Podcast Episode 53 - Bad Dead-Alive Taste

Download this episode (right click and save)

In episode 53 we discuss a double feature of Peter Jackson's early work. First up is Bad Taste, an off the wall scifi comedy starring Jackson himself. Second is Dead-Alive, one of the goriest films ever made and one that planted Jackson firmly into the hearts of horror fans everywhere. We also discuss what we've been watching and what's going on in the news. Enjoy!

The Redwood Massacre - Review

Redwood Massacre is a new slasher film from director David Ryan Keith. The story concerns a group of 20 somethings who venture out into the woods in search of a house and instead run into a legendary murderous farmer out to kill anyone who enters his woods.

When I review slasher films I typically compare them to a checklist of items to determine how they fit into the genre as well as give it a fresh spin (for better or worse). The criteria I use for these reviews is pretty simple. Who are the characters and how much do I like them. Who is the killer and how effective is their look. How effective and original are the kills and effects and lastly how original is the story itself in comparison to everything that has come before.

First the characters. The story is centered primarily around a group of 4 friends on a camping excursion. There is the obvious final girl as well as two other females and one male character. Unfortunately the three outlying characters are defined almost singularly by the fact that they exist in a love triangle. The two girls hate each other and as a viewer we have to deal with this through the entire movie. All I wanted was for them to die. It’s in this that modern slasher movies regularly fail. Rather than create characters I can root for they give me people that I want to see murdered as early as possible so that I don’t have to be around them anymore. I should never be rooting for the killer in these movies.

Second is the killer. It’s in this area that I think the movie really shines. I love the look of the farmer. He’s decked out in a scarecrow mask and plaid and he looks legitimately menacing. Overall I really dug the design of this guy and it's definitely the strongest aspect of the film.

Third are the kills and effects. The film does feature some good practical effects and the kills themselves are pretty gruesome but personally like my slasher movies to feature more suspense. This one falls more into “Hostel” territory with the killer opting to tie down and torture many vicitm's only stalking them when absolutely necessary. Considering the location has quite a bit of potential its too bad they didn’t decide to use it a bit more to their advantage throughout. It's worth mentioning that the final girl chase is actually pretty well done.

Finally there’s the story. Redwood Massacre works fine as a standard slasher movie in that it follows the formula. It actually comes off as a pretty blatant rip off of Madman. The back story here is that the farmer goes crazy and murders his family and now spends his days stalking campers in the woods. If you haven’t seen Madman go check it out and you’ll see the similarities.

Overall Redwood Massacre is a middle of the road example of a modern slasher film that too often falls into the trappings of the current trends of the genre rather than relying on the tropes that made the genre great to to start. I don't think you'll be disappointed when you watch it but I don't foresee this as being overly re-watchable.

Score: 2/5

Pernicious (2015) Review

Pernicious is the newest film from James Cullen Bressack (Blood Lake: Attack of the Killer Lampreys) starring Ciara Hanna, Emily O’Brien and Jackie Moore. The plot concerns three young women who have decided to volunteer their time in Thailand teaching children English. Unfortunately for our three heroines the home they have been placed in contains a giant gold statue of a child whose angry spirit has been trapped within. It doesn’t take long for the spirit to escape and wreak havoc as she seeks vengeance for her death.

From the opening scene of the film I was immediately impressed with the look of the film. The film was shot on locations throughout Thailand which is a huge asset to the films production value. The house where the girls stay as well as the multiple locations they visit throughout the movie all feel genuine. I loved the beginning of the film as our three leads make their way by to their home starting by car and ending by boat. It perfectly sets up a sense of location without having to tell us through dialogue.

The cast is also quite good. From the leads to the supporting cast everyone does a fine job. It was also a relief that as the film progressed the three girls never become overly annoying or mean. They are never setup as characters we want to see die. That’s not to say they don’t have their moments but I never found myself rooting against them which, considering how modern horror films typically work, is a good thing.

