Flames Rising » TV & Movies

The Hammer Vault Review

DecapitatedDan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:21:13 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

Title: The Hammer Vault
Author: Marcus Hearn
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: 2011
Pages: 176
Price: $34.95

This remarkable journey through the Hammer vault includes props, annotated script pages, unused poster artwork, production designs, rare promotional material and private correspondence. Hundreds of rare and previously unseen stills help to create a rich souvenir of Hammer’s legacy, from the X certificate classics of the 1950s to the studio’s latest productions.

Written and compiled by the official Hammer Films historian Marcus Hearn, and featuring exclusive contributions from the actors and filmmakers associated with the company, this is the most lavish book ever published on the legendary House of Horror.

Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
I have to be honest and admit I am not a big horror movie buff. I grew up watching some great films in the 80?s and 90?s, but not the Hammer movies. So when I was presented with this amazing book to review I was looking for 2 things, history and a list of what movies were Hammer Horror. This book delivered on the list front, and man did it deliver. Out of the 176 pages over 160 of them are dedicated to the films. I will get to the page design in a second, but basically this book is a timeline from start to finish, giving some information on the movies and showing off some of the great press material that was put out. So in terms of history you don’t get too much, but you do get enough to be content with. It’s like a tease that will lead you to want to know more and more. The design of this book is GORE-Geous. As a Graphic Designer, I can spot a great layout and the way these spreads are put together is a work of art. I found myself spending so much time just taking in all the material presented. From the posters, to the press books, to the on-set photographs this was just a great collection of items. I know that any Hammer Horror or even Horror Movie buff will need to have this as a part of their collection, and I am happy to say it is now a part of mine. This book presents a visual history of the Hammer Franchise that will now be preserved forever. Now if you will excuse me I need to go watch about 100 different movies.

Layout: 4.5 out of 5
Story: 4.0 out of 5

If you would like to buy or know more about The Hammer Vault you can find it at Amazon.com.

Review by Dan Royer

Related posts:

2001 Maniacs Film Review

Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows Review

Steven Dawes — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:49:58 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

“Video never lies Kim… film does though.” – Jeffrey Patterson

Blair Witch 2 holds a special place in my black heart. No so much because of the movie itself, it happens to be the first movie my wife Lilly and I went to see together (somewhere along the lines of a 3rd of 4th date.) We were both fans of the 1st film (me more so than her), and as it was the autumn/ Halloween season so seeing a scary movie seemed like the thing to do at the time. It was incidentally the inaugural “dinner and a movie” date ritual that became a cornerstone of one of our favorite things to do together to this day. During the few times I’ve watched it since, I get a twinge of nostalgia, and did so again during this last watch for reviewing purposes. But does nostalgia a good movie make?

It’s hard to think that both BW and BW2 came out over a decade ago. I still recall the buzz the BW phenomenon created like it was yesterday. While BW drove the masses to new horizons in fear and terror, BW2 didn’t get the same kind of love. Looking back on BW2, I recall how much people hated it and bashed it up and down with lead pipes and whatever they could grab to hit it with. I remember such critiques along the lines of “It’s not a Blair Witch Project film”, “It made no sense” and “It’s not very scary”.

And to be fair, these are all valid arguments. Heather and company from the 1st film are nowhere to be seen here and the movie has nowhere near the amount of shaky camera footage to even feel Blair witchy. And I also agree that this wasn’t a very scary movie (especially when compared to the 1st one). And while I understand the notion that BW2 made no sense, I feel that this line of thought stems from my belief that people came out to see BW2 expecting it to be a direct sequel, and people were so frustrated that it wasn’t that they failed to really watch what was going down on screen.

In my opinion, BW is one of the most misunderstood flicks in horror history. It wasn’t meant to be scary, it wasn’t meant to be more of the same; it wasn’t even meant to be like a documentary. What it was meant to be was an unsettling mind job, it was meant to be play with the concepts of reality, it was meant to aim the shaky camera back at the audiences and the craze of the first film, but most of all it was meant to play with the idea of truth. A few of my horror savvy pals caught on with multiple viewing and have appreciated it since, but I was lucky enough to enjoy and relish it for what it was the first time around. I gave this movie a lot of accolades in the day, and I sailed a lonely ship doing it.

At its core, this film is a statement about our perceptions of reality. The film goes into subjects such as hysteria, a variety of observations and deductions concerning the obsession and phenomena of the first movie, thoughts about the camera fetish society the world was becoming at the time (and in an eerie way foretold how obsessed we would get with “reality” on film when you look at the schlock of reality shows we’ve been plagued with since BW2’s release), and the angle of “real life” vs. “recorded events”. The story is told in flashbacks and bits and pieces, and a series of quick shots while turning the “documentary” angle of BW on its head. This last aspect was probably where most of the audience hated it movie so much.

But to those who didn’t like it years ago and haven’t seen it since, I say you need to see it a second time. And for those who haven’t ever seen it, you should give it a go. Either way, when you do watch it, keep an open mind and an understanding that BW2 intentionally separated itself from the 1st movie. That may sound like a strange angle to take (this film sells itself as a “reenactment” of real events instead of a documentary) when the 1st one was such a unique film experience at the time and could have easily gone the route of “wash, rise, repeat” (like the Paranormal Activity franchise is doing). But I applaud the direction and angle the director and writers took with this one. I think you might appreciate them as well if given a fair chance.

And while on the surface it’s about perception and reality, there is an underlining theme that leaves you with unanswered questions. Specifically, the story behind BW2 , which could be taken as a “psychological” one where paranoia, mass hysteria, hallucinations, mental black outs, insanity and other mental conditions are to blame for the events that take place. Or could it have all been “supernatural” related? Were all of the weird events spurred on by the witch’s involvement after all? All of their weird perceptions and actions are staples of “possession” and “induced hallucinations” and other aspects common to the supernatural (which at times mirrored some of the things experienced in the 1st movie). This flicker show leaves you to draw your own conclusions, and it does so with in a very spooky fashion the more you think about it.

But while I praise this movie lots, there are issues I still have with it to this day. There are angles this movie throws at us that I still don’t get as to why they were there. Jeffrey’s trip to the nut house a year before brought nothing to the movie save for an easy plot angle for the sheriff to hate him. Erica’s lie about her parents didn’t make any sense to me either. Also note that “Book of Shadows” in the title doesn’t make any sense since there is no sighting or even a mention of said book to begin with. And while the main cast all delivered fairly solid performances, some of the lines were bad and at times doesn’t gel with the plot until you get more details later in the film (this works sometimes, but it didn’t here). Oh yeah, the guy who played the sheriff could be a contender in the “worst actor in movie history” league. Finally, I think the quick shots and revelations later on in the film went way too fast and it ruined some of the impact it should have had.

But on the whole it’s a very solid film and pulls off what it wanted to do in a very chilling manner. It’s also perfect for Halloween season viewing, now is the time to watch it. So open your mind, don’t take your peepers off of the screen (you might miss something), and let it all play out before you try to understand what took place in those woods, and what the group brought back with them.

4 out of 5 Rising Flames

Review by Steven Dawes

Related posts:

Trick ‘r Treat Movie Review

Steven Dawes — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:25:02 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

Chip: “You must really like Halloween.
Rhonda: You mean Samhain?
Chip: What?
Rhonda: Samhain, also known as All Hallows’ Eve, also known as Halloween. Pre-dating Christianity, the Celtic holiday was celebrated on the one night between autumn and winter when the barrier between the living and the dead was thinnest, and often involved rituals that included human sacrifice.
[awkward silence]
Rhonda: I like your eye patch.
Chip: Oh…”

The DVD

I had no idea what I was in for a year ago when I rented “Trick ‘r Treat” on Netflix. I‘d hear nothing about this film from anyone, but I read on the Netflix site that it starred Anna Paquin, Brian Cox and Dylan Baker (three actors whom I dig mucho) and the story description went like this: “In writer-director Michael Dougherty’s fright fest, Halloween’s usually boisterous traditions turn deadly, and everyone in a small town tries to survive one night in pure hell … but who will still be alive in the morning? Several stories weave together, including a loner fending off a demented trick-or-treater’s attacks; kids uncovering a freaky secret; a school principal — who moonlights as a serial killer, and more.” To me, this sounded like a potentially good time and I added it to the list.

It worked out however that the DVD didn’t arrive in the mail until November 2nd, and being as I missed the Halloween boat, I didn’t watch it till the next day. And when I did, I watched it with no real excitement or anticipation. But once the credits rolled, I was left a freaking basket case that’d just been taken on one hell of a hay rack ride! I’d just sat through and witnessed what I think is the best Halloween tale since John Carpenter’s “Halloween”, and I was blown away by it! What the hell?!? Where did this flick come from? Why hadn’t I heard of it before? I sprang into detective mode to find the story behind this baby.

Turns out that it was produced by Brian Singer (which explains Anna Paquin’s and Brian Cox’s involvement), but was directed and written by first time writer-director Michael Dougherty. Brian and screenwriter Michael met while working together on “X-Men 2” and became friends, working on “Superman Returns” together and eventually collaborating on this bad boy. Per a note I read in the Trick ‘r Treat movie book (which I’ll review in a few paragraphs), Brian stated that “I’d catch him (Michael) furtively scribbling twisted and demented sketches off in a corner of the set. One of them was a pumpkin-headed figure crawling up the margins of his shooting script, which led me to do a quick mental inventory. Was there an X-Man that I’d forgotten?” This little devil became the inspiration and one of the main characters of the movie.

And what did Michael do with this movie? Why, he created an incredible love note to all things Halloween! And as Halloween is in a close race with X-mas as my favorite holiday, I felt all the love he was sending out. The autumn season colors have never been captured better, the oranges and reds of the lit Jack-O’-Lanterns never looked more vibrant or inviting, and the tricks-N-treats the film gives out were all eye poppingly priceless! I just couldn’t stop gawking at all the Halloween beauty! And what an iconic character “Sam” is! This is the impish character Brian commented on above, and he is poised to become a Halloween icon for ages to come. I see he’s already available as a collectible figurine and a statuette on various sites, so he’s well on his way.

Plot wise, he delivered (as promised in the description) a series of short stories, all weaved into each other over the course of one Halloween night in a small Ohio town. Anyone who can appreciate small stories in batches like those found in the movie “Creepshow” or the 1985 Twilight Zone movie, or enjoys fun and creepy TV shows like Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Dark Side or the before mentioned Twilight Zone will be in good hands here. It is so hard to make horror movies where I’m having an absolute blast one minute, only to be terrified and freaked out the next! Even when some of the stories were fairly predictable, the way they played out was priceless and I felt like I was watching these kinds of tales for the first time! The getting there is all the fun in this flicker show!

Sadly, while this film was scheduled to hit the big screens back in 2008, it never made it. Somehow the idiots that be over at Warner Brothers dropped the ball with this one, and it eventually became a direct to DVD release in 2010 (which is why I’d not heard about it till last year.) Honestly, when compared to all the crap that comes out of horror Hollywood while such a gem like this one gets ignored and forgotten, it feel outright criminal that this beauty wasn’t given its chance to shine! Sigh, perhaps a local theatre will show it someday. If so, you can bet your bag of candy that I’ll be there!

Lastly, be sure to check out the special features for a cartoon short Michael made back in the 90’s, which stars an early version of Sam. It’s a treat that any Halloween or horror fan can appreciate.

The Musical Score

Some of you may know from past reviews that I’m a soundtrack collector. Whether it’s for background music while I write (like I’m doing as I write this review for example), for use when I’m running a role playing game (NERD ALERT!), needing music while doing my chores, or to just to sit back and enjoy the emotions the music invokes, I love me some soundtracks. So it’s no surprise that my sudden obsession with this movie included getting a copy of the soundtrack.

