DVD Giveaway: Necronos Tower of Doom

The first giveaway to celebrate that we have had over 10 000 visitors is for a copy of Necronos Tower of Doom, released by Dark Entertainment, it´s uncut, has swedish and english subtitles and is Region Free. The plot: Necronos (Thomas Sender), one of the mightiest minions of the devil himself has come to earth to create an invincible army of the undead under leadership of barbaric demons, called Berzerkers. To achieve his goal Necronos needs numerous often very macabre and difficult to come by ingredients. So Satan sends him two assistants to achieve his goal - Goran (Timo Fuchs), a Blood Demon and footman loyal to Necronos as well as The Mighty Witch (Manoush) to locate the chosen one - a virgin witch.

To win a copy figure out from what movie the following picture is taken from and mail the answer to independentflicks@hotmail.com. I want your replies before April 14. Good luck!

/JL

Review: Plano Detalle (2011)

First I´d like to thank Sergio Blasco for sending me a screener of his latest film. Before you read my review I should point out that my knowledhe of spanish is very limited and I´m certain I missed some parts of the plot, failed to understand some dialogue and so on..
Alfredo, a young unscrupulous entrepreneur has filed bankruptcy and is about to accept a job offer from an old friend of his father, now with the office of Councillor for Culture. But the company is a cover to conceal their true income, consisting of kidnapping and abusing young women while they are videotaped, to the delight of people who pay large sums for the video works commissioned from Alfredo. Everything is carried out in a pyramid, where each person works from public office to favor the next, and until the last link which consists of Fidel, Ernesto and Draxina who act acts as executioners for the camera. It soon becomes a trap with no exit, when the three kidnap two young women who happen to be the daughters of a prominent businessman, then, "top", decides to disappear and not wanting to know nothing, leaving Alfredo with two kidnapped girls and three lunatics who want their money. Plano Detalle is written and directed by Sergio Blasco, the spanish answer to Olaf Ittenbach. The acting is decent, it´s professionally shot and edited (it´s quite abvious that Sergio has come a long way since his earlt films). There is some nudity and even a few explicit shots. The pacing is a bit low, the teaser for Plano Detalle promised a lot but the film only delivers partly as it takes some time for the stuff that we are waiting for and expecting, the gore. The gore comes towards the end of the film, it gets bloody (mostly practical fx but there are some computer gendered fx) but it ain´t as extreme as I anticipated (this isn´t Mas Carnaza which is hardcore and very brutal)...
Plano Detalle currently has no DVD distribution, sergio Blasco is seeking distribution for it.
This review is based upon a screener sent to me, it´s uncut, lacks english audio or subtitles and as my knowledge of spanish is very limited I´m sure I missed out on some plot points and dialogue.
Rating: 2 out of 7. I´d guess that Plano Detalle would get a higher rating if my understanding of the spanish laguage was better, it isn´t bad but it isn´t what I expected or hoped for after seeing the teaser trailer.

/JL

Review: Consumption (2008)

First I´d like to thank producer Zach Green for making a online screener available to me!
After weeks of online communication Claudia (Andrea Nettleton) and Professor George Klubbard (Bruno Talotta) are ready to meet face to face. What at first appears to be a simple date quickly turns sinister and shockingly graphic. Tonight Georges impeccable taste in women will pay off and Claudia will learn that the fastest way to a mans heart is through his stomach, literally. Consumption is written and directed by Richard Powell, it´s produced by Fatal Pictures which is one of my favorite productions companies, they have give us the short films Worm and Familiar both of which have received a rating of 7 out of 7 from me. They produce well written, well made and unsettling scary short films that are among the best films I´ve seen for years. Yes, I´m totally serious, they make tense, unsettling and well made films. And I´m very pleased to say that they maintain the same high quality with Consumption, the cast is very good, it´s very nicely made with high production values (camera work, editing, soundtrack). The gore, all practical gore make-up, is surprisingly graphic and not for the squemish. But it´s not the gore that sells this film, it´s the dialogue and the actors and the craftmanship of the film makers.
This review is based upon a online screener made availabe to me.
Rating: 7 out of 7. Consumption is impressive and highly recommended!! Check it out!!

