Private investigator Jack Steele is hired by a mysterious treasure hunter to help find the lost treasure of Marco Polo. Along for the trip is Jack's adopted son, Billy. Their search brings them to an island off the coast of Argentina... and into the clutches of a primitive cannibal tribe, the Yamma Yamma. Alexis Kinkaid, a mysterious recluse who has made his home on the island amongst the cannibals, may hold the key to unlocking the island's secret... if they don't end up in the belly of a savage first! Isle of the Damned is written by Mark Leake and directed by Mark Colegrove. The acting is hilariously bad but it is intentionally bad and very fun. The hilarious dubbing is also intentional and is just fantastically funny. The actors/actresses sport wigs and almost all of the male characters have very fake moustaches. The camerawork and editing is pretty good, the filmmakers have made an effort to make it look like a old movie from the 1970s with grains and scratches. It´s very low budget and it shows. A lot of the flaws are clearly intentional and part in the filmmakers effort to make the flick look like a old style italian cannibal exploitation flick. The soundtrack is very retro, think early italian 1980s... Isle of the Damned is very gory, some of the stuff looks just decent while some of the make up fx looks really good and I´m sure gorehounds will appreciate this flick. There´s a lot of graphic violence on screen, cannibalism, ripping out and eating a fetus and much more. That said, this is not for the squemish. Plenty of sleaze and old style exploitation in this. There´s some female topless nudity in this, there are several brief sexscenes and then there is a gang rape of one of the male characters but don´t worry it isn´t explicit by any shape or form.
Isle of the Damned is also known as Bind Them and Kill Them!, Cannibal Island Holocaust and Island of the Damned. To be honest it´s pretty hard to know if these alternative titles are correct or part of the myth created around Isle of the Damned as part of it´s marketing.
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Dire Wit Films.
Rating: 6 out of 7. I enjoyed it! Very entertaining and very very silly! I can imagine quite a few, including the politically correct and squemish, not liking it but give it a chance you might like it. It´s both a homage and a spoof of the italian cannibal movies of the 1970s -80s and is succesful in that but to the viewer to fully appreciate this flick it´s more or less necessary for him or her to be a fan of the old italian genre movies.
/JL
First I´d like to thank Dustin Wayde Mills for providing me with a screener.
All hell breaks loose when Peter Cottontail aka The Easter Bunny hears that the Catholic Church is about to do away with all Easter rituals not pertaining directly to the resurrection of Christ. With Father Asher (A warrior priest) hot on his trail Cottontail starts a rampage leaving the bodies of the clergy (and a few schoolgirls) in his wake. Can Asher stop him before its too late? Only one thing is certain: March 26th is gonna be a bad hare day! Easter Casket is written, shot, edited and directed by Dustin Wayde Mills. The acting is pretty good, it´s nicely shot and edited and yet again there are some really nice visuals on display (once again Dustin Wayde Mills proves that he has an eye for catching/creating stunning visuals). The pacing is nice and Easter Casket is never boring. I liked the soundtrack. There is gore, both practical and computer rendered. There are puppets (a Dustin Wayde Mills speciality) and miniature effects. There´s gratuitous T & A, there is gratuitous full frontal female nudity and there is a sexscene that is really good, I especially liked the build up leading to it. I think that all those who have a soft spot/fetish for catholic schoolgirls and nuns should rejoice because you´re gonna love Easter Casket!
Support independent filmmaking and make sure to get your copy from http://www.eastercasket.com/ .
This review is based upon a online screener provided by Dustin Wayde Mills.
Rating: 7 out of 7. I loved it! What´s not to like as we get action, violence, gore, sex, naughty priests, nuns, catholic school girls, a warrior priest, a seriously pissed off Easter bunny and much much more. There is a ton of comedy in this and shades of more darker and sinister stuff. I laughed out loud several times when watching Easter Casket, the comedy on behalf of the catholic church is plentiful so if you´re politically correct or a catholic you´ll probably should stay away. Once again Dustin Wayde Mills proves why he deserve to be one of my favorite independent flicks director. A veritable Jack of all trades (he wrote, shot, edited, directed and handles the practical and visual fx in addition to acting) he makes wonders with very small budgets (Easter Casket cost approx 3000 USD to make). Once again I will plea that somebody out there should give him a decent budget to work with and I´m sure that he will perform a miracle but please leave his artistic freedom alone as it is what makes him the filmmaker that he is.