This soundtrack was created by Douglas Pipes and its spooky and chill inducing; therefore it’s a perfect complement to the movie. It sounds fiendishly beautiful on its own (my family and I carved our pumpkins while listening to it last night) and I could detect inspiration from such haunting but beautiful scores as The Omen, Tales from the Crypt, Poltergeist, Creepshow, The Exorcist and other horror classics. One minute it’s creepy and tense, the next it adds on a quirk or pulls at the heart strings when it needs to. This film needed (and rightfully deserved) an old school horror movie sound as opposed to the barrage of high pitched sounds, strings, white noise and synthesized sounds that blare out during most modern day horror films. Fortunately Mr. Pipes was up to the task and made a truly memorable score that manages to stand on its own despite its many inspirations. I’m only familiar with one other score he created for the movie “Monster House” (which was also a great score worth listening to), but I look forward to more of what he has to offer in the future.

P.S. You can get this CD for nearly a song ($4.98). They’ve been good to me over the years, so here’s hoping I’ll bring them a few sales (via you the reader).

The Behind the Scenes Book

My obsession hit full stride with getting this book in my grubby mitts. While it’s pretty expensive (I got lucky and got it half price on eBay somehow),it’s worth it as it’s over stuffed with art, pictures, anecdotes, and all the information you could want concerning this movie (along with the history of Halloween itself).
The book tells the story behind the movie, and it’s very personal and interesting as it’s told through Dougherty’s eyes. From his initial inspiration through the development process, the painstaking production design and the roots of Halloween traditions. It celebrates the yearly ritual that we all participate in but only dimly understand, explaining why we do all the activities associated with the holiday.

The book is beautifully crafted, pulls all the love and the vibes of the movie right off of the screen and into the pages, and is loaded with extra treats! By treats I mean an 8 page comic of the cartoon short with Sam is included (titled “Seasons Greetings”), post cards depicting images from the movie, a costume sketchbook, pumpkin carving templates based on some of the ones used in the movie, stickers, a “Sam” mask, and more are all hidden throughout the book! It’s the third leg to the stool that holds my cult like devotion to this movie, and if you’re a fan (or become one after reading this review and watching it) it’s a great coffee table book to have out during the season as much as it is to enjoy whenever the mood strikes you.

What else do I have to say? This one to me is now the definitive ode to the Halloween season. It fully captures all the mischievous fun, the seasonal beauty and the spook inducing feeling that makes Halloween such a magical time for both children and adults. This bag of candy is full of both tricks and treats, and I can’t get enough of them! Can you?

5 out of 5 rising flames!

Review by Steven Dawes

Related posts:

Insidious Movie Review

Steven Dawes — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:25:43 +0000

Available at Amazon.com“I don’t think bad wiring is the problem here.” –Elise Reiner

Josh, Renai and their 3 children are the typical middle class American family. In what feels like a cliched setup, the Lambert family has just moved into a house, only to learn soon enough that it happens to be haunted. Various staples of ghost story elements follow, which are seemingly set up to where you feel a “poltergeist” clone coming on. But then… the entire feel and angle of the film is turned on its head, creating one of the best ghost story films released in years!

I intended to review INSIDIOUS when I saw it at the theater months ago. I so dug the hell out of this flick, so much so that I went to see it twice, which was a big deal as I’m currently a full time student who really has to mind his funds. So I REALLY wanted to see this movie a second time and I took my 16 year old daughter with me to share in the fun and frights this film insidiously slaps you with. Coincidentally my daughter suffered a great lesson in fearful humility, nearly begged to leave the theater the moment the credits began rolling, and ironically I snagged her a “Casper the Friendly Ghost” plush toy out of the crane machine in the theater lobby on the way out. I think school duties just kept me from putting in the time in to write the damn review.

But now is my chance to make up for it as I’ve recently purchased the DVD (again, I had to really want it as my funds are limited). INSIDIOUS had the right tools for frights from the get go with the dynamic duo of director James Wan and Screenwriting genius Leigh Whannell. Genre fans may recognize these guys as the creators of the first SAW movie (which Leigh co-starred in), and then the creepy fest DEAD SILENCE. From the screenwriter side of things, I’d read that Leigh said when he wrote the film he made a list of horror movie clichés posted on his desk so he could avoid using them. I can believe this as he makes you think he’s going one way, only to take a series of 180’s on how the events play out. James Wan’s contribution to the film shined as well, starting with a series of creepy images (grandfather clocks never looked so unnerving) and Kubrick inspired shots before unleashing a insidious barrage of visual treats and frights.

Then there was the family angle itself. Underused and underrated actress Rose Byrne played a very convincing mother of three and wife to an equally adept Patrick Wilson (whom I still have a hard time not seeing in the “Night Owl” costume he wore so well in “The Watchmen”). They all had great chemistry together and I bought this family unit early on. This helped to suck me into the heart of the film and feel for the family’s plight early on. As believable as they all were, even the earlier, subtler scares (spooky sounds, doors opening on their own) were working on me. So as the tension was cranked up, my frights was cranked up with them.

While trying to keep as many spoilers out of my review as possible, I can only say again that this flick rode the “poltergeist” train for about the first 30-45 minutes or so before jumping off to fire up its own train. From there it went in directions I’ve not seen in movies before (although Twilight Zone and Outer Limits fans will find some familiar ground here). It all felt fresh and unpredictable to me and I applauded everyone involved for it!

The movie also hit me with an unexpectedly awesome performance by veteran actress Lin Shaye. I recall her in goofy roles like the land lady in “Kingpin” and the mom in “Detroit Rock City”, and I was worried she’d bring the same goofiness here. But I say nay to thee, she kept the role grounded and restrained, and she blew me away with her performance. She could have easily gone a goofier of kookier route (ala Zelda Rubinstein in “Poltergeist”) with this role, but she ran with this role like a champ and outright stole the show during her scenes. Once all is said and scared silly, by the time the completely original third act was followed up with an ending that also blew me away, I found to it be the scariest film of the year thus far (and I feel that it will stay that way as I look at its competition this year).

But as I consider myself to be a fair reviewer, I have to point any holes of issues I find, and there was minor few here. Foremost, I felt that the film should have been longer (at least 10-15 minutes). There was a lot going on in this haunted house and the film just felt rushed at times. Had it gone a little slower at certain moments and covered some the angles a little better, I feel that it would have only made the film even better. And after watching it a few times now I noticed a continuity flaw here and there, but I can’t mention them without ruining potential plot points, so I’ll let you spot them for yourself. But these are all minor peeves and really didn’t distract me from enjoying such a great film.

INSIDIOUS is an insidiously stark reminder to me that horror films are best when they are small indie productions, relying on the creativity of the parties involved (and not studio involvement) while giving the actors opportunities to shine and stand out with their craft. It also reminds me that “less is more” when it comes to ghost stories, and that there’s plenty of new angles to be explored in ghost movies, for those brave enough to explore them. And yes, for those of you who’ve seen it, I know there’s more than ghosts going on in this film, but at it black heart it’s a ghost story.

If you’re in the mood for a tension filled ghost story movie that takes you to places you’ve never been to before, INSIDIOUS is your movie! Turn out the lights, turn on the TV and enjoy the frights!

4.5 out of 5 rising flames!

Review by Steven Dawes

Related posts:

Dark Night of the Scarecrow Movie Review

Steven Dawes — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:25:20 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

There are only a few films from my childhood that fills me with nostalgic glee every time I reminisce about them. The 1981 made-for-TV horror movie “Dark Night of the Scarecrow” is one of those movies. There are a lot of movies that I can sort of remember watching the first time, but I can still recall in vivid detail the first time I watched this one, and it’s a good memory for me.

I was at my best bud Ken’s house, who’d seen DNS a year earlier with his folks, and was so taken by it that the boxer puppy they adopted a few weeks later was named after the main character (Bubba). I recall watching his dad lighting the fireplace (it was a chilly October already) as Ken and I got ready for the movie. We were both sitting on the floor in front of the TV, had had a bowl of popcorn and was semi wrapped up in blankets (partly for warmth, partly for security if needed), and “Bubba” decided to sit in between us. I was on edge within a matter of minutes of the movie starting, and by the time the hauntingly original and unforgettable ending came about; I was a near basket case, blown away by such a great ghost flick!

I’m my opinion, this is not only THE BEST made for TV flick ever made, and it’s one of the better horror films in existence, Period! It all starts with Bubba Ritter, who is the town idiot and a blight according to postmaster and bigot extraordinaire Otis Hazelrigg. At age 36, the mentally challenged but harmless Bubba’s only friend is young Mary Lee. When Mary Lee is nearly mauled to death, Otis becomes the ring master of a gang of crony bigots who hunts down and kills Bubba via mob justice, who was hiding in the guise of a scarecrow in a field. Only afterwards do they learn that not only did Bubba not harm Mary Lee, he saved her life!

After their case is thrown out of court, the group believes that they’ve gotten away with murder. Or have they? It seems that the group is now being picked off in acts of revenge, seemingly by a scarecrow that’s now haunting them! Does someone know their secret and is now taking revenge upon them all? Or could it be the ghost of Bubba, back from the dead and looking for vengeance?

Considering that this scarecrow was a flick that was made for the TV while on a small budget back in 1981, it’s held up remarkably well and is still as chill inducing now as it was to me twenty six years ago! Front and center of the credit goes to director Frank De Felitta, who creates plenty of tension and spooky atmosphere while getting the most out of his actors, and screen writer J.D. Feigelson, who wrote a multilayered, chilling and mystery laden script that even Stephen King could sit back and admire! It’s a script that deserved the feature length movie treatment, and still holds up like an champ when compared to most of the horror crap that Hollywood churns out these days.

Adding to the pile of accolades goes to the actors, who all gave credible to incredible performances. One of the standouts include Charles Durning, who as far as I’m concerned delivered this greatest performance as the vile and bigoted Otis, who’s other dark secrets only make him even more vile as the film progresses. Opposite Charles D. is Larry Drake (whom you might recognize as “Dr. Giggles” or as the villainous Durant in the movie “Darkman”) who plays Bubba convincingly and charmingly; you felt bad for Bubba from the get go and Larry made damn good and sure that you did. Bubba’s mother was played with extreme finesse by Jocelyn Brando, Marlon Brando’s older sister.

The ghost story angle of this flick was handled in a classic mystery “who dunnit” method. Several suspects are considered along the way as the possible killer, all of whom have an axe to grind against the group of killers. In the meantime, the guilty group themselves are running scared, seeing scarecrows in nearby fields that shouldn’t be there, and they’re turning on one another as panic sets in.

The last act of the film plays out its conclusion with a dignity and grace that’s worthy of the incredible production the film started with, and I honestly can’t think of any improvements that could be made on this one. I’m thankful that after all these years were finally treated to a DVD/Blu-Ray release of this gem, including some unexpected goodies like a writer and director commentary.

If you’ve never seen this one, check it out! If you’ve got kids 10 and older, watch it with them as it’s not a gore fest, it least the atmosphere and implied moments do all the chilling. And if you have seen, don’t you think it’s time to spend another dark night with the Scarecrow?

Review by Steve Dawes

Related posts:

The Changeling Movie Review

Steven Dawes — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:25:53 +0000

“That house is not fit to live in. No one’s been able to live in it. It doesn’t want people.”

As Flames Rising is looking for ghost related posts for this year’s Halloween season, I found this to be an opportune time to dive into some ghost flicks. And while I’m the kind of mook who’s all about “saving the best for last”, I’m going completely opposite with this one. “The Changeling” was chosen as my first ghost story flick to review, and honestly, it’s the movie that I hold all ghost movies in terms of masterpiece quality.