The only issue I found myself having with the film was with its tone. There’s a point in the movie where it turns from a pretty standard supernatural story into a Hostel type film. There are some scenes of extreme torture and violence that come almost out of nowhere and were a bit jarring on my first viewing. The effects are all good and the gore hounds will be pleased but it went against my expectations and I think these scenes could probably be completely removed without harming the film at all. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good gory horror movie but Pernicious actually has a pretty cool premise and some genuine scares. There are scenes later on in the film where the spirit of the little girl is haunting our heroines and I was legitimately creeped out. I think everything would have gelled better had it stuck to one tone and gone with it but a repeat viewing may change my mind.

Despite finding the film a bit jarring at times I can say I enjoyed it. There’s really solid production value and the effects are well done. The cast is good and I found there to be several effective scares. Overall I can easily recommend checking out Pernicious.

Score: 3/5

Pernicious is due out in Theaters and VOD on June 19th, 2015.

Joy Ride 3: Roadkill - Review

Joy Ride 3 sees Rusty Nail return with his trusty tractor trailer to run down a new set of victims. This time his sights are set on a group of young street racers on their way to Canada to take part in a competition known as the Road Rally 1000.

The original Joy Ride is a movie that surprised the hell out of me when I first saw it. Filled with suspense, likable characters, good acting, a simple premise and a frightening antagonist it was easy to be sucked into the story and come out at the end satisfied. That’s why it’s so disappointing to see this become nothing more than a modern slasher franchise that utilizes characters we can only barely like, features kills that feel like rejects from a Saw movie and seems to be positioning Rusty as a wise-cracking slasher in the vein of Freddy Krueger rather than an ominous presence hidden behind the wheel of his truck.

The film opens with two meth heads in a motel room, high as kites and having sex. They run out of meth so they come up with the bright idea of calling a trucker on the CB radio and robbing him of cash and drugs. Of course they call up Rusty Nail who proceeds to tie them to the front of his truck and tell them that if they can hold on for one mile he will let them go. You can see why I make the Saw reference as most of the kills are setup in a way to torture the victim and draw out their death. So right from the opening scene we have two characters being killed by Rusty who fully deserve what they get. Seeing them be run over by his big rig is satisfying rather than terrifying. I will say that Ken Kirzinger chews up his role as Rusty Nail and is a good fit for the role but setting up the audience to root for him is a mis-step.

After this opening we are introduced to our main cast of characters. They include two incredibly annoying women and a bunch of completely underdeveloped male characters. We are simply supposed to define them by the fact that they race cars. The only character I found myself even remotely liking was Austin and that was because he makes a Large Marge reference which I can totally appreciate. It’s the only scene in the movie where I found myself smiling.

As you can imagine the remaining run-time is filled with the racers running afoul of Rusty and he kills them off in various creative ways while they continually make horrible baffling decisions. He ties onecharacter to the top of his truck and drives full speed under a bridge. He places one characters head between a lift and the bottom of his truck slowly crushing it. He sets up an elaborate contraption where one characters head is slowly wrapped with a chain and impaled. There are a few others as well but most involve some sort of elaborate setup. Again, this is why I make the Saw comparison. He puts in so much work to kill these people when all he has to do is run them over with his truck.

I don’t have much more to say about the movie. It’s from the director of Wrong Turn 3, 4 & 5 which I have yet to see but haven't heard many good things. Hopefully the Joy Ride franchise calls it quits at 3 and we aren’t exposed to any additional sequels though I doubt it. Overall it’s a formulaic run of the mill slasher movie with unlikable bland characters and an unoriginal uninspired story that left me bored. There are some good gore effects, decent car chases, and the acting’s not half-bad but that’s hardly enough to save this movie.

Score: 1.5/5

Read About Joy Ride 3:Roadkill on IMDB
Purchase or Rent Joy Ride 3: Roadkill on Amazon

Stitches - Review

Stitches is a Comedy/Horror movie about a clumsy unfunny clown name Richard "Stitches" Grindle (Played by Ross Noble). Stitches is hired for Tom's (Played by Tommy Knight) birthday party but when he isn’t as funny as the kids want they play a prank on him causing his death. Six years later Stitches comes back from the dead to seek revenge on the kids that accidentally killed him. Stitches is written and Directed by Conor McMahon who previously directed a few short films and also wrote and directed "Dead Meat", which was featured as part of Fangoria's Gorezone label. David O'brien was a co-writer for the film who is known for “Shrooms” from 2007 and a few other films. Stitches is played by Ross Noble who is an English actor with a long list of credits including self-titled videos, shorts, and documentaries.