/JL
You are the only survivor of a massacre. Yet everyone signs you away to an insane asylum for murder, Will you go back and retrace every horrific memory if your freedom depends on it? Patricia is given that chance. A film director asks for her help in making a movie about her horrific experience, the "Camp Blood Massacre." All hell breaks loose when The Clown returns! Everyone in the cast is disappearing. Will the movie ever be completed, or does the massacre remain a mystery? Camp Blood 2 is written and directed by Brad Sykes. The acting is jaw-droppingly bad, but some of it is intentional comedy on behalf of some of the characters. It´s very low budget, the camerawork and editing is decent but beware that Camp Blood 2 features heavy use of footage from Camp Blood (2000) in numerous flashbacks. Some of the soound effects are just laugh-out-loud bad! The killer's mask isn´t the same as in the first, it´s more "elaborate" in this but I actually prefer the simple one from the first flick. It´s gory but it´s mostly cheaplooking gore fx, we do get slit throats, a chopped off hand an much more. The fx in this are better than the first flick. There´s gratuitous T & A in the beginning of the flick as Lisa Marie Bolick as the character Lola takes a long shower. There is also a bad and boring sex-scene.
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Razor Digital Entertainment.
Rating: 0½ out of 7. It isn´t good but it is actually better than the Camp Blood (2000) in that it brings on some intentional comedy and in that effect offfers us low budget fans a couple of laughs. The story is pretty much a repetition of Part 1 and the footage from it makes out a substantial part of the running time. After watching this and the first part and giving them bad ratings I feel the need to point out that there's far worse films out there. Recommended to die hard slasher fans who appreciate low-budget features.
/JL
It is time to have a new giveaway at Independent Flicks. The prize is a package of Dustin Wayde Mills flicks. You will get The Puppet Monster Massacre, Zombie A-Hole, Night of the Tentacles and Bath Salt Zombies in one package... They are brand new copies and are still in protective wrapping.
In order to win send a email to independentflicks@hotmail.com as soon as the blog passes the 90 000 mark.
First come first served..
/JL
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Ten years ago a series of brutal murders rocked the peaceful, isolated Camp Blackwood. The killer was never caught and the camp, renamed "Camp Blood" by the locals, was never reopened. Ignorant of the camp´s terrible history, two young couples visit Camp Blood. And they soon realize that they are not alone. Someone is watching. The murders are far from over... they have only just begun. What began as a pleasant hiking trip turns into a savage struggle for survival. Will anyone make it out of Camp Blood alive. Camp Blood is written and directed by Brad Sykes. It is shot and edited Jeff Leroy, a name that probably is familiar to some of you by now as I´ve reviewed several of his flicks. The acting is atrocious, seriously it is that horrible.... Joseph Haggerty, as the cliché nutty old guy Thatcher, who tries to warn the young couples should get a award for being one of the worst actors ever!!! The camerawork and editing is pretty bad. If you´re familiar with the slasher genre then you´ll recognize a lot in this, it has all the standard clichés but fails yet miserably at almost every level. I really didn't care who's behind the mask, or if any of the character would survive, as I just wanted it to be over.. On the bright side Camp Blood is pretty decently paced, although there are some noticeable attemps to padd out the running time. Although they try to create a semblance of suspense they do fail utterly and it´s quite stunning how Camp Blood lacks any frightening atmosphere. There´s some gore but the fx are cheap and unconvincing. There is gratuitous topless nudity on the beginning of the movie courtesy of Meredith O'Brien. There are a few sex scenes in this but they are laughable.
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Razor Digital Entertainment.
