Review Category: VOD

 

REVIEW: THE PIT / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: CHAD CRAWFORD KINKLE / SCREENPLAY: CHAD CRAWFORD KINKLE / STARRING: SEAN BRIDGERS, LAUREN ASHLEY CARTER, LARRY FESSENDEN, SEAN YOUNG, DANIEL  MANCHE / RELEASE  DATE: OUT NOW / AVAILABLE: WWW.THEHORRORSHOW.TV

Originally titled Jug Face, this intriguing feature début from writer/director Kinkle has an assured style, and a deep mythology which will keep one thinking long after the credits roll.

An isolated backwoods community is in jeopardy when young Ada (Carter) discovers Dawai (a brilliantly understated Bridgers), a local potter who has fashioned a jug bearing her face. This means she is next to be sacrificed to ‘the Pit’: a hole in the ground worshipped, feared and revered as if it were a God. She hides the jug, but things get worse as she finds out she will be ‘joined’ to a local boy and that she is pregnant – the father being her brother, Jessaby (Manche), something frowned upon even in this hick society. As the Pit has not been satisfied by the chosen sacrifice, it begins taking various locals, who in turn become spirits roaming the forest as ‘the shunned’.

Right from the simple but evocative animation which accompanies the opening credits, we become immersed in the film’s mythology and ideology. The community has a language of its own, part hick-speak, part Olde English, and seems from another time; though this is very much a contemporary tale. Both Carter and Bridgers played key roles in executive producer Lucky McKee’s The Woman, and in a way The Pit shares a similar feel; something off-kilter, infused with warped family values and overbearing parental influence. The matriarch here, played gloriously by Young, is certainly no shrinking violet, vigorously inspecting Ada for both evidence of intercourse and menstruation (“she is dripping”). It is worth noting this is not a mere satire on religion, but it does raise questions about blindly following a belief, regardless of consequence – Ada’s resistance to her sacrifice coming, not from a lack of faith, but rather a wish to live. We are in no doubt that the Pit is a real entity, but wisely Kinkle keeps whatever is in there out of sight, as when special effects do come in to play (as with the shunned) they betray the film’s low budget. It is a pensive film that works well; eerily atmospheric, impressively acted, and with an effective score, a film which is as organic as the forest. Don’t miss it.

REVIEW: SMOTHERED / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: JOHN SCHNEIDER / SCREENPLAY: JOHN SCHNEIDER / STARRING: KANE HODDER, SHANNA FORRESTALL, BILL MOSELEY, R.A. MIHAILOFF, DON SHANKS / RELEASE DATE: TBC

For horror fans, Smothered is a movie that will tick plenty of boxes. The story of the day finds horror actors of yesteryear invited to a trailer park and tasked with the job of scaring visitors. A nice alternative to the usual convention circuit, plus a handy $1,000 each for the gig, means that the group happily take up the offer. The only hitch is, it appears that somebody is offing the celebrities one by one.

A breezy, free-flowing movie, Schneider’s film may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it brings a lot for genre fans to smile about. The key cast play spins on themselves, with the Friday the 13th series’ Kane Hodder often the main focus of our attention, and it doesn’t take long for the group to find their numbers dwindling rapidly. Deciding against a straightforward, progressive narrative, Smothered instead plays in a twisted, sliced order, which all falls into place just in time for the film’s finale.

One of the particular selling points of this movie is the chance to see these names, so often hidden behind a mask, getting some time in the sun. With Schneider carefully dodging some potential legal bullets, some of the characters we see in the film are famous for playing icons such as “Mason” and “Teddy”, whilst we also get nods to the likes of Halloween, Christine and The Devil’s Rejects. In its portrayal of actors who are left trawling the convention circuit, Smothered gives a little bit of an insight into what some of these real-life names do on a daily basis once the machetes and butcher knives are put away. And in this comes some of the humour of the movie, firmly poking fun at the very real world that the actors on show often find themselves engulfed in.

Smothered has to be taken in the right way and viewed by the right audience. Don’t be expecting a tense, edge-of-the-seat thriller, but do expect a low-budget film with a whole lot of heart. Some of the performances may not completely win you over, but there are some great turns to be seen here. Hodder does well as the leading man of the piece, but it’s Shanna Forrestall, playing a past-it dancer-cum-actress, who really shines when given some of Smothered’s more serious, meatier moments. Don Shanks, in ridiculous shape, steals many a moment as the loveable dick of the movie, whilst Bill Moseley, if a tad underused, is always a pleasure to watch. Amy Brassette and Brea Grant are also worthy of mention as the family running the trailer park. Brassette’s performance as mother Agnes, whilst largely disgusting, constantly grabs your attention.