The story centers around John, whose wife and daughter die in a tragic accident before his very eyes. Six months later he tries to move on with his life, taking a job as a music teacher and moves into an old house. However, he’s not residing there alone. Something ghostly is trying desperately to communicate with him. What exactly does it want from him? The story sounds very “Haunted House cliché” these days, but DO NOT judge this one by its cover! This one is the real deal! This is the one all the others haunted house movies strive to be!

I was ruined at an early age to ghost story movies when I first watched this masterpiece, due to having parents who possess true film savvy. It’s one of those rare films that cost me a lot of sleep after watching it. And to the films credit, this wasn’t even its intention. At its heart, The Changeling is a mystery film; the hauntingly creepy aspect that worms its way into the darkest recesses of your memory is unintentional.

Before I go any further, I must tell you that I have NOTHING but good things to say about this movie, it’s that good! First and foremost was the amazing work of George C. Scott in the lead role, who delivers what I consider his best on screen performance (and yes I’ve watched Patton). This role required a demandingly skilled actor who subtly displays his skill, and George footed this bill with interest. This was important to the film as George has about 95% of the screen time. I honestly cannot see anyone else pulling off this role at all, much less as masterfully as he did. One scene in particular pitted him against Melvyn Douglas (another quality veteran actor), and watching these two genius actor hash out a scene together still engrosses and grabs me to this day.

As for the mystery of this film, it’s clever, it’s gloomy, and it’s messed up. And yet, the mystery is delivered at a pace that keeps you engrossed until all is revealed at the end (nothing is given away too soon here). The precision involved in delivering the mystery at the just the right pace made the haunted house angle that much more disturbing when it comes out to play. The house itself is a character in this piece, and it’s initially beautiful, antique atmosphere hides the inherit creepiness and disturbing visuals that are to come. This is not a gory film, and it didn’t need to be. The moments of its disturbing imagery alone still haunt me to this day (something most gore fests never accomplish). This house gets under your skin while begging you see solve the mystery with John, and I applaud its efforts for it!

The direction of Peter Medak is also all quality here. His use of the camera (can’t say I’ve ever seen better use of swooping in a film), backed up by a subtle musical score (that’s chilling on its own merits) and his master use of sound effects only made the film that much better. I don’t know whatever happened to this guy, his work is incredible! Checking into IMDB shows a history of him becoming TV show director fodder, with the exception of directing Species 2 back in ’98. Such a waste of talent is shameful in my book.

As far as I’m concerned, they DO NOT make them like this one anymore, if they ever really did at all. This one is a treasure and reward for the patient film watcher, and reminds us just how scary and yet captivating a ghost story can be. Its goes at its own pace, while holding you hostage to its charm on all levels. If you haven’t seen this one yet, it’s the perfect time of year to sit down and experience it (and what an experience it is). This one sits proudly in my DVD collection and I watch it at least once a year. I encourage you to purchase it (if you haven’t already) and take the time to get chilled to the bone with this one soon.

P.S. If you can still look at wheelchairs the same after watching this, you’re either a tougher hombre than I am, or your soulless.

5 out of 5 rising flames!

Review by Steven Dawes

Related posts:

Fright Night (2011) Movie Review

Steven Dawes — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:25:30 +0000

“Let’s Kill Something” –Peter Vincent

So with summer coming to a close, I’ve finally got some days off from school before I’m back again this fall. After all the HTML learning, numeric coding, interface designing, networking essentials and even Human Relations (only cause it’s required), I was ready for some time off. It seemed to be fortuitous that Fright Night came out in the middle of my break, for I am REALLY in need of some horror shenanigans to blow off some steam.

Now, before I continue on, I have a horrible confession to make. I’m very ashamed to admit this, and my fingers are shaking in fear of this revelation so much that it’s difficult for me to even type right now. But they say the truth shall set you free… so here it goes… *exaggerated gulp* … I’ve never seen the original 1985 Fright Night… *the sounds of crickets can be heard clearly in the distance*.

Are you still there? Hello?

If you’re still with me, I apologize across the board. I know, I know… I deserve all the rocks you can throw at me for this one. This mook right here, this horror movie aficionado and long time reviewer of horror flicks, has never seen what is considered to be a cornerstone horror flick to many fans. I have buds who swear by the original, some claiming it the best vampire movie ever made. And yet somehow I’ve managed to miss the original. It’s not like I even set out to avoid it or anything, I just never hooked up with the original F.N.

That being said, it puts me in a unique position for a change. Usually I’m one who can compare the remakes against the classics as I’ve seen them all. But with this one, I won’t be able to do that, I’m going to have to perform the odd job of reviewing a remake on its own merits, without considering its inspired source. So with all that baggage out of the way, let’s light this candle.

On the whole, I fought F.N. to be very entertaining. First and foremost worth mentioning was the cast, whom all seemed to have great chemistry together and great acting chops on their own. Anton Yelchin was stellar from the word “Fright” as Charley Brewster. He played the “dweeb turned vampire hunter to save his mom and his girl” role like a champ. I’ve seen him do good work previously as a young Kyle Reese in Terminator: Salvation, a young Chekov in the Star Trek reboot, and as a young David Duchovny in an art house favorite of mine titled The House of D, but this is his best performance to date. I see a lot of good things in this kid’s future.

He was especially impressive as he had to hold his own against Colin Farell, who took a bite out of every scene he was in (yes, pun intended). Colin has been underused for some time now in my opinion (his performance in the Daredevil movie is always worth watching, especially the superior Directors Cut version), and it’s great to see him chewing up the silver screen where he belongs. His presence, his improvising, his knack for scene stealing, he simply owned the night!

But it didn’t stop there, for we also got a heaping helping of David “Dr. Who” Tennant as “Peter Vincent” to go with his meal. The man cussed up a hilarious storm, he drank Midori like a man in need of another Midori, he made a great impression of a Chris Angel wannabe, and had me in stitches more than once. He pulled off the feat of being a hysterical character without ruining the semi-dark feel and tone the film was going for. Rounding out the great cast was Toni Collette as Charley’s mom (who added a lot more depth and charm than what the character offered on its own), and Imogen Poots as Charley’s main squeeze Amy. I’ve only seen Imogen in a small part in V for Vendetta and a co-starred spot as “Tammy” in the finely crafted zombie-ish flick 28 Weeks Later, but she provided a solid acting job for this character with lots of zing when it was needed.

I also grooved over the energetic directing provided here (courtesy of Craig Gillespie, who directed a recently discovered personal favorite flick of mine titled “Lars and the Real Girl”). Under his direction, the movie stayed pretty much in your face the entire time, managed to keep the suspense going, made great the use of the rising and setting sun scenery (good use of the Vegas setting in general), and the vampire effects were stellar. Way to go Gillespie, looking forward to more of your work! The script was a put together well, with lots of memorable quotes and some really neat ideas (they make have all been ideas from the original version for all I know, but I liked them all the same).

On the other side of this frightful night, not all of the wooden stakes aimed for the heart in this vampire flick. The most obvious issue at hand was the blindingly fast pace. This movie was petal to the floor the whole way, and if you blinked you’d miss something. Only after the movie was over could I digest it enough to realize that I zipped past some gaping plot holes and the realization that the events simply moved way too fast to feel like a truly organic story. The events seemed to be strung together in a hurry to begin with, so the tour guide decided to race by them all faster than the tourists could take them all in. I’d like to think that adding in a little more scene time to let the tale flow a little smother would have positively affected of the film (and my movie rating). Oh yeah, I almost forgot, while there was ample gore and blood to be had, the CGI blood was way overdone, did the film crew run out of squibs or something?

Lastly the character “Ed”, played by Christopher “McLovin” Mintz-Plasse was a complete waste of film time. Who was this dope? Was he a reference to the original version in some way? Perhaps he was part of a joke from the original version that I don’t get? This flicker show didn’t need this lame character, lousy dialogue or that irritating voice of his. In fact, now that I think of it, this character’s responsible for starting the rush hour this film became; I can land most of the movies faults squarely on this character’s shoulders.

When all is bitten in the neck and sucked dry, this was a fun ride of a film. It’s the kind of film to kick back to some night and just enjoy the ride of frights, perhaps with a few brewski’s in a bucket of ice sitting next to you and a few of your buds in tow enjoying the show with you (who’d better bring their own brewski’s and stop mooching mine… schmucks). It was probably a smart move to release it during summer’s last gasps as it won’t hold up against the crop of upcoming hardcore horror flicks this Halloween season. I can recommend it at the theatre if you’re in need of a light horror appetizer before the hard core meal shows up this fall. Otherwise it’s an absolute rent and a possible purchase when it comes out on DVD (which with most movie studios these days will probably be sometime next week).

3 out of 4 tongues of flame rising

Review by Steven Dawes

Related posts:

The Last Lovecraft: The Relic of Cthulhu Mini-Review and Trailer

Monica Valentinelli — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:07:10 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

I just had the chance to watch The Last Lovecraft: The Relic of Cthulhu and I was impressed! For an independent film (one that has also won a couple of awards, I might add) this is an awesome film. What’s it about you ask?

Well, there is a story to be told here and quite honestly, the reason why this is a mini-review is because I really don’t want to spoil it for you. I feel this is the type of film you have to discover… laugh out loud… groan… And realize the costuming is just that much better than Mighty Morphin Power Rangers or The Keep.

Part of what makes this movie strong is the characterization and the nerdly discussions, but there are some other surprises hidden between the script’s pages. There is a lot of attention to graphics and pacing in this film to ensure you’re getting the biggest bang for your proverbial buck. Sure, there is some special effects… But they’re lovable, forgivable, decent special effects that enhance the theme as opposed to work against it.

Maybe, after watching this film, you too will think twice about becoming a cultist… The film is available to purchase through Amazon.com, but you can also find it streaming right now on Netflix.

Watch the trailer for The Last Lovecraft: The Relic of Cthulhu on YouTube!

Related posts:

Diabolique Magazine Review

Nix — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:30:31 +0000

Available at HorrorUnlimited.com

I am not a horror movie fanatic. I enjoy them and I look forward to seeing a few of them, but my over-sensitized mentality takes quite a bit to shock while my natural sarcastic side urges me to quip, mock, and make other ‘witty’ comments on the movie as it plays. I blame hours of watching B, C, and D movies, including many episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000, for this inclination. Thus, I am a movie fan, just not a fanatic. I do enjoy learning what happened behind the scenes on a set, the often turbulent process a movie takes to actually getting filmed and released, and the other details that surround such endeavors.

If you are of a similar mindset, then you would most likely enjoy Diabolique. Diabolique is a bi-monthly publication for the horror connoisseur and seems to cover everything from vintage horror, to recently released films, to works in progress. The layout was well done and the writers certainly seemed well informed and knowledgeable on the subject matter. As I expected, there was a plethora of screen shots and other peeks into what goes on on the other side of the camera. The front cover was quite inviting and reminiscent of the old 1950′s and 60′s horror movies which seemed to be the focus of this issue. Spread across the name of the magazine were horror icons in all their glory.

In the edition I received there film reviews, articles on classic horror and foreign horror, details on a couple of ground breaking directors, and other material. The article on how horror entertainment is changing with the times, and how the author feels the industry needs to continue to evolve was informative and included the trials and tribulations a new director or producer may face. The review on “Black Sunday” filled me with enough curiosity that I am actually going to try and find it, either dubbed or not as it was originally an Italian work. Perhaps the article I enjoyed the most was “the New French Extremity”. It, naturally, focused on French horror and mentions the general decline of American horror due to it’s trend to be bland enough for mass appeal. Unfortunately, the directors it mentions seem to be succumbing to the purgatory of Hollywood remakes. After having seen their work, “High Tension”, it is my hope they break from the remake trend and go back to their roots.