Rating: 0½ out of 7. Camp Blood is ridiculously horrible, laughably bad acting, bad fx, inept filmmaking on several levels. I don´t mind that the story is repetitive and predictable that pretty common with slashers... I thanked god that, and I ain´t a believer, this has a running time of barely 75 minutes. Stay away, stay very far away from this unless your a devout, die hard slasher genre fanatic who has to have every single slasher flick released.
/JL
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Inspired by true events that took place sometime in 1993, Jimmy (Paul Dalleluche) & Jack DeGrasso (Lawrence Bucher), two brothers, went on a blood soaked killing spree of vengeance, for two days. They killed over 17 victims, being active around the clock. Fueled by revenge & cocaine they slaughtered street thugs, hookers, addicts, and drug dealers to find the murderer of their uncle Sal. Mutilation Mile is written, produced, directed, shot and edited by Ron Atkins. I find it hard to comment on the acting as the odd and excentric characters are either a hit or a miss with the viewer and I did have some problems with it but I guess their behaviour can be attributed to being high on cocaine. There is a huge amount of shouting and yelling and it seems to be some kind of competition to say the word "f*ck" as many times as possible. The flick is a bit confusing and I found it pretty hard to keep track on things. Despite a pretty high pacing I found it to be pretty boring, the characters mostly run erratically around and screaming their lungs out while raping, torturing and killing people. It has a nice gritty look and I love the soundtrack. Mutilation Mile is very violent , some scenes are graphic but actually there isn´t very much some gore but this flick is brutal and some scenes are not for the squemish. The make up fx is cheap, the fx "high light" is a scene of graphic genitalia mutilation that is really nasty! There´s quite a bit of T & A in this, but beware that the nudity is strongly linked to scenes violence and rape that is sure to offend the politically correct and squemish.
Support independent filmmaking and buy your copy from http://www.cutthroatvideo.com .
This review is based upon the region all (region 0) DVD release from Atkins entertainment
Rating: 3½ out of 7. What I like about Mutilation Mile is that it is no holds barred and it dares to go its own way. But it´s a confusing and messy flick and not in a good way. All the yelling and the overuse of the word f*ck gave me a freakin headache. This is definitely not for all tastes. I will be reviewing more of Ron Atkins work in the near future.
/JL
Bruno Rivera (Paul Naschy), a mercenary, double-crosses his partner/ pregnant girlfriend Meiko and gets shot for his troubles. Failing unconscious, he is taken in by a wealthy doctor who has two beautiful daughters. His recuperation is slow, and in the meantime he is seduced by daughters and apparently haunted by the ghost of their mother. Strange things are going on at the house and if he is going to survive the night, he'll have to escape the house. Human Beasts is written and directed by Paul Naschy. The acting is pretty good but Paul Naschy is as always, fun to watch. It´s profesionally shot and edited. The soundtrack is very good. The pacing is pretty good but all the flashbacks and dreams make the flick more confusing that it needs to be. There are quite a bit of action in the beginning of the flick but it soon turns into a thriller reminiscent of Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974) and pacing gets very slow and even a bit boring. There´s a slight touch of comedy. There is some gore but it isn´t as graphic as I thought it´d be. The high light is when a character is fed to ravenous pigs but it isn´t too explicit. There is T & A but not to the amount shown in Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974) or Panic Beats (1983).
Human Beasts is also known as Cannibal Killers - Human Beast and The Beasts' Carnival.
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Bci/Eclipse. There is spanish audion with english subtitles.
Rating: 2½ out of 7. It's pretty entertaining but also quite confusing at times. I really like that Paul Naschy´s character is the way he is, no sense of loyalty and totally ruthless.. He sure is a different kind of hero. It takes too long for Human Beasts to get to the nasty stuff and if I´d bought this under the alternative title Cannibal Killers - Human Beast I´d probably be very disappointed. Recommended to Paul Naschy fans.