As far as entertaining long-time horror fans goes, Smothered is most certainly the little movie that can.

REVIEW: MR. JONES / CERT: 15 /DIRECTOR: KARL MUELLER / SCREENPLAY: KARL MUELLER / STARRING: JON FOSTER, SARAH JONES, MARK STEGER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW / AVAILABLE: WWW.THEHORRORSHOW.TV (+ DVD)

‘What if you came to the woods to find solitude but found out you were not really alone’, that’s the predicament facing Penny (Jones) and Scott (Foster) when they take a year out to live in the country. Penny halts her successful photography career, while Scott intends to film a nature documentary; but after a few weeks, this aspiration comes to nothing as he stops taking his medication and, rather than helping their relationship, the seclusion puts more of a strain on it. They are woken one night by a flock of birds which die after hurtling themselves toward the cabin. Things get even more bizarre when they discover a shack in the middle of the wood, which they take it on themselves to look around. In the basement, they find a collection of disturbing scarecrows. Penny realises that they are the work of a reclusive artist, Mr Jones (Steger) who sent similar works to seemingly random people all over the country. She suggests Scott should change the focus of his work to get the background on the man. Most of them speak academically about his work, but one alleged recipient warns Scott that he should stay away and stop his investigation. Staying back at the cabin, Penny attempts to photograph the totems, but is increasingly spooked when the hooded artist suddenly appears in front of her while setting his artwork up, Bansky-style. When Scott comes back, things get worse and they become under siege from both Mr Jones and their own imaginations and fears.

Filmed in a first person format, but far from ‘found footage’, the style ranges from shaky-cam to talking head interviews, to a standard film method. A subtle yet effective score supplements the chills, and there are many editing techniques used, including rough jump cuts and some stylishly flashy images. Overall, they do enhance the effect rather than distract, but by the end, the feeling is somewhat of a sensory overload.

It’s a dark film, in tone as well as image; so much of the action takes place in near-darkness so one has to really pay attention. Even then, it doesn’t lay out all the answers, which could frustrate some viewers. As the line between reality and nightmare blurs, the film amps up both tension in the viewer and between the couple, before eventually eschewing the hand held self-shot look altogether. It’s a brave effort at creating something different, and although it doesn’t fully work, it’s engaging enough to hold the interest for the running time and provides one or two jolts among some disturbing (but not graphic) imagery.  

REVIEW: THE PERFECT HOST / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: NICK TOMNAY / SCREENPLAY: NICK TOMNAY, KRISHNA JONES / STARRING: DAVID HYDE PIERCE, CLAYNE CRAWFORD, MEGAHN PERRY, NATHANIEL PARKER / AVAILABLE: WWW.THEHORRORSHOW.TV

Cruelly overlooked when it slipped out on DVD last year, this deviously twisted thriller is given another chance as the good folks at thehorrorshow.tv have it available for streaming.

Having just pulled off a lucrative bank heist, and ditching the money for a later pickup by his partner, John Taylor (Crawford) – bleeding heavily from a foot wound, and mugged when he accidentally stumbles into a grocery store hold-up – needs a place to hide out as the police are closing in. He tricks his way into the home of Warwick Wilson (Hyde Pierce), a charming and amenable chap who is preparing a dinner party for his friends. Weaving an elaborate ruse after reading a postcard addressed to Warwick, and constantly thinking on his feet to avoid detection, John’s plans don’t go exactly how he would have liked.

What follows is a glorious game of cat-and-mouse, very much in the style of Sleuth, and a very different kind of home invasion film. It’s difficult to say too much about the plot as it would really take much of the enjoyment from the viewer (in fact, definitely DON’T watch the trailer first, either), but rest assured, it’s worth going in as blind as possible. While it doesn’t always make rational sense, it’s a fun enough ride, so just to go along with the craziness.

Expanded from Tomnay’s 2001 short, The Host, the extended running time allows Hyde Pierce to really shine. While better known as the sardonic Niles in TV’s Frasier, his powerhouse portrayal of Warwick, shows many different shades to his range and eminently watchable. Crawford does struggle not to be overshadowed by his co-star’s imposing presence, but manages to hold his own; and comes across like a young Ray Liotta. It’s directed with confidence, humour and style; with the metaphorical rug being unpredictably pulled spectacularly numerous times during the duration.
Worth checking out, as cult status beckons.