/JL

DVD review: El Negocio (2010)

Kenpo master Bud Holt (Tim Bulot), Bud to his friends, is marooned in Colombia with no money, no contracts and no more taste for parachuting into the usual special ops hot spots. So he sets up a martial arts school in Bogota. As far as ideas go, this is a good one. There's not much in the way of competition for a hard core Kenpo bushido dude... or is there? J.J. (Mark Reading), a thieving, ponzi-scheming, slimy hustler hits on a way to cover his tracks: a martial arts school which promises quick results...  El Negocio is written and directed by Tim Bulot. The cast seems to mainly consist of martial artists with very limited acting skills, there is plenty of martial art action throughout, they´ve tried to be as realistic as possible, no stuntmen, wires and other modern filming techniques. But some training scenes come across as adverts for Kenpo techniques and there are two overlong scenes at a fiting range that seems to last forever. The pacing is way too slow and the film is in serious need of heavy editing. The camera work and editing is actually pretty decent, filming the fights so that the viewer can see the techniques used, and limited use of editing. The soundtrack is bad but I guess it´s a matter of taste, personally I thought it sucked...
This review is based upon the DVD released by AJT Video, it´s not rated. I´s available through their website.
Rating: 1 out of 7. El Negocio is just plain boring and overlong and is in extreme need of some editing. The makers should take a good look at Ara Paiaya`s excellent The Suppressor before they make the sequel (yes, they are talking about doing a part 2).

/JL

DVD review: Last Caress (2010)

Five youngsters who just wanted to spend a nice weekend amongst friends in a manor will find a far less peaceful place than they expected when faced with a family curse and a sadistic ruthless killer. Blinded by their never-ending quest for carnal pleasures they will fail to perceive the flood of blunt violence about to engulf them. Last Caress is a neo-giallo from France, it´s written and directed by François Gaillard and Christophe Robin. Actually the plot is pretty thinn, there isn´t much dialogue instead we get a visually very good looking film. None of the actors are really bad, but also not really good. The film never manages to create any real tension. As I mentioned the film looks awesome as it´s professionally shot and edited and the techno/synth soundtrack of Double Dragon is stunningly good. This is a gorehounds wet dream, graphic violence in the style of italian directors such as Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci (their influences on the makers of Last Caress are obvious). The gore make-up (all practical fx I believe) and special fx are top notch, we get one gory delight after another.
This review is based upon the german DVD release by 8Films which is titled Glam Gore. It´s a Ultimate Uncensored Collector's Edition, Limited at 2.000 copies, numbered. English subtitles are available, A cd with the soundtrack, which is very good, is also included.
Rating: 7 out of 7. I loved Last Caress, it brings back memories of the old italian classic films of the 1970s and 1980s. It´s really good and really bloody. Highly recommended for gorehounds, giallo fans and fans of Dario Argento.

/JL

DVD review: Skeleton Lake (2012)

The war in Vietnam is announced to finish. american tropps are withdrawn and the relief of peace echoes through the air. However, as the calm after the storm spreads as a sigh of relief, there is something unsettling amidst the forests of North Michigan. A disturbed war veteran remains, but he lives for one reason only.. to kill.  What would happen if six rutless men stumbled across him in the eerie deserted forest, after their mass bankrobbery leaves them running from the law  with three million dollars? Would they be better off facing the cells of prison or can they escape from the murderer out to get them..? That´s what it says on the region 2 DVD cover, a much better description is available on IMDB: Six bank robbers become stranded in a off the grid forest when their vehicle goes missing during the planning of their escape from the police. Now stranded and on a time crunch to make their flight headed out of the country they try to walk out of the forest. they soon encounter a Vietnam veteran who was mentally damaged somehow in during the conflict and now kills anyone who enters his forest using his military training and some tactics used by the VietCong.
The IMDB description sounds much better doesn´t it? Yeah, I think so too.

Skeleton Lake is written by Sean McAulay and Neil Mackay who also is the director. The acting is mostly good and Robert Nolan is top notch as always. It´s fast paced, the camera work and editing looks good, the soundtrack is good. There are some gore, it´s a combination of practical fx and computer gendered fx, the highlight is the skinning of a decapitated head.

This review is based the UK region 2 DVD release by Signature Entertainment.

Rating: 7 out of 7. Skeleton Lake is a very entertaining and well made action/survival horror film (given it's low budget).

/JL

DVD review: Frat House Massacre (2008)

Sean (Chris Prangley) and his little brother Bobby (Rane Jameson) thought joining the Delta lota Epsilon fraternity would be the best time of their lives with parties, freedom, girls and sex. The fraternity president Mark (Jon Fleming) however, is a little strange. His hazing rituals include extreme physical and mental torture that leads the boys down a horrific path of destruction and death. But death may just be the beginning as this gritty, twisted film unfolds. Frat House Massacre is written by Draven Gonzalez and directed by Alex Pucci. It´s a attempt to recreate the feel of a 1970s slasher/exploitation does a wonderful job of creating a period-appropriate atmosphere, complete with retro soundtrack, late 70’s clothing and hair styles.The cast is good, you really do begin to hate Jon fleming´s character and his fraternity brothers as we witness their behaviour (won´t go into details because I don´t wanna spoil the film for you). Professional camera work and editing and the soundtrack from Claudio Simonetti is nice. The bodycount is high and there is plenty for the gorehounds and it´s all practical fx, we only get to see the killers gloved hands during the kills which is nice and keeps us wondering who the real killer is. There is plenty of sex and nudity. There is a notable amount of homoeroticism with a hunky frat boys walking around bare chested, a scene where a stripped guy is hosed down by another shirtless guy with the hose being held at crotch height.
This review is based on the Region all DVD release from Synapse Films.
Rating: 5½ out of 7. Frat House Massacre works well, a lot of violence, gore and sleaze on display. it has high production values and there are a couple of nice plot twists. Recommended for exploitation and horror fans.