/JL
When Detective Cody Sheehan (Kay Lenz) discovers the body of a stripper from the Rock Bottom dance club, she wants the case. Her partner, Detective Heineman (Greg Evigan), is equally anxious to make the jump to the prestigious homicide division, but the only way Cody can get the assignment is to go undercover - uncovered - at the club. Stripped to Kill is written by Andy Ruben and Katt Shea who also is the director. The acting is decent and it´s always nice to see Kay Lenz on the screen, yup I got a soft spot for her. The camerawork and editing is pretty good but there are faults, there is especially one scene where Detective Heineman is on the phone and through bad editing it is very obvious that his lips ain´t moving but yet we hear his voice (the camera shifts angles and this is cearly visible during several shots). The music is... well during a few of the strip numbers I laughed out loud due to the music being so freakishly bad. What were they thinking?? The lack of a proper budget is very evident in the limited amount of sets and so on. The pacing is pretty good, which is hardly surprising as the running time is a mere 88 minutes. There is a twist and it isn´t too obvious who the killer is as we get multiple suspects. Stripped to Kill has a pretty good sleazy atmosphere, especially in the scenes taking place at the Rock Bottom dance club. There are a few drops of blood but no gore in this. As can be expected by the topic there´s gratuitous nudity in this. There are several prolonged scenes of boring and unerotic striptease. Kay Lenz gets topless here in a few scenes and she's absolutely beautiful. I must say that I was a bit surprised when finding out that Stripped to Kill is written and directed by a female considering the ample amount of nudity on display.
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from New Concorde.
Rating: 3½ out of 7. I enjoyed this, my only real complaint are that there are too many and overlong dance scenes. If you´re a fan of low-budget 80's exploitation the chances are good that you most probably will like Stripped to Kill.
/JL
First I´d like to thank Adam Ahlbrandt for providing me with a DVD-screener.
Deep in the Pennsylvania hills, a cemetery for those who died during exorcism remains a dark secret for the church. In 1671, hundreds of men, women, and children suffered in bloody, torturous rituals at the hands of priests unable to contain the evil of the possessed. Were these possessions real, or is the story a hoax to cover up the sins of the deranged priests thirsty for human blood? Bill (J.D. Brown ) and his team of cynical paranormal investigators plan to find out the truth. As the producer and host of the reality TV show "Ghost Seekers," Bill and his crew have seen it all: abandoned prisons, haunted houses, and decrepit mental hospitals. Night after night of boring trips to empty run down buildings has left them sure that the dead stay dead and that ghosts are the furthest thing from being real. Their lack of faith will soon be repaid in blood. Armed with the church's historical record, they set out into the wilderness to uncover this series of forgotten atrocities. The demons of the past ... The Cemetery is written and directed by Adam Ahlbrandt. The acting is pretty good, it´s professionally shot and edited. There´s some elements of humour in it but don´t be alarmed as this is pretty much a straightforward horror flick. The metal and hardcore soundtrack might not be everybody´s cup of tea but I like it. The furiousity and energy of the music matches the proceedings on screen. The pacing is good, the flash back scenes are great. It´s very gory, we get over the top carnage and it´s all practical fx. The gore fx are solid! We get decapitation, disembowelment, limb removal and much more. Gorehounds will be pleased! The demonic possession fx design is good! There is T & A and several sexscenes in this.
This review is based upon a DVD-screener sent to me by Adam Ahlbrandt.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. I enjoyed this! The Cemetery is very good, it´s a well made, violent and gory demonic possession flick just the way that we like em. Adam Ahlbrandt is displaying true talent and passion with Cross Bearer (2012) and The Cemetery and I look forward to see more from him. He´s one of the bright shining lights in the indie horror movie industry and I´m sure that this is only the beginning of his career.
