarity in the sense that she’s got a sort of natural beauty about her (not often seen in this film) but she can play the promiscuous, foul-mouthed trashy girl well too. The supporting cast members have their moments but overall they lack consistency, however, there’s a couple of memorable performances in 31 and they come from Richard Brake and of course the accomplished Malcolm McDowell. Brake’s controlled aggression in regard to the portrayal of Doom-Head, makes him completely unpredictable. The peeling white makeup, greasy hair and distinctive teeth are unnerving in their own right but add Richard’s gaunt body type and it really makes that character. McDowell plays the master of games “Father Murder”. He dons aristocrat garb better suited to a revolutionary war picture but it’s still neat all the same. He’s got wonderful diction and he’s had a flair for the theatrics ever since Kubrick’s, “Clockwork Orange”, so this suits him perfectly. It’s great to see Tracy Walter in a small cameo again, that guy should just buy a convenience store or a mechanics garage because he’s always playing characters with those kind of roles (haha).

The most common question surrounding 31 is, How violent is it? Zombie came right out and said that this was his most violent film to date but I’m not sure I’d agree with that. Based on what I’ve seen, The Devils Rejects still holds that honor. Now that’s not to say 31 doesn’t have its fair share of carnage. There’s five other clowns roaming the warehouse besides Doom-head. A chainsaw wielding, brother duo called Schizo-Head and Psycho-Head (played by Ury and Temple), a crazy couple in Death-Head and Sex-Head (Torsten Voges and Elizabeth Daily) and a little maniac that goes by Sick-Head (Moler). Each of these villains enter one at a time and do their best to kill our five players and you just know Doom-Head is going to re-enter the fold at some point. You have to wait a little longer than expected for the good stuff, which can be a bit of a drag but gore hounds will still be pretty impressed. All the effects are practical and look quite good, the addition of the chainsaw in the clown sub-genre has been long overdue. Other than Marcus Koch’s “100 Tears”, I don’t recall seeing another clown film involving a chainsaw. There’s another couple of impressive kills in which a spiked bat is used and a couple of throats are slit. Due to the hype surrounding the film and everything that it promised, I can’t help but feel a little let down in terms of the delivery and what was offered up with on-screen kills.

THE BAD

Let’s talk about the biggest issues with 31, the shooting style, lighting and of course that dialogue. Just because this is gritty and brutal in content doesn’t mean Zombie has to make it hard on the eyes. This is such a difficult watch in terms of the film making process. There’s a healthy (or more accurately, unhealthy) dose of carnage, or so it would seem but the shooting style lacks any kind of control. One can only think that everything is so rapidly edited in order to mask the lack of actual on-screen violence that Zombie initially promised us. It’s disappointing that there’s no graphic kills until almost half way through, to be fair, I heard that Rob went through a lot of cuts to actually get a license for a theatrical release. It begs the question, for someone who has a reputation for doing as he pleases, why is he suddenly worrying about the appropriate cut for a theatrical release. 31 was a mostly crowd funded project and I know theaters are where you get a return on your money but if he’s really about making a truly visceral film then show it to audiences how it was intended to be shown. In several of the stills above you can see some effective mood lighting, unfortunately that all goes south in the actual film. This is by far Zombie’s worst lit film, so much so that it completely distracts you from what’s happening on-screen. There’s some circular colored lights reflecting on and off the lens during the chainsaw sequences, followed by what feels like five or ten minutes of horrendously intense strobe flickers toward the end of the film.

Zombie’s dialogue, at least in any of his original work, has always been rather crude and I suppose that’s par for the course with the kinds of horror films he makes. However, the writing in 31 is unbelievably juvenile and crass and that’s not just coming from our villains mouths. We get it, these clowns are bad people and for the most part they have no redeeming qualities but what’s with our so-called protagonists? A majority of the dialogue is just trash that plays as filler until the violence hits. The conversations that take place in the camper were difficult to make out and there’s no subtitles for the small portion of foreign dialogue throughout the film. I found a lot of the linguistic riffing quite offensive (and I’m not easily offended) and it will no doubt be seen as demeaning toward women, especially when there’s sexual content being spouted off by the brother duo at an alarming rate. I think I speak for us all when I say we could have done without the extra nightmare scene involving Schizo-Head and Psych-Head because it’s just more of the same sleazy junk being spewed out. Audiences might be disgusted with what they hear but they won’t be scared by these clowns because they just talk way too much and it negates any tension that could have been created. If I’ve learnt anything from Horror it’s usually that less is more (in terms of the suspense). Our cast playing carnies are only given a bare bones arc to work with, which I’m sure was Zombie’s intention but what you’re left with in the end are characters you can’t invest in because you haven’t learnt to care about them.

