Bonus Podcast - Artsploitation Films Vol. 2 Horsehead & The Treatment

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In this bonus episode of Midnight Triple Feature we review two more recent releases from Artsploitation Films. First up is Horsehead, a surreal trip into the nightmare world of lucid dreaming. Next is The Treatment, an incredibly disturbing story where a man known only as "the troll" forces families to do unspeakable things. We also discuss "All American Bully", "The Lake on Clinton Road", and more! Enjoy!

All American Bully - Review

"All American Bully" is a film about a young man named Devon who is being bullied by his older classmate and former best friend John. The bullying eventually escalates into Devon being forced to make some false statements on video which is then posted and shared all over social media. It's at this point that his friend and secret admirer Becky steps in to help Devon by seeking revenge against John the only way she knows how, by beating him at his own game. Unfortunately for Devon and Becky they have no idea that their plot for revenge will set into motion a series of events that none of them could have ever predicted.

"All American Bully" is a movie that surprised me. I went in expecting one thing and came out completely surprised with what I had just seen. For the first two-thirds of the film everything is setup exactly as I had expected. It's kind of like one of those ABC After School Specials only with a harder edge. We have a teenage protagonist who is in some trouble and doesn't know what he's going to do to fix it. By the one hour mark I was positive I knew exactly what was going to happen and I was completely wrong. It's the breaking of that expectation that I really enjoyed about the movie. Without giving away too much it's as if the ABC After School Special were blended with a dash of Last House on the Left. I'll just leave it at that.

As far as the other elements of the film I felt everything came together pretty well. Overall the acting is good throughout with an interesting cameo from Adrienne King as the school principal and I particularly liked the main group of protagonists (Alexander Fraser, Alicia Rose & Darren Hicks). The film also looks good and never allows its lower budget to hinder its production value. Overall I can easily recommend giving "All American Bully" a chance. It's a film that takes its time to reveal all of its surprises which is something I can always appreciate, especially when those surprises really pack a punch.

Score: 3.5/5

GIVEAWAY - Der Samurai & House with 100 Eyes

GIVEAWAY TIME!!! We have two new releases from Artsploitation Films that we want to give to you one of you. We've got one Blu-Ray copy of "Der Samurai" and one DVD copy of "House with 100 Eyes". Entering is easy, all you need to do is like our Facebook page, Midnight Triple Feature, and like the giveaway post and you are automatically entered!

Podcast Episode 44

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In episode 44 we return to one of our favorite sub-genres, the slasher film, with three campus set slasher films. First up is Final Exam, a film that takes its leisurely time to get to the good stuff while instead focusing on copious amounts of frat bro bonding and one of the greatest characters to ever be named after a vegetable. Second is The Dorm that Dripped Blood. A grisly little low budget production which was heavily edited on its initial release and was even one of the notorious video nasties. Rounding out the show is Girls Nite Out which is possibly the only movie to feature a killer dressed in a bear suit slashing up college kids with steak knife claws all set to a soundtrack made up of songs from The Lovin' Spoonful. We also talk what we've been watching, revisiting 80's comedies, whats going on in the news and more! Enjoy!

Dark Moon Rising Release Details

While many refer to Eric Robert's as the actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for "Runaway Train" I will always remember his as the voice of that lovable feline in "A Talking Cat!?!".

From the Press Release, June 26th, 2015 Writer-director Justin Price’s howling new horror-thriller “Dark Moon Rising” will hit digital and DVD August 4, 2015 from Uncork’d Entertainment.

Eric Roberts (The Human Centipede III), Mika Padilla (NCIS), Billy Blanks (The Last Boy Scout) and Jared Allman (The Hunger Games : Catching Fire) star in the hair-raising chronicle of a group of shape-shifting werewolves that descend upon a small town in search of a girl who is re-born once every 2000 years. She holds the key to their survival and all will die who stand in their way.

An American Werewolf in London takes a bite out of Near Dark in this bloody, unique take on ‘The Wolfman’ legend.

"Furious" Release Details

From the Press Release, June 24th, 2015

"“Tim Everitt’s FURIOUS is pure cinema. FURIOUS is a borderline experimental experience, but it is first and foremost that, an experience. The kind of movie you have to see to believe. One of the great American independent films.” - WonderAndRisk

The cult classic FURIOUS, released in 1984, hits DVD for the first time on July 21. The Martial arts/sci-fi/fantasy favourite - shot for next to nothing- has been illegally copied and downloaded thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of times on the internet. There have also been an abundance of late night cinema screenings for this amazing cult masterpiece. By public demand, Leomark Studios are releasing the film on DVD - and the remaster looks beautiful! - this July.

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

Ace Jackson is a Dead Man - Review

Ace Jackson is a man with a plan and he's going to make it big. Unfortunately for Ace things don’t go as planned and he ends up on the hit list of a major drug dealer. Now Ace has a few days in which to find the money he owes the dealer before he ends up in an alley with a bullet in his head.

In terms of story I guess Ace Jackson isn’t much different on paper from a lot of movies I’ve seen before. A character gets into hot water with some dangerous people and is forced to spend most of the movie saving their own ass. The difference really comes from director Sean Weathers decision to use the film as a blunt statement on consumerism and capitalism while also focusing the film on a character who happens to be both a victim of the capitalist mindset and also kind of an asshole.

However odd that may seem I think it makes sense to portray Ace as kind of unlikable. Throughout the film Weathers fills the screen with scrolling blocks of text which discuss the American mentality toward capitalism, wealth, and fame and the rabid consumerism that occurs as a result. Jackson really just comes off as a representation of that poisoned mindset. He buys into the idea that he too can make it. All he needs is a good plan to get rich and everything will work out. He too can be rich and successful. As a result he is willing to do whatever it takes, no matter the cost, to chase something he will never achieve. I guess in some ways most of us can relate to that feeling but have accepted the fact that it's easier to accept our place in the food chain rather than be devoured by an impossible dream.

As far as the film itself goes I actually quite enjoyed it. While tonally different from "Scumbag Hustler", the last film I'd seen from Weathers, I found this one did stick with me for a while after watching it. This is in large part due to the way the film is put together. The integration of text to push a message is an interesting decision since it puts everything out on the table. Weathers isn’t interested in subtlety with this one and I kind of like that. It's not often that filmmakers are willing to put their opinions out there so blatantly. Subtlety is usually the route many take so it's actually a bit refreshing to see a director willing to literally put his thoughts out on the screen. It's also worth mentioning that the film features a great soundtrack and moves at a brisk pace of just over an hour which I always appreciate.

Overall "Ace Jackson is a Dead Man" stands as another interesting film from an independent director that's worth paying attention to.

You can find the works of Sean Weathers at www.fullcirclefilmworks.com

Score: 3.5/5