/JL
Three years after the War, the United States is destroyed. Civilization has devolved into anarchy and tribalism. A soldier, Michael (David Eby), finally comes home, only to find his wife murdered and his daughter kidnapped. Accompanied by a disparate group of survivors, he leads the hunt to find his kidnapped daughter and kill the Reverend (Sam Dalton) whose neo-Confederate tribe was responsible. Zombie Warz: Falls the Shadow is written, directed and edited by Steven Berryessa. The acting is good, the camerawork and editing is very good. There are some really nice visuals on display. The soundtrack is nice! First of all there´s not many zombies (come to think of it they are more reminiscent of the sick crazies in 28 Days Later) in this, the title is kinda missleading in that way, the flick focuses more on the humans and pits man against man. It has a dark and bleak tone and it´s isn´t hard to imagine that The Road (2009) has been one source of inspiration for the filmmaker. The pacing is pretty slow which might put off some viewers but I liked it, it gives us time to learn and to associate with the characters and when violence hits there isn´t anything glamorous about it. And trust me, this is a harsh and violent world. The action (both shoot outs and fight choreography) is impressively staged. There´s some gore in this, the high light is when a tatto is being cut off from a mans chest. There´s topless nudity from Olivia Bishop as Elena and a soft gentle sex-scene.
Zombie Warz: Falls the Shadow is also known as Falls the Shadow and The Tomorrow World.
This review is based upon the US region all (Region 0) DVD release from Hannover House.
Rating: 7 out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot! The DVD cover and title is a bit missleading as this ain´t just another of all those low budget zombie flicks. I love the bleak and grim post apocalytic setting! In my opinion Zombie Warz: Falls the Shadow is well-paced and gets better and better. This is ambitious and impressive effort from Steven Berryessa. Highly recommended so make sure to check it out!
/JL
Bullied in High School, Sammy Harris ends up in a mental institution for five years. Now, five years later, his old classmates are dying one at a time! Deadly Karma is written by Vicky L. Neal and is directed by Jordon Hodges. The acting is bad and the cast aren´t believable as High School students as they look too old for the characters that they are supposed to portray. The camerawork, editing and pacing is pretty decent. There´s no atmosphere or any real tension.
There´s brief and lame gore. The kills, there are several, are way too soft and lacks any real punch. And I honestly couldn´t care less for the characters being targeted as they are all unsympathetic, I was just waiting for them to get killed and that it hopefully would happen as gruesomely as possible, at least then I´d get some kind of pay off but I didn´t even get that. There´s T & A and sex, we get female topless nudity and some male ass on display. There´s a very lame sex-scene where the female characters body is neatly covered with a blanket (you´ll se more and steamier scenes on HBO).
Deadly Karma will be released on DVD on 3/26/2013 by Brain Damage Films.
This review is based upon a passwordprotected onlinescreener provided by Brain Damage Films
Rating: 1 out of 7. I give a low rating for it because I have problems discovering any redeeming qualities - not one laugh, not one good kill sequence, not one good dialogue line. Camera work, lights and editing are pretty decent but that´s it.
/JL
For a final project, five film students led by Maya (Megan Davis) document an infamous old hospital deep in Southern Arizona. They went hoping to find proof of the paranormal. Instead, they find themselves at the mercy of a savage madman. Animus is written and directed by Quin Davis. The acting is pretty good, it´s professionally shot and edited. The setting if the old hospital is nice and adds to the atmosphere, I got a soft spot for old abandoned buildings. The pacing is nice, there is a build up, we get to know the characters, soon things take a turn for the worse and things get violent and messy... Some of you might have noted that the plot of Animus is reminiscent of Saturday Morning Massacre (2012) and there are a couple of similarities between the two flicks. It´s gory, there are several nice and graphic kills. The gore fx is mostly practical and is goodlooking! The killer fx design (won´t go into details due to spoilers) is cool! The visual fx are decent. There´s no T & A in this.
Animus is being released on DVD on 3/26/2013 from Midnight Releasing.
This review is based upon a passwordprotected onlinescreener provided by Midnight Releasing.
Rating: 6 out of 7. I enjoyed this, it is a good slasher with a decent bodycount, likeable characters, the filmmakers are aware that the fans of the genre expect to see gore and they provide it. Animus is a entertaining slasher so make sure to check it out, you won´t be disappointed. Recommended!!
/JL
Horror anthology SINISTER VISIONS is making its way out on the world as we speak – cinematic showings are planned during the summer in the UK, Italy and Spain and a DVD release for the North American market is planned for early autumn. The cover art has just been revealed.