/JL

DVD review: Sick Girl (2007)

"There is nothing wrong with hurting things smaller than you, oroviding you also take on things bigger than you." Young Izzi (Lesle Andrews) is a girl with issues. Her parents may be dead. Her older brother is fighting in Iraq and she´s raising her younger brother, Kevin (Charlie Trepany), all by herself. Things are tough but, with the help of her motorcycle-riding friend Barney (John McGarr), she deals with her situation the best she can. Unfortunately, Izzy isn´t exactly stable.. and her way of dealing with lifés problems includes finding people to torture and kill in the barn near the family home! When a trio of bullies picks on her brother Kevin at school, all hell breaks loose. The two that die are the lucky ones... Sick Girl is written and directed by Eben McGarr. Good acting and Leslie Andrews is very good. She really did seem nuts, her creepiness, her depravity.. It´s professionaly shot and edited but the audio is a little bit low once in awhile which can make it hard to hear the dialogue.
Watching the opening scene with the nun and the schoolgirls, wasn´t very impressed by it, I started wondering what kind of film Sick Girl was gonna be but it got better and better and better. There is plenty here for the gorehounds, the special fx are effective and it gets more and more intense as the film goes along. Sick Girl has some shocking moments, one particular scene completely blew me away and I´m convinced that the moral police or politically correct will have big problems with this film.
This review is based on the Region all DVD released by Synapse Films.
Rating: 7 out of 7. I absolutely loved Sick Girl. It´s sick, brutal and twisted and Leslie Andrews is phenomenal as Izzy. I found Sick Girl both disturbing and impressive so check it out today but it´s definitely not for the squeamish or faint of heart...


/JL

DVD review: Platoon of the Dead (Video 2009)

A marine platoon is ambushed during a mission, leaving only three soldiers alive to fend off the growing army of the living dead. En route to their pickup point, they come across an abandoned house with three mysterious women hiding out inside. If they can make it through the night, they´re home free.. or so they think, because someone is hiding a dark secret that may alter the course of this gore-drenched war.. Platoon of the Dead is written and directed by John Bowker. The acting is unbelievably bad , tons of inconsistencies, badly shot and edited. The soldiers are TOTALLY unrealistic in apperance, carrying no field gear, clean uniforms and are armed with plastic laser toy guns, couldn´t they at least afford, rent or borrow a couple of softair guns.. And as mentioned before, they can´t freakin act!! The pacing is low, it´s overlong and boring as there's way too much talking. The soundtrack is bad, actuallyit´s  pretty annoying. For a zombiefilm there ain´t many zombies...  There is virtually no gore, the special fx are a joke, there are some practical fx and a few digital visual effects, such as laser fire and disintegrating bodies.
This review is based upon the region 2 UK release from OMG!.
Rating: 0 out of 7. What the fuck were they thinking?? Platoon of the Dead must be one of the most boring, insane, incoherent idiotic films I have ever seen. I reckon it is intentionally bad but it fails miserably at that also. Don't waste your time on this...
/JL

DVD review: Necrosis (2009)

In 2009, six friends arrive at an isolated cabin to enjoy a long weekend in the snow. An epic snowstorm interrupts their vacation, trapping them on the mountain and resurrecting the haunting ghosts of the Donner Party. But, are they true 'entities' or is it simply 'cabin fever' that brings out their fears and darkness, causing friends to turn against each other as reality deteriorates around them. Necrosis is written robert Michael Ryan and Jason Robert Stephens who also is the director. The acting is average, there is nothing wrong with the plot but the pacing is too slow which probaby will put many viewers off. Nicely shot and edited and the scenary is beautiful. The setting  (an isolated cabin in a snow storm) is very nice. Gorehounds should note that there is not a lot of gore, it´s more a horror thriller in the vein of The Shining (1980) which I´m sure has been the main source of inspiration, there's a couple of brief moments of cannibalism and a few gunshots. The special fx are decent, the use both practical fx and some CGI (mainly for to create snowflakes falling from the sky).
Fans of t & a will be pleased to know that there is nudity courtesy of  Kymberly Jane.
This review is based on the UK region 2 DVD release by Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment which has the title Blood Snow. I´m not a hundred percent sure that it´s uncut as according to IMDB the film should have a running time of 90 minutes, according to Amazon.com the running time of the unrated region 1 release is 80 minutes and on the back cover of the region 2 UK release it is stated as 78 minutes which according to the BBFC website has been passed with no cuts made. 
Rating: 2½ out of 7. Necrosis is ok but it´s not scary at all, there´s no real suspense and the pacing is a bit slow.