Diabolique was an intriguing look into the history of horror while also keeping readers abreast of current events. It is available both as an electronic product and as a print item. I was glad to see the print option as the chance to physically hold works such as this seems to be slowly dying off. At 9.95 it is not a cheap magazine, but it certainly seemed worth the price for the amount of work that goes into each publication. Although I enjoyed the magazine and found it quite insightful, I would not recommend it to younger readers, and by young I mean younger than teens. While the actual articles are not offensive the images displayed from the classic horror films might be rather revealing. As with modern horror, nudity and gore was prevalent so some discretion would be advised.

Review by Sean “Nix” McConkey

No related posts.

Black Swan Movie Review

Flames — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:45:47 +0000

It’s a wonderful time to be alive, at least until the Mayan calendar runs out next December and the sun goes dark. The year is 2011, the internet rules, I have a magic box in my pocket that can access the sum total of human knowledge, and a ballet-sploitation were-swan horror flick is a serious contender for five Academy Awards.

Part of the buzz about Black Swan is purely technical: in this film, Natalie Portman realizes the promise she showed way back in Leon (or The Professional, depending on your country of origin). As of Black Swan, she is one of the greatest actresses of our generation.

Director Darren Aronofsky has weaponized the tight, psychological style he began to develop in Pi. Matthew Libatique’s camera wonderfully evokes the power of the central characters’ madness, and their dance.

There’s more at work in this film than technical proficiency, though. Black Swan is terrifying. I spent, conservatively, two thirds of this movie with my feet off the floor and my hands clenched into claws because every muscle in my body tensed and refused to relax. An hour into Black Swan I checked my watch – not because I was bored, but because I wanted to see how much more of this movie I needed to survive. I managed to make it fifteen minutes before checking my watch again, for exactly the same reason.

Don’t believe the synopsis, about pure, sheltered, “light side” ballerina Nina Sayers (Portman), who confronts the darkness inside her while trying to learn how to dance the role of the seductive Black Swan. Like many slug lines, this Jekyll-and-Hyde summary roughly describes the film’s plot, and completely misses its point. Were the story so simply Manichean, it wouldn’t be half as scary.

This is a film about madness – about the power of the mind turned against the body, the soul, and the universe. Nina is obsessed with perfecting her art, and her art is lonely, and dangerous.

This film shows dancers as athletes-athletes more hard core than cage fighters in some respects, because ballet moves were created for beauty, with little thought to how they might hurt the dancer. Black Swan revels in damage to extremities: broken legs and split nails, scraped skin, scissors on fingertips, hands in the way of closing doors. Natalie Portman’s hands and feet, legs and arms and body, do wonderful, serene, unnatural things in this film, which makes the threat of injury to those hands, those feet, those legs and arms, that body all the worse.

However, the greatest injuries in Black Swan are mental, not physical.

The world of ballet in this movie is immensely competitive: thirty chorus girls hover around one ingenue, and distrust and suspicion run rampant. In her pursuit of perfection and control, Nina finds all sources of human warmth cut off or perverted. Her mother, played with ominous glee by Barbara Hershey, is a stage mom horror story, more dedicated to Nina’s success than she is to Nina. Nina, too, is more dedicated to success than to her own well-being: she’s always watching herself, always reflecting, terrified of surrendering enough to engage with anyone who might relieve her mounting sense of isolation.

The camera’s obsessive focus is Nina’s own. From the first shot, of Nina alone in white on a jet-black stage, through the final credits, the camera stalks her, shaking when she moves, sweeping when she spins. We are Nina, watching herself, consumed by herself. Many of the best scares in this film come from simple camera control: an out-of-focus presence behind a character, or a sudden cut revealing that someone who thought she was alone is actually being observed, or shadowed, by another. The camerawork invites us to identify with Nina, but because the horror in these scenes is behind the camera, we are also the things that haunt her-which is fair, because Nina is haunting herself.

Nina forces her body, and her mind, to do things they never evolved to do. She walls off the parts of her that are wild, unrestrained, sensual, abandoned to ecstasy. To succeed at dancing the Black Swan, she must tap that power, but when she does, her deep need for control warps and twists her shadow against her.

She is not confronting some inner demon; she’s confronting the Dionysian revel, the orgasmic self-destructive moment. She should embrace it, but she cannot – her need for control is too great. She tries to fight it, instead, and that combat pulls her further from anyone who might help her. This self-destructive struggle for control elevates the movie from a tale of one woman’s descent into madness, to a warning about our whole society.

First-worlders like to think that modernity has made us all more connected, that our giant social media love-fest helps us be healthier human beings. With cell phones, Facebook, and the internet, with television and newspapers and electric lights, we hug our knees and think we’re not alone any more.

But at the same time we demand and reward technical proficiency, perfection, advanced skills, and success on the knife-edge of celebrity. Our culture loves perfection, thrives on it, hungers for it like a drug. Because I have a magic box in my pocket that contains the sum knowledge of the human race, I have an illusion of control, and the more I believe in that illusion, the more powerful becomes the voice I strangle in the depths of my mind.

Your control is your madness, that voice cries. Some day you will shrivel and die. Fanged creatures will rise from the depths and overwhelm you. The sun will turn black, and this year, like every year, will be the last of your life.

It’s a wonderful time to be alive. And Black Swan is a serious contender for five Academy awards because, by highlighting the dangers of our time, it might help us stay alive a little longer.

Review by Max Gladstone

Related posts:

The Walking Dead Season Finale Review

Eric Pollarine — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:45:35 +0000

Hope and Confusion

Before I go off on how wonderful I thought the season finale of AMC’s The Walking Dead was, how the series has changed television, how it may or may not be one of the most relevant social commentaries of the 21st century in media right now, I want to thank all of you who have read and shared these reviews. You make typing these little posts something to look forward to.

Now that, that is out of the way, let’s begin.

So, here we are, we’ve come to the end, that was it, for now. I hope you paid attention. because if you didn’t then this is going to be a little confusing. I want to talk about the “reality” that is portrayed in the series, especially in the the season finale. It’s a sticky subject, reality that is, as everyone produces to a certain extent their own version of it. Not in the way that they can interact with the physical world on a scientific level, you couldn’t interpret the laws of physics in your own way. Say with a suspension in the belief of Gravity, and live to tell about it. No matter how many happy thoughts you think, you’re going to plummet off the top of a building if you jump, you simply can not get around that reality.

No, the reality that I am talking about here, is the one that has to do with hope and the human spirit. The belief in yourself, the notion that you can fight the future. That sort of reality. But first…

Mandatory Plot Spoiler: caution read on at your own risk!

The episode opens up with a flashback to the fall of civilization, Shane is in the hospital with Rick in a coma. Shane tries to plead with his friend to wake up, but the conflict is boiling over into the room. Shane hides under the bed as to not be seen by the military, who are Willy Nilly shooting both infected and uninfected civilians in the hospital. General chaos does ensue, heads are completely blown apart.

Cut scene, move to the group in the lobby of the CDC. Dr Jenner has opened the door and holds the band of survivors at bay with a large AR-15. Asking them what they want. Rick replies “A chance,” there is drama. Dr Jenner asks them to submit to blood tests, the group agrees. After Dr. Jenner checks everyone’s blood, he tells them that he is all that is left of humanity at the CDC. One lone doctor who was searching for the cure. The group takes it in stride after having showers, Andrea pukes.

They celebrate at dinner by getting rotten drunk, Shane, in his usual melancholic manner asks Dr. Jenner what happened to the rest of the scientists. Everyone hates Shane for killing the mood. Throughout the course of the evening, everyone drinks too much, Shane corners Lori in the rec room of the center, he tries to tell her what happened, that he loves her, that he wants her-then moves in to try and rape her. Lori fends off the attack. Rick admits to the doctor that he had his doubts that the group could have survived much longer.

Everyone is very hungover the next morning and Dr. Jenner shows them the mystery of life, and how the “walker” disease affects the brain. A moving scene ensues. But the group is too curious and Dale asks what a countdown clock on the wall means. It has one hour remaining, until the building will self destruct. There is a huge freak out, people want to kill Dr. Jenner, Rick asks him to let them out. They go around for what seems like longer than half an hour, but apparently isn’t and then Dr. Jenner let’s the group leave the main control room, but not before he whispers something inaudible to Rick. Andrea and Jacqui decide to stay with Dr. Jenner who will be “going down with the ship.” The group grabs their things and try’s to make a break for it. Dale forces Andrea to rethink her position by guilting her into coming along. The group is held off by bullet resistant glass, until they find the one lone grenade from when Rick showed up at the original camp. They blow out the side of the window, fight off a few “walkers,” with Dale and Andrea narrowly escaping the explosion of the CDC.

The episode ends with the group making their way out and onto the road as a caravan.

The meaning of…

The Walking Dead. It’s an interesting title, it’s an interesting show, it was a ground breaking comic. But it’s more importantly an interesting way to describe us. We. Humanity. We are all the walking dead, if you think about it. We are living, breathing, biological experiments for the lack of a better description. And all religious arguments aside, you can not deny that fact. We have a natural rhythm, we ebb, we flow, we think, we feel and ultimately, in the end we all die. Nobody get’s to live forever. Sorry if this is news to you.

I had the conversation, with someone I love, that the show was a little hokey, because in the event of an actual apocalyptic, end game, extinction event, like crisis; I don’t believe that there would be people like Rick and the rest left. Because they are the best of humanity. I have the strong belief that only the worst would survive, because they are selfish enough to do so. But isn’t hope, really, the most selfish act. You may want to say no, but then again-think about it.

You hope for things in your life, both abstract and concrete, ethereal and mundane. You believe in hope, hope drives you and keeps you moving forward, but why? Because deep down inside you want to feel as if you’re not like the rest of humanity. You’re not the walking dead, you’re something special, unique, like a snowflake. So hope spurs you on, but for purely selfish reasons. Sure, you may pass a little hope on to others, you may have a greater good in mind, but the road to hell, as they say, is paved with good intentions, and in this case- that intention is hope. So then it stands to reason then, that Rick and Shane, Lori and Dale, Daryl, Andrea and the rest are all the most selfish people, the worst people on the earth in “The Walking Dead,” which may explain why they survive.

Because they are selfish enough to believe in themselves, to believe in hope. Their intentions are good, they may have even tricked themselves into thinking that they are surviving for others among their group, in the case of Rick it’s his wife and son, for Shane it might be because he wants Rick’s wife and son, in Dale’s case it might be because he can’t stand letting go and being alone, Daryl wants to find his brother, etc.

But it’s all selfish. It’s all hope.

Which is exactly what makes this show the most relevant social commentary of the 21st century. Because, if you look around, if you see the world for what it is, inhabited by we, the walking dead, who have somehow lost our hope, our selfishness, our will to move forward. To make the tough decisions, to define right and wrong, to look inside ourselves instead of at “pundits,” and news “commentators,” religious leaders and public figures for our answers. To take responsibility for our own actions. To make our own way.

So where does that leave us then?

I don’t know, I can’t tell you. That’s the idea. That’s the grey bone and fatty marrow of the matter, the brains and the blood of the story. It’s your world, your life, are you selfish enough to hope? Or are you content with being the the walking dead?

Review by Eric Pollarine

Related posts:

Zombie Week: Walking Dead Episode 5 Review

Eric Pollarine — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:45:56 +0000

Wildfire.

After the other reviews, I don’t really have much to say concerning this episode of AMC’s, The Walking Dead. In fact, I don’t know how much more I can say, which brings me at a place that I never thought I could really be. A place where zombies, walkers, shamblers, runners, etc, etc have sufficiently taken their toll on my psyche.