The film starts right off with Stitches banging some girl in a trailer, so be careful with kids in the room it's the first thing you see. This is the only real raunchy seen, other than this we get one nip slip, but it is about high school kids so...

In the middle of having sex Stitches remembers he has a birthday party to do so he just stops, pulls up his pants and heads off smelling like liqueur and sex to little Tom's birthday party. Stitches arrives at the party while the kids are in the driveway playing and drives straight for them as they jump out of the way. Tom's mother's tell him he’s late, he call's her ugly and proceeds on into the house. Just the clown you want at your kid’s party right?!

Stitches is not a good clown. He can’t do tricks or even make balloon animal's so the kids decide to throw things at him and tie his shoes together. This is where everything goes wrong for Stitches. Stitches death scene is really funny and contains some great effects. All of the effects in this film are actually done well. Many are filmed on a black background but the cut's from the film to effects are smooth and worked well and while the effects are definitely not realistic but are still fun to watch.

We then learn that all clowns have an egg with a painted face and that holds the clown soul and that all of these eggs are stored away in a special clown tomb. Not sure if this a real thing or not but let's just roll with it. We also learn that if a clown dies in mid-act then he or she can never rest until the joke is finished.

We now jump ahead six years where all of the kids are in high school. They did a surprisingly good job of matching the younger kids to their high school aged selves. Tom starts having visions of Stitches the clown including one with Stitches ripping his friend’s dick off. While the scene will definitely make the men in the audience squirm it manages to be both gory and funny.

Tom's friends are trying to convince him to throw a party but he is reluctant. Finally Vinny, his childhood friend, convinces him but he only invites his closes friends. Unfortunately for Tom there’s a social media site called "My Face" where someone posts an invite to the party. One girl’s MyFace invite reads "You invited everyone to come on My Face" which is just one example of the low brow humor which fills up the movies run-time.

The party is where the bulk of the action happens. It’s a huge typical high school party with a lot of beer and weed. I don’t want to spoil anything but the best scenes happen here.

The acting is really good with each character possessing a distinct personality and the progression from childhood to teenager allows us to see how none of them really change. I mentioned earlier how well the special effects work and I would like to touch on a few specific scenes. There is a decapitation scene where a character’s head is kicked off and their lips are still twitching as it fly's through air. There is an eyeball that is popped out directly towards the camera. Someone has their head blown up with a balloon pump which you have to see to really understand but it’s pretty funny. There is even a chase scene with two kids on mountain bikes and Stitches on a tricycle.

Overall Stitches just a fun movie. If you’re looking for a feel-good movie or romantic comedy this is not for you. If you’re up for a good laugh and plenty of blood and gore then this is for you. Or maybe you just need to receive a life lesson to never fuck with a clown (or did “IT” already do that)? I would definitely recommend you check this out. The re-watch value is high and I fully enjoyed it for what it was. Unless you’re scared of clowns, then you should probably stay away!

I give this a B-

Read About "Stitches" on IMDB
Rent or Purchase "Stitches" on Amazon

Podcast Episode 11

Download this episode (right click and save)

For this 11th episode of Midnight Triple Feature we start with a trip deep into the Green Inferno and a lengthy discussion on the infamous Cannibal Holocaust from 1980. We then move onto the mean gang infested streets of Los Angeles with 1984's exploitation cult classic Savage Streets. Finally we finish up with some lighter fare with 1986's science fiction horror comedy Terrorvision. Enjoy!

Zombie Lake - Review

Over the years Nazis and zombies have become inexorably linked together. Why this happened I'm not exactly sure. Maybe it's because Nazis are the greatest example of how evil humankind can be. Their never-ending thirst for conquest and destruction pairs well with a zombie’s never-ending hunger for human flesh. Zombies are the embodiment of pure evil. Like the leaders of fascist Germany, they are stripped of emotion and moral reasoning. Of course it could just be that Nazi zombies are badass. Whatever the reason, the Nazi zombie sub-genre is here to stay and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. There have been some fantastic Nazi zombie movies over the years like Shockwaves and more recently Dead Snow. Of course, as with anything, it has also produced absolute shit like War of the Dead. Unfortunately the film I watched falls into the latter category. That movie is 1981’s Zombie Lake from French directory Jean Rollin.