/JL

DVD review: Bloody Murder 2: Closing Camp (2003)

Trevor Moorhouse returns! Coming to Placid Pines is difficult for Tracy (Katy Woodruff) , who's brother, Jason (Tyler Sedustine), was one of Trevor's victims near the end of the original. When Tracy's nightmares begin to come true as one by one the counselors are murdered. Someone is hunting them through the pitch-black Forest and is determined to kill them all. Bloody Murder 2: Closing Camp is written by John R. Stevensson and directed by Rob Spera. The acting is mediocre but hey what´s new?  Decent camera work and editing. The soundtrack is good. The killings are surprisingly graphic, in total contrast to the original this film has gore and brutality, we get legs cut off, a head smashed with a rock, a chainsaw through a stomach, an arrow through a neck, a head split open with a machete and more, the gore fx were nice. There are alot of beautiful girls here, Tiffany Shepis provides all of the film's nudity (in the shower, in a car, in the woods…).
In the UK it is released under the name Halloween Camp. 
This review is based on the german region 2 DVD release from Planet Media, it´s uncut and has a english audiotrack available.
Rating: 2½ out of 7. I actually thought Bloody Murder 2: Closing Camp was alright. It´s way better than the original film thanks to a great improvement over its predecessor in the gore and nudity department. Actually it got all the ingredients to make it a good slasher so if you enjoy slasher movies, give it a try

/JL

DVD review: Bloody Murder (Video 2000)

Julie McConnell is one of a dozen camp counselors working to re-open a summer camp when a series of murders and disappearances begin commited by a hockey masked killer who may be the urban legend killer Trevor Moorehouse. When Julie looks into the murders by herself, she finds that she may be the killer's next target when she gets too close to some dark secrets of the camp which may lead to the killer's identity. Bloody Murder is written John R. Stevensson and directed by Ralph E. Portillo.
Bad acting galore and I was just hoping for the characters to get killed off. The pacing awfully slow, there is no suspense, the film looks and feels extremely low budget. The soundtrack is ok. 
The killings are very lame as almost all the violence happen off screen, the camera cuts away to something else, then when the camera cut back to the murder scene, the person would already be dead. There is minimal gore, a slit throat, a couple of arrows shot into people, which is idiotic as gore is as essential as nudity for a succesful slasher film and guess what, there is no nudity despite that there are four good looking women in the movie. 
This review is based on the german region 2 DVD release from Planet Media, it´s uncut and has a english audiotrack available.
Rating: 0½ out of 7.  Bloody Murder tries to be a slasher but fails miserably, it´s a typical predictable b-movie slasher which is not such a bad thing as long as the film entertains. But the fact that there is no nudity and no gore makes this a worthless slasher flick,  some gratuitous gore and/or sex is a must. I tried to watch this with an open mind but it´s as entertaining as watching a freshly painted wall dry but I guess I should mention that this film is far from the worst film I've ever seen... Check the film out if you want, but be warned, it's bad.

/JL

DVD review: The Halfway House (2004)

Young girls are disappearing in and around the Mary Magdalen Halfway House for Troubled Girls. Desperate to find out what became of her sister, Larissa Morgan (Janet Tracy Keijser) goes undercover to infiltrate the Catholic-run institution. Once inside, she encounters Father Fogerty (Joseph Tatner), a priest with a passion for punishment; Sister Cecelia (Mary Woronov), a nun with a dark past plotting an even blacker future; Edwina (Monica Shere) and her love-toy Cherry Pie (Stephanie Leighs); tough Latino Angelina (Athena Demos) and her home girls and a sinister handyman named Lutkus (Cleve Hall). It's not long before she's caught up in a twisted web of sadism, violence, and wanton lust before finally learning the ultimate secret of the Halfway House. The Halfway House is written and directed by Kanneth J. Hall and is inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. It´s a mix of comedy and horror and in my opinion that mix is seldom succesful. The acting is bad but I think it´s intentional cheesy acting from the cast, it all played tongue in cheek. The camera work and editing is ok, got nothing to complain about. The pacing is good and the soundtrack is ok.

Some decent gore, all practical fx, the creature looks like crap, but I think it's intentional and it´s nice to see practical creature fx instead of crappy CGI.