I know, I know-you’re thinking, “Surely Eric, you jest.”

I can assure you that I don’t, and to prove my point, well, OK, not so much to prove my point but more to keep these posts going, I will explain why. Also I may have signed a contract while drugged, you never know about such things, as they are (contracts and random druggings) arcane in nature.

But maybe I can spin this feeling, maybe I can sit down to write the shit out of this piece and make it happen on the screen. No, I know, I sincerely doubt it too. But let’s have a go at it. Because I’m tired and tonight is the season finale of The Walking Dead, and I know that Rick and Lori, Shane and Andrea, Glenn and Daryl are all tired too.

Caution: PLOT SPOILER, though you’ve probably already seen the episode by now.

After the events in episode four “Vatos,” the group are burying their dead in the holes that lovably weird mechanic Jim has previously dug. Andrea’s sister, Amy(see previous reviews/episodes) was killed in the walker attack along with several others in the group, and she, Andrea, not so quietly mourns the death of her baby sister.

As the group dispose of the decaying bodies’ tension arises over what they should do about Andrea and Amy. Daryl begins yelling about burning the bodies, Glenn insists they bury them, and Rick gets a gun pulled on him when he attempts to talk to Andrea about Amy’s body. Queue very, very tense scene. After Andrea puts a bullet through her little sisters head and buries her body with the mermaid necklace that she stole from the department store where they first encountered Rick, Rick then proposes that they should go to the CDC center in, of all places, outside of Atlanta.

Shane however does not support his former partner’s decision and try’s to plead with Lori, Ricks wife and his now former lover, to see things his way. Tension further rises among the two friends while out on a patrol of the surrounding area, Shane tries to talk to Rick about his idea and nearly shoots his “best friend,” in the back with one of the shotguns that Rick risked his life to get. The group calls a vote, one family decides to risk it on their own and head out to Birmingham, Alabama while the rest, including Shane, follow Rick’s hunch that the CDC might have survived the fall of civilization.

Cut to the CDC, where a lone scientist is working on his only sample of the “walker,” virus in the abandoned or purposefully locked down complex, he drops some form of acidic substance on the sample, which destroys the tissue, along with the only possible hope of finding a cure. He then contemplates suicide.

The group rolls out, and during the trip, the infected Jim pleads to be let free, and be with his family. They move on again once they say goodbye, only to find that the area around the CDC is more of a wasteland than they had expected to find with bodies, both reanimated and lying still stacked up and piling around every corner.

The group begins to realize that the building might be abandoned, or completely lost moments before scores of zombies begin to zero in on their position. With more and more walkers approaching as every second ticks by, the group become disillusioned with the idea that there could possibly be any reason to stick around while they wait for thousands of zombies to eat them. Rick notices a security camera move and jumps out of Shane’s grasp, runs to the camera and pleads for the groups life.

The episode ends with the doors of the CDC opening like the gates of heaven, revealing a blinding white light.

Hangover.

This episode delivers on all fronts, don’t get me wrong, every episode of this series has delivered. But this one left me feeling tired. It could also be the fact that I have been scrambling to get these reviews done the night of the series finale. So I have no one to blame but myself in the matter. However I also think that it was the intention of the writers, producers and director of the show to make this episode feel tired, to feel worn down. The group’s been through so much in the last four episodes that this was like the eye of the storm, the quiet moment of a book or movie that then signals the beginning of the next part. In short this episode this episode tied up some loose ends. And I could feel it. It didn’t have any less meaning or punch, but it was clearly the “segue,” episode. Which is fine because I want the season finale to be the big moment, it would be more of a disappointment, and also a disservice to the story itself if this episode would have been filled with more than just making amends.

So maybe it’s not me after all that’s tired with zombidom, maybe everyone, even the walking dead, need a break every now and then? It would stand to reason that you can not have a “Wildfire,” without a spark and a spark without oxygen, and this episode was clearly the breath of fresh air that was needed before the big bang.

Review by Eric Pollarine

Related posts:

Zombie Week: Walking Dead Episodes 3 and 4 Review

Eric Pollarine — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:47:12 +0000

So, I know that when I last wrote about the series, it was after the second episode, of AMC’s The Walking Dead, which was “Guts” and that it’s taken me a while to get these reviews moving. I apologize but there was a holiday in there some where. or at least I’ll use that as my excuse as to why I didn’t post these before. If you don’t like it then leave me comments.

Let’s get into it shall we?

Tell it to the what?

Episode three, or “Tell it to the Frogs,” was something of a proving ground for the series. What, you scoff, you don’t believe, then I will tell you.

Tell it to the Frogs,” was that moment when die hard fans had to either decide to stay with the program or to leave it, most, fortunately decided to stay. It has become the smash hit of the fall television season, with over 4.5 million viewers for the premiere alone. But fans of zombie horror, and zombie anything really are a fickle bunch, and there were rumors abound that the series was going to only focus on the human aspects of the book. The survival, the gore was all going to be a backdrop, the intense action scenes that filled splash pages in the comics and graphic novels, omnibuses and collections was going to be flirted with but only slightly. “Tell it to the Frogs,” was seen as something of a confirmation of that rumor. Except it wasn’t. Because the third episode was the set up for the fourth episode, “Vatos.” In which we see what a surprise zombie attack, can do.

Mandatory Warning: Plot Spoilers in the next few paragraphs, read on at own risk!

Episode three, “Tell it to the Frogs,” has Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes, and the rest of the survivors from Atlanta making their way back to camp. Upon arrival Rick is overcome with joy as he is reunited with his family, as well as his former partner Shane. Thus causing a new love triangle to form, thus causing more drama than action. The reunion is short lived as Rick then decides to return to the city for Merle (see the previous review for descriptions of Merle) the companion of the walkie talkie that he gave to Morgan, so that he can warn him about Atlanta, and to retrieve the bag of guns he dropped in the first episode. At the very end of the episode there is a huge fight between one of the other survivors and Shane, as Shane beats the man senseless for striking his wife. Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Merle’s Brother Daryl find Merle’s hand on the roof of the department store, the handcuffs used to restrain Merle are swinging in the breeze.

Episode four, “Vatos,” is the bookend to the story arc that started in episode three, we find Rick and Merle’s brother, Daryl, played by Norman Reedus, Glenn and T-Dog trying desperately to escape from the ruins of Atlanta, while also looking for Merle, Who Daryl believes is still alive. The group finds evidence of Merle cauterizing his new wound in a kitchen. They decide to grab the bag of guns, with Glenn devising a plan to reach them that involves splitting the group into two seprate units. Just as Glenn has grabbed the bag of guns, along with Rick’s lost Sheriffs hat, (Indiana Jones style scene where Glenn thinks about it, then decides to grab the hat) Daryl is attacked by a gang of Latino, or Latino like “homeboys.” Daryl wounds one by shooting him in the ass with his crossbow, hilarious, and hold a young attacker hostage but the gangbangers manage to kidnap Glenn in the struggle for the bag of guns, which makes everything get crazy.

Rick and the gang interrogate the hostage and learn where the gangbangers are holding up then decide to take back the young Latino, in hopes to exchange him for Glenn. When they arrive at the other group of survivors hideout, they are told to either relinquish the entire cache of weapons and their hostage for Glenn, or come back shooting. Rick, Merle and T-Dog leave, then decide to go back for Glenn and make it rain shiny lead bullets on the group.

While this is happening in Atlanta, the somewhat mysterious but oddly warm Jim, played by Anrew Rothenburg, flips out and starts digging holes just because, Shane decides to end the weird behavor by placing him under arrest until his freak out goes away.

However,in Atlanta, just as the two opposing forces are about to have a potentially show altering gun battle, a small old woman comes in, pleading with one of the leaders of the band of thugs. Good thing Rick didn’t start shooting up the place, because the gangbangers are really there protecting elderly uninfected. Thugs with a heart, Rick leaves them a few guns and ammunition and wishes them well, they get Glenn back and decide to leave. There’s only one problem, someone has stolen their box truck.

Back at camp, it’s dinner time and Shane, Lori and the rest of the bunch are sitting around the fire, as if the world wasn’t infested with zombies shooting the shit, until of course a bunch of “walkers” decide that they will join in on the festivities. Rick and the gang show up at the last minute and there is much violence. Leaving several characters dead, and Jim wounded.

Proving Grounds and Killing Fields.

These two episodes, stand back to back in this review for a few reasons. 1. because I have been tremendously lazy/busy 2. they obviously fit as a bookend story and 3. to prove my point in this edition of these posts. If you’ve been watching the series then you’ve been thinking that it’s all been a moral soap opera set in the end times, kind of like a “Left Behind,” for zombie fans. The show has explored some heavy issues over these four episodes and will no doubt (as I am writing this on the eve of the season finale) explore more in the coming season, yes there’s been a second season of the series green lighted, this time with a full 13 episodes slated to be produced. But at the end of “Vatos,” we have raw violence, though shrouded by the cover of night, exploding with blood and gore and bullets. We have the reality shown through the haze of morality. We have a zombie apocalypse, and in these two stories we have the essence of being human, we have all of history and what humanity has to offer. In the gangbangers we find charity, in Merle, and his disappearance we find the will to survive. In Rick we see undying love and in the struggles among the various members of the group we have the human condition and it’s ability to adapt and change. And that’s the essence of GREAT, emphasis is clearly this author’s own, story telling.

We see a window into the world, into ourselves, into what makes us tick and who we really are. We are a soap opera, our everyday lives are more than just the menial tasks of, take the dog out, get dressed, make dinner and go to work. There’s sorrow and triumph, sacrifice and unrequited love, boredom and panic, action and doldrums. And though hardcore gore fans will obviously say that the show lacks in places, I truly believe that they would be hard pressed to say that the show isn’t moving, isn’t riveting and isn’t the logical and masterful genesis of what George A. Romero started on a little Pennsylvania farm in 1968.

So to all the detractors I say this: prove to me that this series isn’t the rightful heir to the kingdom of Zed. If you can’t tell me that this show is possibly the best series on Television today and one of THE groundbreaking series in Zombidom, if all you care about, really, are unhealthy obsessions with realistic looking FX, then I say go somewhere else. I say, go tell it to the frogs.

Review by Eric Pollarine

Related posts:

The Walking Dead “Guts” Episode Review

Eric Pollarine — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:19:21 +0000

Guts.

So, by a show of hands- who would have thought that there would ever come a time, in the history of television, when the total evisceration and down right general defilement of a shambling corpse would make for great, if not EPIC, television?

I know what you’re thinking and no, obviously not me, because if it were me then the first sentence of this little diatribe would be a little misleading. Was it you? I couldn’t see your hands if it was, so I’ll take that as a no as well. But that’s exactly the way it was last Sunday when I watched the second episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead. It was a painful and intimate event, one that even I, one of the biggest fans of the so called “Survival Horror,” genre couldn’t watch without thinking, “Holy crap on a crap cracker, that was intense.” Don’t get me wrong there were other scenes that were down right creepy and down right hilarious and if I say down right one more time, I am sure one of you is going to hit me, so I won’t. But the scene that I am going to go into with more depth, after I spoil the episode for those that didn’t watch it, is the one that I think most people will really be talking about in the morning.

So here’s the recap, ready, set, go.

Warning Plot Spoiler, if you haven’t yet watched, well, you should.

We find our main protagonist, Sheriff’s Deputy Rick Grimes, sitting in the belly of the beast, the beast this time being a Tank, he’s been contacted by a voice, which we find out later is that of Glenn, played by actor, Steven Yeun, from somewhere outside. Glenn then advises him on how to go about getting himself out of the area and over to a possible safe location. After the two escape from a massive amount of zombies, Glenn takes him to a group of survivors who have been hiding out in a sealed up, though not securely for some reason, department store.