The movie begins with its only worthwhile quality, gratuitous nudity. The film begins with the opening credits rolling over naked women sunbathing and enjoying a pleasant dip in what the locals refer to as the “Lake of the Damned’. No body part is spared a close-up as we are treated to an underwater view. We also see our first Nazis zombie floating under the water just below her feet. This is one of only a few scenes throughout the whole movie that I really enjoyed. Watching the zombie stalk her and slowly rise up from the scummy water is fun but unfortunately doesn’t set a precedent for the rest of the movie.

I Spit on Your Grave 2 - Review

From its initial announcement I was vocally unenthusiastic of I Spit on Your Grave 2. I Spit on Your Grave was a film that I felt didn't require a remake let alone a sequel to the remake. After watching the movie I can say with confidence that I was correct in my initial reaction. This movie is trash. Not trashy like John Waters because that would be a good thing. It's just trash. Garbage.

The plot follows a young woman named Katie who moves to New York City from the mid-west with big dreams of becoming a model. Of course she struggles right out of the gate and is told that she has a lot of potential but her portfolio needs work. Out of desperation she contacts a photographer who offers free professional photos to models. The trade-off being that they are able to use the photos in their personal portfolio and make money off of them. She heads on over to this guys studio and there are three thick accented Bulgarian brothers who are all kinds of shady. She opts out of the photo shoot once things get weird but unfortunately she has garnered the attention of Georgy who apparently has a penchant for serial rape. Predictably he stalks her, eventually breaks into her home, murders her friend and brutally assaults her. Georgy calls his brother who decides they have to clean up the mess. This entails drugging Katie, shipping her to Bulgaria, finding a John who will pay a wad of cash to do what he wants to her, murdering her and disposing of her body. That's in a nutshell but there is a ton of sexual violence that happens in that span of time from an additional rape to cow prodding. It's brutal, graphic and difficult to watch. As we expect she survives and exacts revenge upon her abusers.

You're Next - Review

The home invasion sub-genre consists of some of the most unnerving films in horror. The idea of masked individuals invading your home to attack you and your family is both plausible and terrifying. The monsters aren’t supernatural. They are human. They aren’t in a place that feels foreign. They are hiding under your bed and coming through your window. Home is primarily a universal symbol of a safe place where a person can rest and escape the dangers of the outside world. A successfully made home invasion film can turn that sense of security upside down. It can make you double check the locks on your windows and leave the closet door open. It can take the safety out of suburbia. You're Next is not the first film to utilize this concept (Funny Games, The Strangers and Halloween immediately come to mind), but it employs it well while successfully mixing in dark comedic elements creating a surprisingly original experience in an arguably tired sub-genre.

Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett have pulled off another great collaboration balancing horror and comedy well with plenty of twists and turns throughout. The story is centered on the Davison family who are celebrating the 30th wedding anniversary of parents Aubrey and Paul in a secluded country mansion. The festivities take a deadly turn when lunatics donning animal masks begin picking them off one by one in gruesome ways. Although You’re Next has not been marketed as a horror comedy it easily falls into the sub-genre. Audience members around me were laughing as much as they were jumping in fright. A lot of the comedy comes from the bickering going on between the siblings. Joe Swanberg (Drake Davison) really shines as the stuck up brother who takes every chance he can to demean his siblings. Director Ti West also has a brief but memorable role as documentary film maker Tariq whose film was screened at the 2008 Chicago Underground Film Festival and prides himself on creating “art”. It’s an amusing skewering of the pretentious art-house filmmaker and his fans should get a kick out of the role.

Maniac (2012) - Review

I am not one to regularly cry foul whenever a remake or reboot of a popular horror film or franchise is announced because while a high percentage of them are merely tolerable at best, every once in a while we get a remake like Maniac. A perfect example of how a director can update a film with style and creativity while still maintaining the essence of its source material.