Good looking girls (both Janet Tracy Keijser and Stephanie Leighs has smokin' bodies), lots of female nudity and sexual situations.

This review is based upon the german region 2 release by Fear Express/Anolis, it´s uncut and english audio i available.

Rating: 6 out of 7. The Halfway House isn´t scary but it´s very  entertaining and it´s an example of a that sometimes you can get a positive result of mixing of horror and comedy. If you are a fan of cheezy sleaze this one is for you.

/JL

DVD review: Bloodstained Romance (2009)

How far would you go for love? Holden (Chris Burchette) will soon find out the answer to that question as he reaches to the depths of insanity for that one true love as he falls in love with young coed (Cameron Wright) when he sees her at his college for the first time. Bloodstained Romance is written and directed by Travis B. Miller. The acting is uneven but Cameron Wright is good and Chris Burchette is impressive as Holden, he gives a believable portrayal of a man, giving insight into the depths of a deranged mind. This is a is character driven film, the slow pacing only helps to make the main character and the story more terrifying. Loooking at production values, it´s decently shot and edited, the soundtrack is ok but keep in mind that it´s made on a very low budget, so there are a few things that could have been better had there have been a budget. There is gore but not anything extreme as most of the violence is implied and happens off screen but this actually only adds to the feeling of brutality as Holden shows that he is capable of extreme violence.
This review is based upon the german region 2 DVD release by CMW, english audio and subtitles are available. I believe it´s uncut.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. I really enjoyed  Bloodstained Romance, it´s disturbing, brutal, creepy and feels realistic. I highly recommend this film. I am going to keep an eye on Travis B. Miller. Check it out for yourself if you are a fan of independent horror.

/JL

DVD review: The Los Angeles Ripper (2011)

First I´d like to thank Craig J. McIntyre for sending me a screener.

Kristy White (Celeste Marie Martinez) moves to Los Angeles to stay with her dysfunctional aunt Peggy (Beverley Bassette) and her cousin Angel White (Chase Monroe) to pursue her singing career and become a star. Meanwhile, a brutal serial killer is on the loose in the City of Angels. Kristy sets out to explore Los Angeles and to see what this beautiful city has in store for her. She meets and parties with Angel's cool friends and soon realizes they are up to some risky party behavior! When she meets Angel's drug dealing friend Grahm  (Randy Tobin) things start to get pretty weird and scary for Kristy White. The city of dreams may just become a nightmare for her! The Los Angeles Ripper is written and directed by Craig J. McIntyre, it’s a low-budget splatter/exploitation film. The acting is mostly bad but Randy Tobin and Celeste Marie Martinez are pretty good.  There is a unnecessary subplot as we get to watch Kristy's singing lessons and those scenes are overlong, distracting and painful. The camerawork and editing is annoying, the soundtrack is bad and is sometimes utterly terrible. There is some gore, a few graphic killing scenes, for instance there is a eyeball gouging sequence, and those scenes are truly the highlights of the film and the special fx is surprisingly effective despite being low-budget.

This review is based on a screener sent to me.

Rating: 1½ out of 7. The Los Angeles Ripper could have been better if they had focused more on Grahm and avoided the painfully bad scenes with Kristy's singing lessons.

/JL

DVD review: Zombie Undead (2010)

A car roars through the darkened country roads. Inside, a distraught Sarah (Ruth King), holding her stricken dad, Mark, is desperately trying to stem the flow of blood. Having been re-directed to an Evacuation facility on the edge of town, Steve (Barry Thomas), an off-duty Paramedic is in a race against time fully aware that Marks chances of survival are rapidly slipping away. The scene that greets them on arrival is one of chaos. The floor, awash with blood, is covered with the bodies of the dying and injured, doctors dart back and forth, clearly overwhelmed. A violent convulsion causes Mark to lose consciousness, heart stopped he slumps to the floor. As the adrenalin needle slams into her Fathers heart Sarah stumbles back and her world fades to black. Upon regaining consciousness Sarah is greeted by the uneasy silence of a seemingly deserted building. Bleeding and dazed she stumbles through the darkened corridors unaware of the fate that awaits her... Zombie Undead is a british zombie film, it´s written by Kris Tearse and directed by Rhys Davies. The acting is mostly bad, the camera work and editing is ok. The pacing is slow, very slow, there isn´t much happening instead we get a lot of discussions between the characters as they wander around the hospital. There is some gore but nothing spectacular and the zombie make-up is pretty basic stuff.
This review is based on region 2 UK release from Metrodome.
Rating: 0½ out of 7. Zombie Undead is boring, more action, more gore, more and better looking zombies would have been nice. Now it´s soporific dull and is the equivalent of a sleeping pill.