REVIEW: BIRTH OF THE LIVING DEAD / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: ROB KUHNS / STARRING: GEORGE A. ROMERO, LARRY FESSENDEN, MARK HARRIS / RELEASE DATE: MAY 12TH

Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead arguably changed the face of horror cinema forever; giving the undead a voracious appetite for human flesh, and presented in a bleak, almost matter-of-fact style. In this new documentary about the making of the film, Kuhns gets the truth about the trials and tribulations that went into making a low budget horror film, which would eventually end up in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry for films which are ‘culturally, historically or aesthetically significant’.

Even though the entire doc is purely about Night, it never feels as though it’s been padded out. There’s a little background on how Romero got into making movies via the advertisements he was making in the early ’60s, plus how they found the funding for the film and the importance of having a committed crew. Romero’s anecdotes, some of which have no doubt been heard before due to the abundance of articles, books and features made over the years, are always entertaining as he is a natural raconteur; even giving a shrug of resigned acceptance at the error which made the film fall into the public domain, meaning no one made any money from it. While discussing the casting of Duane Jones, he reveals the actor’s race had no bearing on anything, they simply shot the script as it was written. He does admit, however, that he might have done that differently now to make a bigger point. The film seemed to reflect the troubled times in which it was made; Martin Luther King was actually assassinated the day they were taking the finished film to New York to find a distributor.

Cult actor/director Larry Fessenden (Jug Face, Stake Land) executive produces as well providing some fun and insightful comments, as do Samuel D. Pollard (who edited several Spike Lee films) and film critic Elvis Mitchell. Proving the evidence of the influence on today’s zombie output is The Walking Dead producer, Gale Anne Hurd. While it’s a shame not to have any interviews with the main cast, there is a touching clip of ‘graveyard zombie’ William Hinzman (who passed away in 2012) after the end credits.

Despite some of the more familiar stories, Birth of the Living Dead is still a fascinating and engrossing work. It’s made in such an informative and entertaining manner that even the most casual horror fan would enjoy it. Naturally, it’s not one you should watch if you haven’t already seen Night due to the abundance of spoilers, but would be a perfect follow-up for when you do. Which, of course, you should.

Extras: none

Well, that escalated quickly. After a two week-long absence from TV and Netflix, From Dusk Till Dawn returns. This time, they bought vampires. And strippers. Lots of vampires and strippers. No sooner has vampire queen Santanico Pandemonium appeared than she’s attacking the bar patrons, ripping off heads and sucking their blood. I’d complain about the lack of build-up to the vampire attack, but considering how long it’s taken to get to this point, that’d be a fairly minor quibble. I’m almost relieved.

The vampires attack, and everyone is divided into three categories – alive, dead and undead. Among the survivors: the Geckos, the Fullers, and Sex Machine. Following a gory, prolonged fight sequence, our heroes quickly get a handle on their situation. “This place is a giant people juicer,” Sex Machine excitedly exclaims, putting his PHD to good use. It’s hard to reconcile those brains with a man who would call himself ‘Sex Machine’ and walk around while wearing a massive cock gun, but Jake Busey gives a good enough performance, nevertheless.

An autopsy scene gives the series opportunity to declare its vampires’ status quo. In a series of exposition dumps, Professor Sex Machine gives his fellow survivors a lecture on Mayan history and vampire physiology. You know, in case you hadn’t noticed the likeness to snakes for yourself. Elsewhere, Freddie Gonzalez finds himself in the guts of the basement, caught in a situation many will recognise from Star Wars. He’s still the dullest character on the programme, but the poor guy just can’t catch a break. Maybe his constant lucklessness will eventually endear him to audiences, but it’s not happening anytime soon. He’s the cast’s weakest link so far, which is saying something in a television series which has replaced Tom Savini with Jake Busey. Heck, even not-George Clooney is starting to grow on us.

Everyone gets their hands bloody in the episode’s surprisingly ace action sequences. Robert Patrick reminds us why we all thought he was so awesome in the first place, while Kate gets her hands on a chainsaw for the final fight. Bloody (if a little too CGI-looking), frenetic and violent, it’d be impressive if we hadn’t seen it already in the movie. Still, it does offer some invention – Richie is still in play, Gonzalez battling his way back to the barroom and there are plenty of vampires left to go.

Pandemonium is an apt name for this episode, which is frantic, action-packed and exciting. Well, as exciting as you can get when you already know the outcome, anyway.

Batman’s 75th Anniversary celebrations have already brought us an all-new short from Bruce Timm (Strange Days, viewable online), but the party’s not over yet – comic creator Darwyn Cooke has weighed in with his own short film, starring the Batman of the Future, Terry McGinnis!