The assorted other survivors are actually part of Shane and Lori’s, Rick’s former partner and wife, who have as of this time no idea that Rick is still alive, group who had gone into the city of Atlanta either looking for supplies or other survivors. With no clear leader they bicker among themselves and emotional tensions begin to run high when, Merle Dixon, played by Michael Rooker, (who is better known to comic and general geekdom as the father of Brandi Svenning, Mr. Svenning, from Kevin Smiths’ Mallrats) becomes upset and unhinged by the fact that he’s being given orders by people of non Caucasian descent, read he’s an F-ing racist, and then tries to gain control of the group.

Rick issues a beat down by allowing Merle to blather on about who’s in charge after he proceeds to seemingly beat the living hell out of the majority of the group’s males. Rick then handcuffs him to some sort of large pipe and issues him a warning about what kind of world they now live in. The group is upset at Rick for bringing the so many of the city’s zombie population to their doorstep. They decide to leave and then comes the really insane part comes after Rick and another of the survivors has a conversation about how the zombies can see and smell the difference between the living and the dead, and then Rick along with Glenn, who can’t handle it and pukes, decides to smash open dead people like piñata’s and wear the gore to throw the monsters.

The trick works, and there’s a brilliantly hilarious scene of Rick and Glenn stumbling down the streets among the dead, at one point Glenn whispers that “it’s not going to work,” and is approached by a female zombie, which he then rolls his eyes and moans at, giving it his best impression of itself. The two make it to a box truck and a Dodge Avenger. Glenn takes the Dodge, whose alarm is shrieking like a banshee on crack and Rick takes the box truck to rescue the survivors.

Merle, all the while, is still handcuffed and begins to try and cut a deal with one of the fellow survivors that he had beaten earlier. The man shows good faith and moves to release him, but trips and loses the key to the handcuffs down a drain pipe. Too bad Merle, karma’s a real fickle gal aint she, boy?

The group escapes and is headed, obviously towards the rest of the survivors, Shane, Lori and of course Rick’s son. The episode ends with Glenn pushing the Dodge Avenger to it’s limit down the open highway into the sunset.

And now, for something completely made up.

I have to say, I don’t think there happens to be anything subtle about hacking up dead bodies. I don’t think there’s some grand illusion or metaphor or underlying meaning out there for those in the pop culture intelligentsia community to really have their way with. Yes sometimes a spade is a spade and you dig with it, sometimes it’s a spade and you have to hack at dead people’s guts to rescue random strangers with it.

This is one of those times, and that scene is one of those truly horrifying and morose realities that everyone who has ever thought or asked themselves, “What would I do in a zombie outbreak/apocalypse” normally glosses over. The “Do you have it in you?” question, I don’t know if I could.

There’s fight or flight and then there’s something completely different. This was the something completely different that slams you in the middle of the dark alley and forces you to watch what the world is really like. And I’m glad that AMC didn’t skimp out on the event. You could have seen this as being one of those, “Well it works in the book, but maybe not so much in the series,” sort of teachable moments in the fine world of television production, a moment which man fan-boys, such as myself, would have been complaining about the next night all over the internets. But AMC didn’t flinch. They walked right up to the edge and then said, piss on it, stepped over it and basically gave you the middle finger while doing it. A move I highly commend them for. Because without these moments there isn’t anything to care about, I mean there’s the whole mankind battling against hordes of flesh starved monsters. Yes, of course there is, that’s kind of the premise for the story.

But the real meat and potatoes of this series, and indeed the comics, in my semi pedantic opinion, was/is the reality of the characters and their actions in that situation of extreme duress. The “Guts,” scene was simply the flash fire portrayal of that reality. And it made many normal people, people not predisposed to that sort of candor or grit in life shrink back in their seats because it was raw and seemed real and shocking and was totally brutal; much in the same way that life generally is. It showed you the lengths that some men will go to move themselves closer to their goals, be it of finding their loved ones, escaping from a department store surrounded by zombies or even, if you’ll allow me, to move their collective destiny’s forward. The will to power, is a will too strong sometimes and nearly costs Rick and Glenn their lives, but also the risk is often worth the reward, or some such other cliché and allows the group, sans Merle, to make their escape and leave. The Gut’s scene is also a nice way to juxtapose the vileness of Merle’s character, who even in the apocalypse still believes that mankind is separated by skin color. With ripping open the dead to reveal the insides of a human being you see that not even the dead can be separated from the living, we’re all still human, even if some of us like to consume people instead of Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers.

Damn, I’ve gone and done it. I wrecked that whole thing. I guess there was some sort of mystic, buried tidbit of universal wisdom in that scene. It just took a good bit of hacking away at it to find it.

Review by Eric Pollarine

Related posts:

The Walking Dead Television Series Review

Eric Pollarine — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:45:26 +0000

Days Go Bye

So I have waited to get this off the ground for a few good reasons, the first being that I am and will probably always be a very, very lazy individual. The second being that I wanted to give my initial awestruck impressions of AMC’s The Walking Dead a rest and see if I could realistically look at the show with a critical and more journalistic eye. Or at least if not a journalistic and critical eye, one that wasn’t covered in fan boy man happiness. Yes I said it fan-boy man happiness. don’t judge, it isn’t a very charming quality in a person.

Sunday October 31st 2010 will most likely go down as one of the most important dates in the history of zombie anything, outside of the original release of Night of The Living Dead. If you don’t believe me then you’re probably not as big a fan of the genre or you really have no idea of what I am talking about when I say “zombie” because you would have had to have been born circa 1949 to not understand the significance that the show represents for the horror community and the world of speculative fiction and/or maybe even the entire Media industry in and of itself. Looking back on it -the entire day, was at least for me, predicated around the premiere of AMC’s The Walking Dead. I know that , if you are reading this article, then it was probably the same way for you. I stocked up on goodies to eat, made sure I had enough cigarettes to last me through the whole hour and a half premiere, cleaned out some of the other junk on my DVR and then made absolutely sure that there would be no interruption’s while viewing.

So when the time came that the opening scene began to roll, I was completely ready for it. I was not disappointed.

I did however have my trepidations early on. especially when I first heard about the series being launched. And of course I’ll tell you why. You see kids, there’s been a pretty thorough amount of both disappointment and success concerning comic book properties coming to the small screen. I don’t think that I have to give too many examples of this, as we all, especially in the realm of general “geek-dom,” have our own favorite badness that we love. For me it was and will always be the 1960’s Batman starring the lovable but tragic Adam West. For you it may have been the 1990’s “The Flash,” or possibly even the late 70’s “Amazing Spiderman.” But my point is that, while being the poisons we love-they were poisons none the less. And yes, let me say this before any of you leave comments on how the source material for the above mentioned entities is vastly different from The Walking Dead comics, I know. So there.

One could even reasonably make the argument that the genre of Horror itself has been sullied and vindicated by television over the years as well, in the cases of such delightfully bad shows as Forever Knight and Dark Shadows ( though the 90’s remake/reboot of Dark Shadows really was pretty good) versus both critically and time honored programs such as The X Files and of course The Twilight Zone.

The real point is that I had deep and justified reservations about the series, I had real fears that, even though given AMC’s track record with ground breaking shows such as Breaking Bad and Mad Men, this series was not going to do the comics or graphic novels any justice. That the characters like Rick, Lori, Carl, Glenn and Shane, the ones we have come to love, loath, admire and flat out hate the crap out of would be somehow dehumanized by their humanization. And of course, I was wrong. Which in this case, if you haven’t been paying attention, is a good thing.

Plot Synopsis: Spoiler Alert ! Skip this section if you have yet to see the show.

Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes, played by actor Andrew Lincoln, is mortally wounded after a high speed chase ends in a shoot out, only to reawaken after the initial stages of an all out zombie Apocalypse has torn the world to shreds. As he makes his way from the hospital to his old residence he sees disturbing images of what must have happened during the societal collapse. The horrors of what the world might actually look like after such an event were done with as much attention to detail as budget would allow and look absolutely fantastic. No expense was spared. The disturbing and painful images don’t stop there though, as Rick stumbles out of his house, still delusional from just waking up, only to be nearly assaulted by a “walker,” zombie. He is saved by the Father and son duo of Morgan and Duane Jones, played by actors Lennie James and Adrian Kali Turner. Rick is then given a crash course in what has happened while he was in his catatonic state and the story progresses from there. We also learn that Rick’s old partner Shane has survived along with Rick’s wife and son, and the two, Shane and Ricks wife that is, have started a romantic relationship together in the end times. The episode ends with Rick being stranded inside a tank while thousands upon thousands of zombies are moving towards his position, just before the scene breaks he hears someones voice call out to him over the tanks still functioning radio.

In the end what does it mean…

From that aforementioned opening scene where, Rick is hunting for gasoline and finds himself running into, honestly one of the creepiest zombies I’ve seen since I first saw Night of The Living Dead, to the wonderful ending where Rick is trapped inside the belly of a steal beast while the belly of his horse is being torn apart- I have to say that I was completely and totally speechless. I don’t think I said a word the entire episode. I was glued. I watched, I took in everything. the gore, which for those of you who enjoy a little punk with your splatter will have even you looking away, to the touching moment when Morgan Jones can’t bring himself to shoot his now zombied ex wife with a deer rifle. From the dialogue to the constant little pieces of scenery in the background. I watched and spoke not a word, for I was blown away. And for someone who is an opinion pusher and petty word thief such as, well, myself, this is an almost impossible feat to accomplish.

The series premiere was nearly perfect, alright, who am I kidding-it was perfect. If there was something that could be considered as a “drawback” then it would have to be that it was only an hour and a half long. Though AMC did run it two other times that evening/morning.

Yes justice was done, served and repeated several times over the hour and a half, zombie fans and comic nerds alike were given the treat of our lifetimes and even those who dislike the genre and zombies in general were given an emotional discourse that is seldom seen in modern media. Thus proving that 1. not all comic book or horror related properties are silly and simplistic and 2. The Walking Dead is going to become one of the next big things in pop culture.

So this is it. This is where Zombies come full circle. What started out as a nice little experiment in indie film has now become a cultural force to be reckoned with. Kudos to you Mr. Romero. This is the big cultural break for our flesh starved brethren and I couldn’t be more delighted with the results.

Review by Eric Pollarine

Related posts:

Eyes Beyond Movie Review

Jason Thorson — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:45:28 +0000

Eyes Beyond is an independent short film starring, written and directed by Canadian filmmaker, Daniel Reininghaus. Many movies that share its level of independence have glaring problems; however, Eyes Beyond emerges as a surprisingly superior romp through depravity.

The film’s premise, without giving too much away, is as follows: Brothers, Adam (Evan Eisnstadt) and Gabriel Morales (Daniel Reininghaus) invite their neighbors over for dinner. As members of the Rogers family, Henry (Robert Nolan), Abigaile (Danielle Barker), and Vivian (Kelly-Marie Murtha), make themselves comfortable and conversation ensues, things quickly spin out of control – way out of control. But things are rarely as they seem.

Eyes Beyond does a lot of things very well. First and foremost, it looks and sounds fantastic. The film’s technical attributes are very polished. Cinematographer, Michael Jari Davidson capably captures dynamic shots – warm and primary colors against white backgrounds, lush green-lined yards with depth, dim natural light, bright artificial light, etc – with the same consistency and quality one expects in projects boasting much higher budgets. The sound mix, recorded in relatively affordable Dolby SR, is similarly high in quality and consistency. The soundscape is clear and full, sporting an impressive dynamic range with very little noise pollution.