/JL

DVD review: Rape 2 (2006)

Rape 2 is a rape/revenge compilation (consisting of two short films on the topic) from Germany and it´s written and directed by A. Simona. In the first a man kidnaps a young woman and is then joined by hos friend and together they rape and abuse her before she strike back. In the second film a woman is out with her dog in a park and is attacked by two men. The acting though it´s hard to call it that, is bad. It´s decently shot and edited. As expected with a A. Simona film there is long, tedious and boring scenes of explicit sex and a lot of nudity. And yet again the actresses are unattractive which is not a good thing when you are making a film which features a lot of nudity and long explicit sex scenes.  On the topic of gore, there is almost no special fx to talk about. There are scenes that could have been very gory but all the carnage with  real potential occurs off screen and you just see some blood splatter.
This review is based on a DVD released by A Simona Film. it´s part of a limited release of 1500 numbered copies and the copy in my collection is numbered 1166, it´s uncut and it´s german language only.
Rating: 0½ out of 7. Rape 2 is boring, I wouldn´t recommend it to anyone and I doubt that it would appeal to the forced-sex fetish fans.

/JL

Review: Total Fury (2007)

A schoolgirl is kidnapped by sadists, but she is a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger since childhood, and has incorporated new techniques of self defense and unleashes hell upon the men to escape graphic torture. Total Fury is  short film of just 13 minutes running time, it´s directed by Jonathan Prévost, François Simard, Anouk Whissell, now if you recognize their names it is because these guys created the highly entertaining Le Bagman - Profession: Meurtrier. The acting is decent, it´s decently shot and edited. The gore, Oh My God, this is a over-the-top splatterfest which is guaranteed so win the hearts of gorehounds worldwide. The special fx is all practical fx and is a delight to see.
This review is based on a online source uploaded by the makers of Total Fury. It´s available for viewing at RKSS Vimeo channel.
Rating: 7 out of 7. Total Fury is incredibly entertaining, it´s ultra gory and very funny and I recommend it highly to gorehounds!

/JL

DVD review: Zombie Commando (Video 2006)

Craine Black (Marco Goldhofer,) head of security firm Biodyne steals a dangerous virus and in the process becomes infected with the "Z - virus". Biodyne need to find Black who has hidden in the woods as quickly as possible and stop his crusade of death. They turn to Ash (Michael Donner), the former leader of a security commando team. Together with the virologist Francis (Melanie Bayersdorfer) and the two mercenaries Carter (Alexander Goldhofer) and La Rocka (Juergen Schirl), Ash is sent into the wilderness to end the matter quickly and discretely. But soon they understand that they have underestimated the situation. Zombie Commando is written and directed by Michael Donner and Marco Goldhofer. The acting is decent, but some of the cast are all too young for the characters that they are supposed to portray. The pacing is a little slow at first but the film picks up it´s pace after awhile. It has good camera work and editing, the soundtrack is excellent. Gorehounds should be pleased as there is a lot of gore. The special fx are good, a combination of practical fx and CGI which is mainly used for splattery head shots. You can tell that most of the budget was spent on the zombies and the numerous shots to the head and splatter effects.
This review is based on DVD release from Maximum Uncut Productions which is uncut and there are english subtitles available. It´s part of a limited edition release, 1000 copies, numbered, My copy is numbered 312.
Rating: 4½ out of 7. Zombie Commando is succesful in certain places and the film gets better towards the end and is overall fun.

/JL

DVD review: Deadly Detour (2011)

When two carloads of friends were headed to Florida the only thing on their minds were sex, drugs, and alcohol. When a simple case of engine trouble sidelines the group in rural Maryland it begins a downward spiral into murderous acts of depravity. One by one they encounter something in the woods, an abomination of nature and science! These friends wanted a trip they would never forget... That is exactly what they got when their trip turned into a....... deadly detour. Deadly Detour is written, shot and directed by Mike O´Mahony. The acting, camera work and editing is decent but sometimes it´s hard to hear the dialogue due to poor audio quality. The viewer gets lots of sleazy dialogue, offensive humor, nudity, sex, drinking and an abundence of drug use. The killer Goatman (Erich Ficke), a deformed Jason-esque maniac. looks really cool and is really menacing in some scenes. Gorehounds will find a lot to like as there is a lot of gore, it´s all practical special fx and quite good. Among the high lights are a guy who gets an arrow put through the back of his head and out his mouth, a woman is stabbed repeatedly in the vagina with a vibrator and stomping on a pregnant woman’s belly so hard that her fetus pops out and the killer strangles her with the umbilical cord. Deadly Detour has been picked up for distribution by WWMM and will be released in May 2012. 
This review is based on the Maniac Films DVD release, it´s unrated.
Rating: 6 out of 7. Deadly Detour is a slasher made by fans for fans. It´s funny, contains every slasher movie cliche` and is very entertaining. Recommended to fans of the slasher films of the 80s. I enjoyed it and I look forward to future films from Maniac Films.