If you can get past the shoddy presentation and cheap talk you’ll still be witness to some forced acting and uncomfortable innuendo, the gas station sequence involving Phillips and Daily’s characters comes to mind (similar to The Devils Rejects). The kidnapping sequence begins so hurriedly that you can’t make out where the striped men come from or how they’re able to gather everyone together so quickly. Not to mention the action can’t be seen properly because the scene is way too dark. Then there are problems with the finer points of the plot development as well. You’ve got three characters led by McDowell’s “Father Murder”, who are overseeing the game and make announcements while re-adjusting their wagers on who might win the game. Somehow they seem to know everything that’s happening in the game at any given time, yet it’s the 70’s so there’s no technological advancements available. There doesn’t appear to be any surveillance, we don’t see them monitoring anything and they don’t receive any phone calls in regard to the events of the game, So how do they know what’s going on? My biggest gripe is that you’ve got Sick-Head dressed as a Nazi, being played by a Chilean actor, yet for some reason he speaks in Spanish. Then you’ve got Death-Head, who appears to be speaking German but he’s dressed like a transvestite and not a Nazi like he should have been, it’s all back to front and I’m not sure what Zombie was thinking. The part that really had me scratching my head is the complete absence of the mandatory freak out moment. You know what I’m talking about, that moment in any given Horror film when the individual or group finds themselves in a life or death situation and they lose their shit like a shit collector with amnesia (a quote from Dane Cook). Each one of our protagonists adjusts to the severity of the situation without a moments trepidation. There’s no struggle, no breaking down, it’s just suddenly they have it in them to kill and to do so without hesitation (for the most part anyways). A true horror fan loves to watch the process of those ordinary characters do something extraordinary and rise above and beyond in the face of certain death and 31 just doesn’t have that. There’s an effective ending to the film that I was genuinely impressed by but it’s somewhat negated due to the unnecessary twist that follows.

I’ve been eagerly anticipating Rob Zombie’s, 31 for over 12 months and with that comes a lot of expectation, especially when he promised so much. There’s no ifs, buts or maybe’s, 31 is an unapologetic, nihilistic, no holds barred, mean-spirited film from a Director who likes to push boundaries. Let’s ignore for a second that Billy Pon’s, “Circus Of The Dead” which also centers on a carnival of clowns and features a disturbing leader (played by Bill Oberst Jr.), was probably committed to screen long before the idea for 31 even entered Zombie’s twisted head, *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/circus-of-the-dead-review/. So with that in mind, I dug the 70’s aesthetic and the limited cinematic camera work, most notably the chilling introduction and Brake’s first appearance. Most of the music works and the sound effects are unbelievably sharp, Zombie’s usual attention to detail in the set design is a positive. Performance wise, McDowell and Brake are leaps and bounds ahead of the supporting cast, I suppose Sheri does her bit too. There’s a steady blood flow and a good variety of kills but unfortunately some terrible editing and shaky camera work ruin most of what’s presented to us. There’s no sugar-coating it, the gritty shooting style and hyperactive lighting are just plain bad and the worst I’ve seen from any of Rob Zombie’s film. The dialogue is tasteless and empty, whether that be chit-chat among the group of carnies or threats from the clowns. The characters arcs completely lack individuality and some of the specifics in the plot development don’t add up. The big thing for hardcore fans is that the violence an on-screen havoc don’t live up to expectations. For all its hype, 31 is probably Zombie’s weakest film and I don’t think I’ve been this disappointed in a Horror film for a long time. I suggest fans keep an eye out for Damien Leone’s upcoming film “Terrifier”, it’s another clown film promising bigger and better things…. maybe you’ll have more luck with that.

My rating for “31” is 5/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3LkhWcKkGE