The caliber of acting in Eyes Beyond is superior as well. In 26 short minutes, Eyes Beyond places its characters in extreme situations, the worst of which take place almost immediately. Subsequently, the cast is asked to perform behaviors and emotions that reside at the most remote reaches of the human condition. And while subtlety in acting is extraordinarily difficult, the same can be said of sheer terror and lunacy. By and large the entire cast is up to the task, particularly this project’s ring leader, Daniel Reininghaus, whose representation of Gabriel requires the greatest range.

The one place Eyes Beyond stumbles is in the story department – a predictable sore spot for many indie projects of this nature. While most films with story issues fall apart in the third act, Eyes beyond has the opposite problem. The plot is disjointed and immediately disengaging. The film starts with an extremely violent setpiece, a la the culmination scenes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, only here the macabre dinner party lacks motivation because Reininghaus never defines a protagonist or what’s at stake. The ending is a twist after which it becomes clear that everything leading up to it is merely there to serve said twist.

Admittedly, though, Eyes Beyond is much more coherent and interesting in retrospect than it is when being viewed in real time and this is a problem that could have been fixed with some basic structural revisions. In essence, the plot of Eyes Beyond isn’t served well by opting to emphasize form over function.

Overall Eyes Beyond is a success, especially regarding the technical aspects of its production, and it clearly showcases the potential of everyone involved.

3 out of 5 Flames

Review by Jason Thorson

Related posts:

Rage Movie and Soundtrack Review

Flames — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:45:07 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

The Rage
Written by John Bisson and Robert Kurtzman
Directed by Robert Kurtzman

“A Mega-Dose of Pure Terror”

Synopsis: A mad scientist is experimenting with viral Rage in the middle of the woods. One of the victims of this crazy doctor’s experiment goes mad, escapes and kills the Doctor himself before escaping into the woods, where he meets his death from the Virus. After eating the corpse of the infected victim, the Rage Virus spread to the wild vultures. This causes a lot of horrific problems for visitors and campers to the woods. The birds attack several hikers in the area, spreading and mutating the virus into the plant-life as well. The Vultures infect victims by spraying this yellow slime into their faces. After a group of concert goers get tangled up in this mess when their RV is pretty much decimated by a Raging Zombie and air bombed by Raging Vultures. The surviving members of the party then run into the woods, where they are picked off one by one. A number of raging birds, plants, leeches and other infected people attack them, until the remainders are finally taken by the doctor. There we get to meet a killer dwarf who is wearing the face and clothing of a little girl who was killed earlier in the movie. The final scene is filled with wit and outrageous, over-the-top gore and banter that make this movie what it is. This wonderful splatter house movie has everything that makes the movie rather enjoyable.

Pros: If you enjoy Splatter House horror, this film definitely pulls from that. While not being on the same cult-classic level as Evil Dead (also written by Robert Kurtzman), it definitely should have a decent following for those that like this genre featuring lots of blood, sex, drugs and rock and roll, even a special appearance by the band Mushroomhead, an alternative metal band that performs with black masks and unique theatrical live shows. The CGI is not bad for the cost of the movie. They are a bit choppy, but give the birds a creepy feel. Though the use of CGI for poop when one of the zombie men gets a pole rammed into his ass was a bit over the top. Several of the scene’s are laid out very similar to Haunted House rooms/scenes. I am putting this in the Pro’s because I know a lot of people enjoy having that thrill behind their stories. One of the ending fight scenes has a bad guy coming from several different hiding places at the Heroin.

Cons: It is a low budget Splatter House film. If you’re looking for Resident Evil type of effects, you won’t find it. The plot can be slow moving at point, but they make up for it with lots of blood and gore. The acting is up and down in the movie. Repetitive phrases get a bit boring. (How many times can we say “We have to keep moving) There are even a couple of veteran B-movie stars in the film, who struggle saying their lines. A lot of the male cast as trouble finding emotion behind their lines, and they tend to come out flat or forced. The cat fights seem almost forced in the acting. Almost like best friends are trying to act angry at each other and failing at it. There is also a forest sex scene that was added, that didn’t add much to the development to the story.

Special Effects: Splatter House blood and guts, CGI vultures that are passable, surgery/torture scenes that did make me look away. There were also a couple of scenes involving vomit and feces which gave me a queasy stomach at best, and made me gag at worse.

Overall: If you are into the low budget, Splatter House movie genre, this is definitely a good one to add to your collection. This movie is not for everyone though. If you do not enjoy low budget movies, I would suggest you stay away, as you will not be as entertained by the effects. This is also a good background movie to have on.

Available at Amazon.com

1. Theme from “The Rage
2. Injecting the Formula
3. In the Forest Deep
4. Dr. V’s Lab
5. Feeding Time
6. Don’t Go in There
7. Uncle Ben Montage
8. Crash Aftermath
9. Uncle Ben Under the Winnebago
10. The Waterfall
11. Birds of Prey
12. Meet Dr. V
13. Kiss the Monkey
14. Dr. V’s Theme
15. Surrounded
16. Breakthrough
17. Showdown in the Lab
18. Gor
19. Final Confrontation with Dr. V.

Musically this soundtrack does a lot for developing and using certain themes within its structure. The Rage Theme is used in several of the tracks, and developed very nicely over the length of the album. The percussion rhythms are used very nicely in adding tension and a faster pace to the Tracks.

One thing that really stood out to me was how each theme was used. The Rage Theme would only be used in parts of the soundtrack dealing the Rage. It was developed and expanded upon as a theme when The Rage virus appears in a new way. Moving from people, to birds, to plants and leeches, the virus mutates several times, therefore the theme for Rage was heard and was evolved into new ideas without losing the feel of it. Each character even has their own types of themes. They use variations on the Rage with an added theme on top. It is very simple and scaled down overall, so as not to lose the listening audience because of extreme dissonance.

The use of special effects was very simple yet very effective. A rustle of wind in one track, or the screech of birds in another, a slow moaning-like sounds are all very effectively used to add a wonderful feel.

Overall feel of the album is that is blends together very nicely, works to effectively add to the suspense and horror presented in the film. While not a relaxing soundtrack, it does work well for listening with no lyrics. The tracks also, are not that long. On average about 2.5-3 minutes per track, so the lack of lyrics in the music to help it move is not necessary.

One thing I wanted to see in this soundtrack as a track written with or inspired by the band Mushroom Head. They were featured in the film and nowhere in the soundtrack are they even eluded too. Even a hidden track would have been awesome.

If you like B-horror movies, this soundtrack is great. It gives you a good representation of the movie. If you are a fan of Midnight Syndicate, this album is similar to all their other albums. It tells a story through the use of music and development of themes, which is what they are good at.

Review by Crystal Mazur

Related posts:

Vampire Week: Movies to Die For

Jason Thorson — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:45:49 +0000

There have been several hundred vampire movies made over the last 90 years. The vast majority of these are uninspired clones of the archetypal blood sucker portrayed by Bela Lugosi in 1931. However, there’s a small minority of vampire flicks that are ambitious in their recipes of blood-fiend lore. Some of these movies are great, others are merely good, but all of them are unique, entertaining, and deserving recognition based on their own merits.

Here are some recommendations:

Nosferatu (1922) – F. W. Murnau’s silent German classic is the first vampire movie. What makes this film great is the fact that actor Max Schreck’s creature is a grotesque ghoul, sporting a truly frightening visage. There’s nothing debonair about this pioneer of the undead. It may be arguably the most important horror film ever made, the genesis of the form if you will.

Dracula (1931) – This is the movie that introduced the vampire, as it’s currently conceived, into the pop cultural lexicon. In playing Count Dracula, the great Bela Lugosi ironically achieved immortality as he will forever be the face of a concept – a symbol that manifests throughout all of pop culture, from costumes and decorations to Sesame Street and breakfast cereal. Despite all that, in 1931 this movie was trailblazing the genre, forever entrenching the horror film into the world’s cinematic landscape.

Fright Night (1985) – This is a vampire flick made especially for horror movie geeks. Charley is the typical teen horror fan boy. Nothing too exciting ever happens in Charley’s “real life” until he begins to suspect that his next door neighbor may be a vampire. His girlfriend, Amy, and his best buddy, Evil Ed, both think he’s nuts, as do the town’s authority figures. The only adult who will at least pretend to consider Charley’s theory is Peter Vincent, a former horror movie star who’s hit rock bottom as the host of a late night cable-access horror show. Charley is particularly fond of one of Peter’s roles as a fierce vampire hunter and Peter plays along to maintain Charlie’s fandom. This inevitably leads to Peter becoming a hilariously freaked out ally in saving Charley’s neighborhood from real undead evil. This movie works way better than any intelligent person should assume it would – a little scary, a little funny, and a lot of fun.

Near Dark (1987) – Written and directed by Kathryn Bigelow, this vamp flick has maintained its effectiveness throughout the years, a testament to the stacked cast and the unique tone bestowed to it by Bigelow. Nineteen years before his turn as Heroes’ Nathan Petrelli, Adrian Pasdar plays Caleb Colton, a young cowboy who hooks up with a pretty-young-thing named Mae. Mae nips Caleb on the neck, and wouldn’t you know it? Turns out, Mae’s a vampire, so now Caleb has to relearn the definition of “sunburnt”. It’s not long before he’s persuaded to join her group, but he’s not too keen on the whole killing-and-drinking-blood-thing. When Caleb’s human family becomes potential food, the stakes are raised (no pun intended) and a showdown ensues. The cast comprising Mae’s vampire cohorts includes Lance Henricksen as their leader, and Bill Paxton as the vampire version of Chet in Weird Science – one could reasonably enjoy the movie for this alone.

The Lost Boys (1987) – Directed by Joel Schumacher, this movie has just enough humor and just enough horror to balance the overstuffed cornucopia of 1980’s teen movie conventions. For example, I could stop after typing the words: “Corey Haim and Corey Feldman” and you’d be fine. But there’s more – Jason Patric, Jami Gertz, Alex Winter, best known as Bill S. Preston, Esq. of the excellent-adventuring duo, Bill and Ted. Best of all, the film features Kiefer Sutherland in what was at the time his 317^th consecutive role (maybe an exaggeration) as the cigarette smoking, leather coat-wearing “tough” from the wrong side of the tracks; only here he’s also a vampire. Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander play Edgar and Alan Frog, a pair of comic book-obsessed vampire-hunting Rambo’s who take Corey Haim’s Sam character under their collective wing to teach him the deadly arts just in the nick of time. Great soundtrack, haunting tone, good times.

From Dusk till Dawn (1996) – Directed by Robert Rodriguez, written by Quentin Tarantino, and coming in the immediate wake of Tarantino’s brilliant Pulp Fiction, this movie can only be described as “Badass”. The Gecko Brothers, two sociopaths on the lam from the law, unknowingly take their family of hostages to the Titty Twister, a strip club for vampires deep in the Mexican desert. It has all the ingredients of the sleazy grind house extravaganza’s from the early 1970’s – sex, drugs, rock ‘n roll and whole lot of splattered plasma. The cast is a who’s who of odd and talented character actors: Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, George Clooney, Cheech Marin, Salma Hayek, Danny Trejo, Fred Williamson, John Saxon, and my favorite – the master of splatter, Tom Savini as Sex Machine, the man with a dual-cylinder revolver for a cock. Need I say more?

The Night Flier (1998) – This blood speckled gem is a little known Stephen King adaptation produced by HBO Films. A Cessna-flying vampire flies from one rural airport to the next, feeding along the way. While two tabloid reporters are hot on the trail of what they suspect is a serial killer, one of them begins to see the whole horrifying picture. This movie is scary, gory, and fun as it manages a fresh take on the vampire mythos. Just try to remember the last time HBO produced anything that wasn’t of the highest caliber. Now, after unsuccessfully racking your brain for a few hours, you should be good and ready to get a hold of a copy and give it a look.