/JL

Review: The Trimmer (2011)

First of all I´d like to thank  Herschel Zand III for offering me the chance to review his new short film.
Jessi (Erin Baker) is an uptight, rich kid who has had everything handed to her by her equally uptight Aunt (Honey Gregory). When Jessi causes her landscaping crew to be fired, they enact a grizzly revenge upon her. The Trimmer is a short film (running time approx 18 minutes) written, shot, edited and directed by Herschel Zand III. The limits of it´s budget is evident in limited setting and a limited cast but it´s all used to it´s advantage. The acting is decent, pretty good camera work and editing. The pacing is good, the film has several of "must have" ingredients to make a succesful slasher, we get cute girls, some nudity (courtesy of the beautiful Erin Baker), a pretty decent looking killer and gore. There are some humour in the film, if that is postive or negative is up to you but personally I usually do prefer the films that plays it straight.There is some gore, it´s computer gendered and it doesn´t look good.
This review is based on a online source provided by Herschel Zand III
Rating: 3½ out of 7. If you are a fan of slashers you should check out The Trimmer.

/JL

Review. House Call (2011)

Janice (Aimee Bello) does the unthinkable in order, she kills her abusive husband Dave (Brad Egger) to start a new life with her new boyfriend (Michael Shepherd Jordan). However, strange things begin to happen on the night of their one year anniversary. Although Dave is gone, his mother (Janet Gawrys) is still around and she practices black magic, and summons her son´s spirit.House Call is written and directed by Erik L. Wilson. It´s a supernatural/horror short film (running time 18 minutes), good performances from the cast, it´s professionally shot and edited, it´s a creepy and atmospheric film. Thereis a combination of practical and digital fx and it looks very good, especially the practical fx. There is a fair amount of gore but nothing extreme, it´s all very well done.
This review is based on a online screener provided to me by the makers of the film.
Rating: 6 out of 7. House Call is a really well done short film with nice visuals, good acting and suspense. Check it out!


/JL

DVD review: Army of the Dead (Video 2008)

In 1590, a powerful Conquistador, Coronado, ordered a thousand men of his most fearsome soldier to find the legendary to find El Dorado, the lost city of gold. These men were never to  return Now, 400 years later, an adventurous archeology professor and his students are exploring Mexico´s Baja Peninsula and unwittingly wake a long dormant curse, Confronted by Coronado´s long lost army - now a militia of skeleton warriors . the group find themeselves in a life or death battle. But, how do you kill an army that is already dead? Army of the Dead is written by Tom Woosley and Michael Ciccolini and is directed by Joseph Conti. Some bad acting and it´s badly shot and edited. The pacing, let´s just say that the film is very boring, I found myself looking at the clock wondering when this movie was going to end but I always watch a movie to the end, no matter how painful it is. There's almost no blood or gore, the skeletons look quite good (despite not appearing in the same frame as the humans), but the explosions and blood consist of very cheap CGI, with fireballs superimposed on the intact vehicles.
This review is based on the UK region 2 DVD release from Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment.
Rating: 0½ out of 7. Army of the Dead is really a terrible film. Don´t watch it, it is a waste of time. But to be fair the concept is interesting, with better actors and gore, way more gore it would have been better.

/JL

DVD review: Break (2009)

Sarah Carter (Lili Schackert) has just been dumped by her boyfriend, so have her friends Rose Burns (Esther Maaß), Anna (Marina Anna Eich),  and Clare Mullins  (Thelma Buabeng) take her along for a trip from Washington to Bellingham to spend the weekend camping in the backwoods in Glacier Rocks. The warm weather and some cold beer let the clique quickly forget their big-city problems. They run into rednecks Phil (Sebastian Badenberg) and and his partner Samuel (Ralph Willmann) who are brutal and sadistically inhuman. Break is written and directed by Matthias Olof Eich, it´s a german entry in the backwoods horror subgenre and what a entry it is. Good atmosphere, nice choice of setting and the landscapes are truly first class. It´s professionally shot and edited, the soundtrack is good, the cast is fairly good they actors seem to be professionals and are for the most part believable. The pacing it a bit slow in the beginning as the first half of the film is meant for you to care about these girls but it´s neber boring. Break has sadism, cruelty, violence, rape and sexual humiliation as rhe two bloodthirsty killers degrades women literally like a piece of meat that can be taken and gutted at will.
There are some really nice looking gore, a mix of practical and visual fx. The highlights in terms of gore are an arrow in the eye, a shovel in the head, a knife run through the waist and two severed feet hanging by a rope, which also adorn the cover.
This review is based on the region 2 DVD released by NSM Records, it´s uncut and the viewer can choose between german och english audio.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. I must say that I do not understand why this is labeled as an amateur film. The look of the film is professional and indistinguishable from other direct-to-video productions. While the story offers nothing new it´s well implemented. I highly recommend this film for fans of Backwoods horror and of german amateur productions.