In terms of story, Maniac is true to its source. We follow serial killer Frank as he stalks the streets hunting women in order to scalp them to take home and add to his growing collection. He attaches their scalps to mannequins using them as vessels through which his victims can once again live and inhabit his lonely world. While the story remains largely intact the differences come in terms of overall execution and casting. I believe it is in these areas that the film will ultimately fail or succeed for most.

When I first read the reports of how Maniac would be updated shooting primarily from the point of view of Frank I was skeptical. It sounded like a gimmick. Surprisingly to me it worked well most of the time. It’s extraordinarily un-nerving to be in the shoes of Frank as he commits his acts of violence. It puts the viewer in a position where we are forced to sympathize with the victims while actively taking part in their demise. We aren’t flies on the wall anymore. It is particularly uncomfortable to be at the wheel as Frank drives through the city watching women, stalking them. It gives a sense of how easy it is to blend in and how unaware we really are as to who could be watching.

Under the Bed - Review

Under the Bed is the new film from Steven Miller director of the recent Silent Night remake and Automaton Transfusion. Described as a "suburban nightmare" the story centers around two brothers who are being tormented by a creature living under their bed. With no one around to believe them they are forced to take matters into their own hands and face the creature before it can devour them.

I was pretty excited to check out Under the Bed as it looked to be a throwback to some of my favorite films from the 80's like Monster Squad or The Lost Boys. Unfortunately, it doesn't come close to reaching the heights of it's influences. While those films are immensely re-watchable due to their great pacing, inventive story telling and likable characters Under the Bed is lacking in almost all of these areas. The pacing is off as the story seems to retread the same territory several times without much happening to push it forward. The beginning and end move at a pretty brisk pace with some decent character development at the front of the film and some good action and special effects at the end but the middle of the film feels lost and bogged down. Once it has been established that something is living under the bed and we learn the truth behind the older brothers past there isn't much more to do.

V/H/S 2 - Review

Horror anthologies have always been a favorite of mine ever since I watched Creepshow and more recently Trick R Treat. I also love found footage films, D]despite many people’s tendency to shit on them, and think there's a lot more new and creative things that can be done with this genre. In no film is this more evident than in V/H/S 2.

V/H/S 2 is comprised of five segments, unlike six in the original, one of those being the wrap-around story. This, however, is a welcome change as it allows the directors plenty of time to flesh out their stories, one of which runs 40 minutes and is definitely worth the extra time. If there’s one part of the first V/H/S that I thought was most lacking it was the wrap-around story. It followed a group of troublemakers as they recorded themselves causing mayhem and ended at a creepy house where they have to find a V/H/S tape. Of course they slowly begin to disappear as the viewer is treated to each new story. It wasn't terrible but you didn't care about the characters at all because they were assholes and it felt like it was thrown in simply to provide a reason for all of these films to exist together. This time around, we follow a sleazy private detective and his partner on their search for a missing student when they come across.... you guessed it, a pile of VHS tapes that they can’t help but watch. I found this wrap-around story to be much creepier than the original film as the tapes actually affect them in strange ways and we can see someone else in the background watching them. In the original V/H/S we’re not given many hints to the origin of the tapes but in V/H/S 2 we are given a few more clues, though they still remain vague. The ending was a big step up from the first as well and turned out to be a bit of a surprise.

Podcast Episode 3

Download this episode (right click and save)

The ABC's of Death - Review

The concept behind ABC's of Death is an inspired one. Take 26 genre directors, give them each a letter and a budget of $5000, and have them direct a short based on their given letter. The directors are given 100% freedom to write and direct as they see fit with no intervention from the production studio. It's like a visual take on the saying "when the cat is away the mice will play". The only problem is some of the mice just aren't as good at playing the game as others and can make the better players look bad. That's kind of what happens with ABC's of Death. There are a few moments of true entertainment and enjoyment but they are often overshadowed by their less entertaining and enjoyable counterparts. That's not to say these aren't all talented directors because they are, it just didn't work out for them in this format. The other issue is there is no real editing here. The letters are presented in order so we get no real sense of flow beside the fact that the letters follow each other. What follows is a rundown of each letter. The only way I could think to rate a movie like this is to rate each segment and average them together for an overall rating.