About SINISTER VISIONS:
Are you ready for a terror attack combining both succubi, women possessed by demons, serial killers in electric chairs, aggressive zombies, avengeful crazy women, men with very deep emotional scars and ofcourse a fair amount of amputation and gore? SINISTER VISIONS consists of five grueling horror stories to make your bones freeze.
SUCCUBUS is about a beautiful young blonde, Emma, studying to become an archeologist. On an excavation trip to Syria she finds something in the sand that is about to change her life completely. She hurries home hoping to be able to escape it, but she is about to get wiser.
MY UNDEAD GIRLFRIEND is a twisted story with a lot of morbid, dark humor, telling the story of the day Keith woke up next to his girlfriend who had out of the blue turned into a flesh eating undead and tonight he is about to meet her parents for the first time! This day is going to be a bit out of the ordinary!
MOTHER KNOWS BEST is the story about Carl, a somewhat shy man preparing for a date with his childhood sweetheart, Rebecca. Carl’s mother has quite a few objections about the date and she is not too shy to express them, though.
In A WOMAN SCORNED we meet Gail tied to a bed by Holly. Gail have had the nerve to start a relationship with Richard, who unfortunately is Holly’s former husband – and Gail does not approve at all!
Finally, GENITAL GENOCIDE presents us to serial killer Charles Albert Harris who, sitting on death row waiting for the switch to be turned on, takes us through his crimes while the audience of the court room listens. Harris wants a last reaction out of the audience that consists of many relatives of his audience – and a reaction he gets.
SINISTER VISIONS is a collaboration between filmmakers from USA, UK, Sweden and Denmark and features works from skilled writers such as Garry Charles, Stefan Bommelin, Henric Brandt, Rasmus Tirzitis, Cody Cather, Doug Gehl and Lars Egholm Fischmann while the directing has been in the capable hands of Henric Brandt, Doug Gehl and Kim Sønderholm.
Starring: Kim Sønderholm, David C. Hayes, Michael Harrelson, Debbie Overbey, Rob Douglas, Rick Dyer, Daren Palacio, Bart Overbey, Brian Weir, Liana Hubbard, Tori Montgomery, Pamela Ricardo, Peg Thon, Kat Herlo, Miriam Yeager, Nadia Bond, Lars Bjarke, Ralf Beck, Pontus Olgrim, Camilla Löjdström, Andreas Rylander, Stefan Jonasson, Babs Brinklund, Mehrnaz Bagheri Beiknejad, Mette Løvendahl, Toke Lars Bjarke, Nadine and many, many others.
/JL
After a Russian killer has brutally brought the plans of a nuclear reactor in his possession, Jefferson (Richard Harrison), a CIA agent, is called back to the U.S.. He and his terror-specialist Britta (Brigitte Borghese) have to prevent the worst. A nuclear attack on the territory of the United States, which would have devastating consequences. With a rapidly assembled anti-terror brigade Jefferson and Britta succeeded to find the camp of the enemy. But the nuclear time bomb is ticking already. And so begins a deadly race against time ... Operation Las Vegas is written and directed by N.G. Mount (also known as Norbert Moutier). The acting is horrible providing us with a lot of unintentional funny moments which made me laugh out loud time and again. The camerawork and editing is bad, more unintentionally comic relief.. The actionsequences are bad due to the fact that the filmmakers are seemingly inept at setting up those scenes. Operation Las Vegas looks and feels cheap! The guns and gear are a mix of real guns, toy guns and poor mock ups. The actors are noticeably jerking their guns, pretending to fire, there are no muzzle flashes and so on. There´s no gore in this, they couldn´t even afford a few squibs. There´s no T & A in this.
This review is based upon the german region all (Region 0) DVD release from VZ-Handelsgesellschaft mbH, it´s uncut and german language only.