30 Days of Night (2007) – In Barrow, Alaska night can last for a month. Now add vampires to this scenario and hold tight, because David Slade’s adaptation of Steve Niles’ bleak and brutal graphic novel is really everything I want in a vampire movie. I’m not a fan of the erotic, pretty vampires that inhabit Anne Rice’s brain. I want animalistic, primal, and predatory monsters all armed with a voracious and single-minded quest for human blood and that’s what this movies brings to table in sloppy wet heaps. This well-written, well-acted, and well-executed movie is for those of you who like your horror movies scary rather than funny and your vampires savage rather than sexy. Can’t get enough of my unadulterated praise? You can check out my review here.

Let the Right One In (2008) – This Swedish film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name, also written by John Ajvide Lindqvist. In my analysis it’s one of the top-two genre offerings of 2008 (Along with the French masterpiece, Martyrs). Moreover, this movie is one of best films of that year in general. Twelve-year-old Oskar is a bullied and lonesome boy, living with his parents in an apartment facility in Blackeberg, Sweden. When Eli, a girl of ostensibly the same age moves into the complex, she and Oskar kindle a profound and multifaceted relationship with each other that requires truths be revealed, one of which is that Eli is a vampire. Sometimes this process is beautiful, and sometimes it’s horrifying, but it’s always fascinating. Every element of the movie is outstanding, but specifically the small casts’ nuanced performances are exemplary. The acting prowess of this film’s young principal players is something to behold. Right now, the very best horror movies are coming from places where the opportunity to make such films is relatively new, so these movies aren’t disposable crap aimed at the lowest common denominator like their American counterparts are, but rather these movies are being made by serious filmmakers for passionate film aficionados.

Related posts:

Vampire Week: Forever Knight Series Review

Eric Pollarine — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:17:05 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

Nick Knight doesn’t sparkle, he doesn’t exude sexuality (though many of his fans seem to think so), and he doesn’t fight other unabashedly good looking werewolves. No, Nick Knight fights for his soul the old fashioned way, through solving bizarre and often Vampire centric homicides. And if you don’t know who Nick Knight is, well then you probably have had a life outside of Canadian, cult status, vampire television since before the dawn of the internet.

Forever Knight was a Canadian television series about an 800 year old vampire working as a homicide detective in the then ultra sleek and hip city of mid 90’s Toronto. His whole existence was one of self hatred and loathing, and his main goal in life seemed to be atoning for the sins he had committed throughout the centuries as he preyed on humans. It was a novel idea, originally coming to the small screen in 1989 as a made for TV movie called “Nick Knight” which starred 80’s pop icon, Rick Springfield. Yes, that Rick Springfield, “Jessie’s Girl” Rick Springfield- to which I say, OK-moving on.

The Television series debuted on May 5^th of 1992 and then saw its final season run through May 17^th 1996. In its short, three season history it managed to stave off cancellation twice and collect a dedicated group of fans that to this day, wish to see the show return to the air. There is nothing all that special about the series, in fact it has been labeled as one of televisions top five most un-scary television series based on a supernatural plot, and the acting with the exception of the ever wonderful Nigel Bennet and the ever employed John Kapelos ( who also played the janitor “Carl” in the Breakfast Club) however the quality of the stories and the quirkiness of the cast of characters actually engrosses you, it pulls you in, and before you have realized it, before you can turn the DVD, or DVR off…you find yourself being drawn into the comically dark seedy underbelly of the vampire infested Toronto.

The character of Nick knight is played by Welsh born actor Geraint Wyn Davies, who has also appeared in such wonderful shows as Airwolf and Fox’s 24, and is aided in his quest for redemption by his laughably stupid but ultimately good hearted partner Detective Don Schanke, who never figures out that Nick is a vampire even after he sees him do strange and supernatural things like, take a bullet or 12 and of course fly. (Played by the aforementioned John Kapelos) But the list of unintentionally inspired characters doesn’t end there folks, nope the hits, well-they just a keep on coming. Next we have the forensics/coroner/CSI something or other Natalie Lambert, who knows what Nick is and apparently a bit about his past and also covers for him by explaining his “extreme allergic” reaction to the sun as a rare disease. And finally the best of the supporting characters is the insidiously evil and inherently paternal figure of Nick’s Vampire mentor Lucien LaCroix, or rather the reason as to why Nick is a vampire.

LaCroix serves up equal parts creepy mentor and dark comedy to Nick’s serious and brooding angst ridden self. I may have left out a few pieces of the puzzle, like the character of Jeanette, Nicks female vampire ex lover/counterpart/local Goth scene club owner, but really after I just explained all the other characters this last one is pretty irrelevant, other than to be an informant, and to serve for what I guess the Canadians call a “sexy” female character.

I have no bone to pick with this series, if you have ever watched it or already own all three seasons on DVD, then you know both the appeal and the absurdity of this show. If you have not seen it or caught it on one of the all day marathons on Chiller, then I implore you to do so, you will not be let down with the shows silly and yet somehow original and well executed content.

The DVD’s are handsomely packaged; however the first season is fairly lackluster, only comprised of the actual episodes and no special features. With those being added in the second and third season collections, you can also, if you are so inclined to, find the original “Nick Knight” CBS television movie starring the one hit wonder Springfield out there in the realm of the dark, dark internet, but I must implore you, don’t go into that good night dear friends, for it is unusually painful to watch. The real treat for those of you that have heard about the show or are or were even fans, but have as of yet been hesitant to shell out the cash for purchase is the fact that you will own the full and complete series to watch over and over again to your little batty hearts desires. So, if you happen to be a fan of poorly produced and badly handled television series, then these DVD’s my friends are for you.

Review by Eric Pollarine

Related posts:

Survival of the Dead Movie Review

Jason Thorson — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:45:15 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

In horror circles, one of the things the last decade will be remembered for is a zombie renaissance. The walking dead have been everywhere, from the big screen to books and from comics to games. The dead literally have been taking over the world. Well, insofar as cheap entertainment is concerned. As is always the case when a niche becomes a commodity, the genre becomes oversaturated.

When oversaturation occurs there’s a progression. First you see interesting twists on the concept such as the book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which superimposes the Jane Austen classic onto a zombie apocalypse. Examples such as these often rise above a field crowded by run-of-the-mill rehashes of the original idea. Eventually, even the creative stabs at the genre become desperate and uninspired and finally the flaming hot phenomenon reverts back to being just a niche. This last phase is where all things zombie have recently come to reside.

At seventy years old and forty-two years removed from when his seminal film, Night of the Living Dead (1968), first terrified popcorn munchers, George A. Romero has seen the birth, the death, and the re-animation of the horror subgenre synonymous with his name. On Friday, May 29^th, Romero’s sixth chapter of the original walking dead opus, Survival of the Dead, opens in theatres and while it has its share of bright spots (bright red in many cases), it seems that even the master can’t escape the fate of the zombie story that’s been playing out over the last ten years.

Survival of the Dead takes place shortly after the events of Diary of the Dead (2007) and it’s linked by the character, Sarge “Nicotine” Crocket (Alan Van Sprang), whom we last saw pillaging supplies from Diary’s collection of college kids. Crocket and a handful of other mercenary soldiers decide their best tactic would be to head toward Plum Island off the coast of Delaware. When they arrive they soon find that the zombie plague spares no place. More perilously, they find themselves in the middle of a Hatfields-vs.-McCoys style battle, a small scale war over the fates of the zombies, no less.

Survival’s John Ford-inspired Western aesthetic is the foundation for the film’s premise. On one side of the Pussy Foot River resides the O’Flynn family lead by Patrick O’Flynn (Kenneth Welsh). They systematically eliminate the living dead, no questions asked. On the other side of the river resides the Muldoon family lead by Seamus Muldoon (Richard Fitzpatrick). The Muldoons want to tame the living dead until a cure is found or they can be trained to crave something other than human flesh. This is an interesting conflict and it gets more convoluted throughout the movie as the zombie plague continues to infect the island’s inhabitants. The people have much more to fear from each other than they do the zombies and in this movie it’s the zombies whose survival is threatened.

The locations in Canada where Survival was filmed are gorgeous. Toronto, Ontario’s “Plum Island” farmlands and surrounding woodlands are rich with autumn colors and provide a serene and isolated environment for Romero to play with. This setting harkens back to the original film’s desolate farm and farmhouse and it adds the element of exposure in which there’s no place to hide from the living dead. This back drop is one of the film’s few strengths and Romero uses it well.

Romero has remained fiercely independent throughout his filmmaking career. Of his zombie movies, only Land of the Dead (2005) had any Hollywood involvement. For the most part his independence has served these zombie films positively. However, the first three films were made over the course of seventeen years. The last three films were made over a four year period and the recent lack of time and money manifests in Survival of the Dead in undesirable ways.

The element that suffers most is the visual effects. Survival is loaded with poorly executed CGI. The effects for these films used to be done practically. Tom Savini’s work on both Dawn and Day of the Dead defines what zombies look like and how their gut-ripping cannibalism goes down. These days the small budget drastically truncates the available time to film. Romero has had to rely on the expedience of CGI to achieve everything from minor effects, such as the myriad of brain splattering zombie head shots, to major effects, such as a scene in Survival during which Crocket finds several staked zombie heads that he shoots one by one. The problem Romero faces is twofold. Time is money, but quality CGI costs money too. And despite the series’ purported sociopolitical commentary, these zombie movies just don’t work nearly as well without believable gore and guts.

Over the course of his Dead movies Romero has purposely evolved the ways in which the zombie apocalypse affects the lives of his characters. During the first three films the plague grew in scale and the danger grew with it. In every scene this correlation resulted in palpable terror. The tone of Day of the Dead (1985) – the hopelessness, the claustrophobia, the paranoia – was the inevitable result of a plague that cannot be stopped and the detrimental effects that has on people, both physically and psychologically. Those zombies were horrifying, deadly, and exponentially increasing in number.

All these years later, Survival’s characters are used to zombies. The living dead are a potentially deadly inconvenience more than they are a source of fear. The survivors cope with their dead counterparts. This relationship is a conscious creative decision and it’s one that makes sense when analyzing the movies collectively. However, Survival of the Dead on its own is a horror movie that lacks horror and a story that lacks urgency. When the zombies aren’t an immediate threat, neither are the opposing factions of survivors. The tension has been removed from a movie that needs copious amounts of it to be effective.

Romero’s last three movies are a microcosm of arc zombies have fulfilled over the last decade. Land of the Dead cashed in during the apex of the renaissance with a slick and large scale conventional zombie movie, complete with studio backing which included a larger than usual budget. A couple years later, the much smaller Diary of the Dead twisted the concept by utilizing the cinéma vérité shooting style, a la The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, and Quarantine. It separated itself by exploring the role media plays in the modern world, particularly during a conflict. Finally, Survival of the Dead attempts to twist up the zombie film yet again, this time by splicing it with the Western Genre. Only now, it all feels too familiar – a plight suffered by the majority of current zombie offerings.

I’m a huge fan of the zombie subgenre and George Romero stands tall as its pioneer as well as an immensely important figure to the horror world at large. However, people tend to forget that his filmography includes a variety of unique and successful non-zombie movies, including The Crazies, Martin, and Bruiser. And speaking as the ultimate canary in the mine shaft, when even I’m tired of the living dead it may be time for Romero to flex his always-exciting and always-challenging storytelling muscle on some new material. For a little while at least, let the dead rest in peace.

2 out of 5 Flames

Review by Jason Thorson

Related posts: