Horror

Support Indie Film – Lake Eeerie (2014)

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From husband and wife team Chris Majors (director/producer) and Meredith Majors(writer/producer/star); Lake Eeerie is a new indie horror/thriller starring Betsy Baker (The Evil Dead), Lance Henriksen (Aliens/Terminator) and Marilyn Ghigliotti (Clerks). Due for release worldwide in 2015.

Young widow Kate (Meredith Majors) moves into an old house Lake-Eerie-Poster- - 24x36on Lake Erie to recover from her husband’s death. The house has not been lived in for over 40 years. From the moment Kate moves into the house, she is soon haunted by a dark presence. Kate is taking multiple pills/ medications for her anxiety and depression; therefore, she is not sure if she is losing her mind or if the haunting is really happening.

Kate is suddenly enveloped by a whirlwind of tragedy and dark forces, and must decide whether or not she is strong enough to fight back and figure out the evil truth before it’s too late.

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Blu-Ray Review: Day of the Dead (1985) Steel-book

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Day of the Dead is widely regarded as the third installment in George A. Romero‘s seminal zombie series; following Night of the Living Dead (1968) & Dawn of the Dead (1978).

IMG_1944 IMG_1945This Limited Edition Steel-book release from Arrow Films Video is a re-hash of their 25th Anniversary edition Blu-Ray release; the special features included here are the same.

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Blu-Ray Review: Birth of the Living Dead (2013)

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Birth of the Living Dead is a documentary detailing the production of the George A. Romero’s 1968 film Night of the Living Dead which is widely regarded as inventing the modern zombie genre as discussed in the film; directed by Rob Kuhns.

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Horror ‘B’ Movies – Bats (1999)

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In the run up to Halloween this year; I’m looking at some horror ‘B’ movies that are watched mostly for the sheer comic value of the laughable story, production & performances. Horror is a genre which continues to deliver this type of film in spades.
These films have picked up a cult following over the years however.

Bats (1999)
IMDb 3.6/10 – Rotten Tomatoes 17% – Budget £6.5 Million / Opening $4.7 Millionbatslc1bats
The eponymous ‘batastrophe‘ from director Louis Morneau is a comedy of errors right from the start; but not intentionally so. It also deserves some kind of award for the number of times the characters say the name of the film. The ludicrous plot borrows heavily from many stereotypes of the small town horror/disaster genre and the result is only worth watching for the comic value.  It did manage to spawn a TV movie sequel ‘Bats: Human Harvest (2007)‘ for the SyFy channel. The bats here are a poor patchwork of CGI, animatronics and real bats. Continue reading →

Review: Open Grave (2013)

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Open Grave is the new thriller/drama from Spanish director Gonzalo López-Gallego(Apollo 18) and writers Eddie & Chris Borey. The film stars Sharlto Copley (Elysium/District 9/Maleficent), Thomas Kretschmann (Resident Evil: Apocalypse) and Josie Ho (Contagion).

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We open boldly with a stylised shot of Sharlto (John/Jonah) gasping for breath and seeing only by candle-light; discovering for the first time his strange and scary situation, waking up in a huge pit of corpses having no memory of who he is, where he came from, where he is now or how he got there. He soon realises he is not alone however when he finds a house that is occupied by others in a similar predicament. None of them know how they got there or what connection they have with each other.

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Review: Debug (2014)

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Debug is the 2014 Sci-Fi/Thriller big screen debut from writer/director David Hewlett (better known for his sci-fi acting roles such as Stargate & Rise of The Planet of the Apes) and stars Adrian Holmes, Jeananne Goossen and Jason Momoa.

The story resolves around a team of criminal computer hackers that have been sent into space by the Department of Corrections to help salvage old ships by over-riding their computer systems. This seems like an easy job; until they come across an abandoned prison ship. As they interact with the various virtual elements of the ship’s system they s4-debugoon realise it is fighting back in a very real and physical way as it turns the team on each other.

This is hardly new territory in sci-fi (i.e. the Alien franchise starts with a similar premise and there is of course Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Oddyssey) however the hacker angle does provide a fresh and interesting new take on this. All that said I feel the film is well executed but did not particularly stand out for me. Jason Momoa’s performance is ominous and unnervingly evil as the ships AI Iam.

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Review: Reaper (2014)

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Not to be confused with the TV series of the same name; Reaper is the 2014 thriller/horror from director Philip Shih and writers Mark James/James Jurdi. The film features a strong cast including Danny Trejo (Machete Kills), Vinnie Jones (Snatch), Shayla Beesley (Sex and the USA), Jake Busey (From Dusk Till Dawn – TV Series), Christopher Judge (Stargate) and James Jurdi (Pocket Listing).

Reaper (2014) _thumbThe story plays out initially like a typical road horror movie in the tradition of The Hills Have Eyes & The Hitcher. Hitch-hiker Natalie (Beesley) gets a ride with happy-go-lucky travelling salesman Bill (Busey). When Bill crosses the line Natalie turns the tables on him and we learn there is much more than meets the eye to this girl. This leads her to run into drug runner Brad (Jurdi) who is carrying out a pick-up for tough criminal boss Rob (Jones). Later on the pair meet Jack (Trejo) at the suitably named ‘Last Chance Hotel’ and the story turns somewhat sinister. The twists in this tale remind me a lot of Tarrentino’s writing for From Dusk Till Dawn.

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Review: The Shoot (2014)

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From Wonder Wheel Productions and joint writing/directing team John Adams & Toby Poser ‘The Shoot’ stars John DiMaggio (“Futurama,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”), Keith Allan (“Z Nation,” “Mad Men”), Doug Spearman (Cradle 2 The Grave), and Toby Poser (The Lucky Ones).

The main protagonists are Tommy (Adams) & Dougie (Sam Rodd); a pair of struggling musicians that are in debt to a loan shark represented by token ‘Bad Guy’ Steve (DiMaggio) while trying finish off their recording sessions. Continue reading →

UPDATE: Kevin Smith’s ‘Tusk’ UK Release Date & Premiere

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UPDATE – 29/05/15

Latest

Tusk is available to Buy on iTunes in the UK. Click here. Also now available on Sky Store, Amazon Instant Video and Google Play.

Tusk is already released for Pre-Order on DVD in UK. Release date currently 8th June.
Available from Amazon and Zavvi.

People tweeted (@sonypicturesuk) using hashtag #TuskUKYes to show support for a UK release. Some tweets featured below. Continue reading →

Review: Motivational Growth (2013)

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 Originally reviewed for Battle Royale With Cheese

‘Motivational Growth‘ is the 2013 dark comedy/horror film from Writer/Director Don Thacker and has already been well received on the festival circuit; winning several awards.

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The story revolves around Ian Folivor (Adrian DiGiovanni); a reclusive slacker who dispels his own schizophrenic, self-effacing view of the world. The film opens with an excellent stylised montage of retro trash TV as Folivor flicks between channels on his old TV set ‘Kent’; his only companion as he spends his life on the couch. When the set malfunctions Folivor attempts to bring an end to his miserable existence; he wakes up after knocking himself unconscious only to discover The Mold (voiced by horror veteran Jeffrey Combs) is talking to him. He starts to take advice from The Mold and begins to clean up his act but as the story continues we see this relationship turn sinister; think Little Shop of Horrors but without the songs.   Continue reading →