Cooke’s Batman Beyond reunites definitive cartoon Batman Kevin Conroy with Batman Beyond’s McGinnis, as voiced by Will Friedle. Scheduled to air after Teen Titans this Wednesday, Yahoo has released the two-minute short a little early. Watch it now, then come back, as some things are better left unspoiled.

As with Strange Days, it’s light on plot, but heavy on nostalgia. In it, Terry McGinnis and his aged Bruce Wayne battle a Batman-bot that looks suspiciously like the Batman of Batman Adventures. One all-too brief fight sequence later, and we get the real goods: a line-up of robo-Batmen featuring the Batman(s) of Beware the Batman (streaming now on Amazon Prime, and surprisingly excellent), The Batman, The Brave and The Bold, The Dark Knight Returns, Michael Keaton and Adam West. No love for Nolan’s Batman? Apparently not, but then, the emphasis is on fun here, and Bat-Bale never really had time for that.

The short finishes on something of a cliffhanger, with the presence of the Bat-bots and their creation never explained. It doesn’t really need it, but it does leave us salivating for more. Batman Beyond still has a large following today, being a more than worthy spin-off/successor to The Animated Series. McGinnis lives on still in comic book form (he has a whole Justice League these days) but it’s lovely to see him and old man Wayne again in animated form. Will the success of these shorts lead to a proper comeback for our retro heroes? It’s impossible to tell, but at least we’ll have this and Strange Days in the meanwhile.

Finally, we have arrived. The Titty Twister. It’s taken Seth, Richie and the Fullers six long weeks to get here, but the ramblers have reached their destination. Not willing to let his hostages go just yet, Seth insists Jacob and his kids accompany them inside while they wait for their contact, Carlos. It’s like Waiting for Godot, but with vampires.

It’s all a bit toned down – a Wetherspoons version of the original Titty Twister – but Seth doesn’t like it. Sensing that something is amiss, he settles in to a table and peddles booze onto Jake’ underage kids. Richie, however, is much more at home, cementing his position as the more confident brother in this version of From Dusk Till Dawn. Lord only knows how poor Seth would cope if confronted with the likes of Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin. As it is, these TV imitators are about the right level for our TV level George Clooney. Hampered by the constraints of its television network, the show can’t even let not-Cheech have his infamous “pussy” speech. The script so wants to say the ‘P’ word, it’s embarrassing watching them pussyfoot around it. Mmm… vanilla flavoured.

Seth’s simpering leaves him taking a beating in the car park while Richie ogles strippers at the Twister. Elsewhere, Gonzalez is tortured and kidnapped, and flashback Richie grows a hillbilly beard in the woods. “Say my name,” he growls, cavorting with strippers in the Twister. The Breaking Bad reference is (probably) unintentional, but it invites unfortunate comparison to what was the greatest television show in years. This, of course, is not, and even that made me cringe.

Talking of cringing: look, I’ve been trying to take From Dusk Till Dawn on its own merits (some episodes with more success than others) but when you cast Jake Busey, of all people, as Sex Machine, we have a problem. “I bet it fires blanks,” sneers Kate, in regards to his famous weaponised phallus. Knowing Jake Busey? Undoubtedly. They could have at least got Gary for the role.

Place of Dead Roads continues the story well enough, and the recasting of Richie as the stronger, more dominant brother is a clever touch. The Gonzalez stuff is a distraction, but From Dusk Till Dawn still feels as though it’s biding its time, holding back on the main event. It does culminate with some great vampire action though, so there is that.

Next up: Not Salma Hayek.

There is a moment in Tony Scott’s Man On Fire in which a thug who has had a bomb rectally inserted into him pleads with Denzel Washington for a last wish. After some consideration, Washington replies; “I wish you had more time!” As backward a compliment as that reads, Season Six of The Clone Wars is that thug.

It could be that I was savouring every last moment I had left with the series, but Season Six may be the strongest so far, taking in 5 very different and tightly held together story arcs over its all too short 13 episode run.

The first story arc (covering the first 4 episodes) follows Fives, a clone trooper who investigates what caused his friend (and fellow soldier) to kill a Jedi during a battle. It’s a classic ‘man who knew too much’ type tale that has all of the hallmarks of a ’70s conspiracy thriller movie. It’s a very strong start to the season and is a great example of The Clone Wars doing what it does best by fleshing out the characters and plot points that largely went skimmed over at best by the Prequels.