/JL

DVD review: Tortured (Video 2009)

Quaid (Nicholas Stoppani) and Kurk (Raimi  Hilmi) are two notorious convicts who have escaped prison and are trying to flee the country. To ensure their safety they abduct an innocent attractive woman by the name of Carmel (Michelle Young) and use as a hostage to protect themselves from the police, but Quaid has hidden motives for the abduction and Kurk don't like what he sees, leading to a deadly game of cat and mouse full of jealously, deception, lust and murder. Tortured  (also known Sex Slave, Tormented, Deranged, Escaped Convicts) is written and directed by Jason Impey. The film begins with the ending as Kurk and Quaid are talking while trying to get rid of the Carmel´s dead body, then they both get eaten by zombies (one of which is Carmel who has been brought back from the dead) and after that we go back a day. There are some pathetic acting in this film, it´s terrible. The camera work and editing isn´t very good, even though the pacing is pretty high (the film is just 60 minutes long) it´s pretty boring. Besides some gore, which are primitive but effective, there is gratuitous nudity, graphic masturbation in a shower, lesbian sex and a prolonged rape scene which is disturbing and cruel and includes a scene of graphic masturbation when one of the men uses his gun on their hostage.
This review is based on the region 1 DVD release from Brain Damage Films, it´s not rated and I guess it´s uncut. There is another release but containing a alternate edit and its called Psychopaths - Sex With Hostages.
Rating: 0½  out of 7. Tortured is pure trash and not in a good way.

/JL

DVD review: Savage (I) (2009)

A blazing fire rips its way through Bear Valley National Park. As the firefighters try to contain it, the animals are being forced out of their habitat including a beast that was better left undiscovered. Park Ranger Owen Fremont (Tony Becker) investigates a couple of bear attacks meanwhile reluctant partners Jack Lund (Martin Kove) and Dale Davis (Shane Callahan) are searching for Bigfoot, LUnd is put to kill it while Davis is looking for evidence of it´s existence. Meanwhile, Gabrielle (Anna Enger) and her husband Richard Hanley (Quint Von Canon) are on the run after a convenience store robbery goes wrong resulting in a murder and are now hiding out in the forest. Savage is written by Lynn Drzick, DJ Perry, Nancy Gideon and Jordan Blum who also is the director. The acting is decent, Martin Kove and Tony Becker are the best actors in this film but Anna Enger is sure sweet to look at.. Savage is technically good but it´s too boring and slow. There is a noteable lack of horror and tension.
There is minimal gore, the killings mostly occur off-screen, the special fx are a mix of practical fx and CGI but thankfully they are kept to a minimum. The Bigfoot design wasn't good but it wasn't bad.
This review is based on the Region 1 release from MTI Home Video.
Rating: 1½ out of 7. Savage would have been better if it had been a litte more savage, increase the bodycount, add graphic gore and a little bit of nudity and it would have been fine.
/JL

Review: Worm (2010)

First I´d like to thank Zach Green for making this film available to me.
A day in the mind of Geoffrey Dodd (Robert Nolan), a seemingly kind, gentle and sane High School teacher. As we follow Geoffrey through the course of a typical school day we gain an eerie insight into the darkest corners of his soul and beyond. Beneath the carefully constructed veneer of Geoffrey Dodd lies something wretched, insidious and foul rotting him from the inside out. Worm is written, directed, produced and edited (along with Zach Green) by Richard Powell. The acting is very good and Robert Nolan is simply fantastic as Geoffrey Dodd, on the surface he seems like your average everyday mild-mannered man but he is a disturbed sociopath. He harbours disturbing bottled thoughts inside of him, dark and violent thoughts (which we hear in voice overs).  He´s like a ticking time bomb and you keep wondering if Dodd will explode into a violent rage, or not. Worm is very well made, it´s professionally shot and edited. The soundtrack is good and the setting almost feels claustrophobic and the atmosphere is unsettling. There is no gore, barely any blood and no nudity instead we get an look into a very dark mind which is truly frightening.
This review is based on a online source sent to me.
Rating: 7 out of 7. Worm is an incredibly dark, sadistic and well psychological thriller and Nolan's performance is very impressive. It gets my highest recommendations! Be sure to check it out!!

/JL