The trouble with a strong opening story is that the next one will inevitably be something of a comedown. Whilst the second story (episodes 5 – 7) isn’t as exciting as the first, it is still a compelling tale that deals with the corruption within the banking system of the Star Wars universe (it’s more interesting than it sounds). It also further adds to the paranoia that consumes Anakin Skywalker, adding further fuel to (spoilers) his inevitable manipulation into joining the Sith in Episode III.

It’s with some reluctance that you go into the third story arc (episodes 8 & 9) knowing that it’s a Jar-Jar Binks tale, but it’s actually not the kiddie friendly horror show that previous Binks centred stories have been. The story sees Binks teamed with Mace Windu (could’ve been comedy gold) as they search for a kidnapped queen. Given that it only takes up two of the episodes, it actually makes for a fun romp in the middle of a dark and paranoid filled season. That said, there is an incredibly dark moment in this story – especially in a “kids” cartoon – that brings to mind the sacrifice scene in Temple Of Doom.

The next story is a standalone episode that sees Anakin and Obi-Wan investigate the mystery of Master Sifo-Dyas, the Jedi who ordered the creation of the clone troopers. Again, it was another element of the Prequel trilogy that was referenced, but never built on, so it’s nice to finally have some – albeit brief – explanation on what is a key plot point of the clone wars mythology.

The season (and indeed series) ends with a 3 episode arc that sees Yoda – upon hearing the ghostly voice of Qui-Gon Jinn – seek out his training that will enable him to become one with the living force once he dies. It’s a fantastic Yoda centric story that has enough points of interest to excite even the most casual Star Wars fan and that’s in a story that sees one of the biggest mysteries in the universe finally being addressed. It’s also a nice touch to have Liam Neeson (the nation’s favourite wolf puncher) back voicing Qui-Gon and there’s a certain fanboy thrill to hear him return to the Star Wars universe.

There are a few flaws with the series (not enough Obi-Wan for my taste), but these are mostly minor quibbles and a probably a tad unfair given that it was not a completed season. Sadly the series ending before its time means that there are loose ends and character arcs to be tied up (the fate of Ahsoka for example), but these are always things that could potentially be handled in Star Wars Rebels or even one of the many new movies planned.

On the whole though the series goes out on a high note (after the slightly underwhelming 5^th season) and rewards the fans that have stayed loyal to the series nicely. Star Wars: Rebels has a lot to live up to, arriving as it does in the shadows of The Clone Wars.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Season 6 is currently showing on Netflix US, and will be available in the UK later this year.

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FROM AROUND THE WEB:

Families, eh. Can’t take them anywhere. The Fullers and the Geckos learn this firsthand as they attempt to cross the border into Mexico. First, embarrassing dad Jacob almost crashes the RV, and then he actually crashes the RV, shunting another car as he joins the queue. And then there’s Richie, threatening to kill everyone all the time and bickering with his brother in the loo.

Thank the Lord for inept border control, not bothering to thoroughly check the world’s most suspicious-looking motorhome for dangerous killers or kidnapped motorists. Elsewhere, Richie gets a well-deserved thump, there’s a vicious vampire attack upon border control and Ranger Gonzalez very slowly continues his pursuit of the Geckos. In a flashback, we see what happened to Jacob’s wife that made him lose his religion. The man should be let nowhere near any vehicle, let alone a whopping great RV.

Self-Contained is a good title for the episode – representing, as it does, just how tightly From Dusk Till Dawn chooses to dole out its story. Each episode gets you a different stage of the brothers’ road trip, from Mexican standoff to border control. That’s no bad thing, although it doesn’t leave much room for surprise (save for the bits we haven’t seen before, such as Gonzalez and the vampire, and the poor motorist briefly kidnapped by the Geckos and the Fullers).

Anyhow, it’s all come down to this: The Titty Twister. We get but a short glimpse of the bar before the episode finishes, and it’s about what you’d expect. Lots of bikers, some boobs and a sign which says ‘Dusk Till Dawn’ on it. So far this version of From Dusk Till Dawn has played out in much the same manner as the last one, but surely we can’t expect it to do so all the way through? Will our (anti)heroes’ arrival at The Titty Twister schedule a departure from what has come before? Given Tarantino’s reduced influence, will Richie still get to suck on some primo vampire tootsies? Is Danny Trejo going to appear? We’ve just passed the halfway mark, but it’s all to play for.

Like previous episodes in the series, Self-Contained is well-written, well-acted and well-directed. By now, we’re far enough in that we can stop comparing it so much to the movie and enjoy it for what it is – a well-shot crime drama with some promising horror styling and good intentions. It can be too Self-Contained at times, but, hopefully, The Titty Twister should bring everyone out of their shell a little. Hard drinkers, let’s drink hard.