Rating: 0½ out of 7. It´s a boring and inept actionflick. Operation Las Vegas is bad, really bad but it in the middle of a veritable sea of flaws there are a few good things. One of them is that this is so bad that it crosses the line and becomes one of those movies that is so bad that it´s pretty darn funny to watch (however I won´t let that have any effect on my rating). Recommended only to the bad movie buff´s and die hard fans of Richard Harrison.
/JL
Two gunmen on motorcycles opens fire at several transvestites at Bois de Boulogne. The inspector conducting the investigation Gérard Lattuada (Thierry de Carbonnières) follows the track back to "The Greek" (Jean-Pierre Bernard) a big shot in the pornindustry. The latter's wife is arrested and killed while attempting to escape the police. "The Greek" sends a killer to avenge her death by killing the judge's wife who is also the sister of inspector Gérard Lattuada. The investigation is then removed from Gerard who however in turn uses the methods of gangsters ...Brigade of Death is written by Roger Le Taillanter, Marc Pécas and Max Pécas who also is the director. The acting is pretty good, it´s professionally shot and edited. The pacing is very good, it has a gritty big city vibe. It´s gory as a character gets a hand chopped off and another gets a hatchet to the head. The gore fx are good! There are also a a visit to the morgue that provides plenty of shot up bodies. And add to this numerous bloody squibs. Yes this is a very violent flick, and besides being violent it is freaking brutal. There is several scenes of sadism and harsh treatment of women in this. There is gratuitous nudity in this, both female and male genitalia is shown. One female character is raped with a bottle (off screen).
This review is based upon the german region all (Region 0) DVD release from Cannon, it´s uncut and german language only.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. It's violent, brutal and sleazy! If I understood all the dialogue it surely would have been getting a full rating (7 out of 7) from me. Highly recommended if you like hardcore, sleazy and ultraviolent action.
/JL
An ex-convict (Paul Naschy), troubled by dreams that he strangles women, is hired as the caretaker on an estate owned by three very strange sisters. Soon after his arrival, a serial killer begins slaughtering blonde, blue-eyed women - leaving their eyeballs in a bowl of water. Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll is written by Paul Naschy and Carlos Aured who also is the director. The acting is decent, the camerawork is beautiful and some of the farmland and mountain scenery are quite breathtaking. The soundtrack is pretty good and very 1970s! Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll is suspenseful with several twists and turns. There is a, in my opinion unnecessary, scene where a real pig is killed which is not for the squemish or politically correct. It´s squealing loudly as they cut its throat, the scene is just repulsive and doesn´t add anything to the flick. There is gore fx but I was kinda surprised that Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll wasn´t gorier, not sure where I got that impression and the fx aren´t very good. There´s a fair bit of T & A in this, especially from Eva León as nymphomaniac Nicole.
Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll is also known as House of Psychotic Women and The House of Doom.
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Bci / Eclipse.
Rating: 3½ out of 7. I did enjoy it but it´s a pretty average thriller. The cinematography is very nice, the plot is suspenseful and it is hard to figure out who the killer is. The scene with the killing of the pig is just repulsive and unnecessary.
/JL
First of all I must mention that this is a spanish language DVD release and my knowledge/understanding of spanish is very limited so I´m missing out on a lot of the dialogue.
Dr. Hugo Arranz (Paul Naschy) is celebrating his 50th birthday with his wife and daughter when the vile thugs break in, rape and kill both his wife and daughter and cut off the tongue on poor Hugo. Luckily, he survives, and turns into a vigilante after some training with knives, guns and weightlifting. The Night of the Executioner is written and directed by Paul Naschy. The acting is decent, the camerawork and editing is professionally done. The soundtrack is good. The pacing is very nice and Paul Naschy certainly doesn´t waste any time to get things going, the homeinvasion is nasty and violent and rivals that of Death Wish 2 (1982). There is some gore, the scene where Paul Naschy´s character gets his tounge cut off is graphic, there´s a off screen castration but besides these scenes most of the kills are by gun or knife. Plenty of bloody squibs in this as Paul Naschy´s silent avenger lets his Magnum revolver speak for him. There is T & A, two rapescenes.. the one of the wife is more or less off screen but the rape of daughter is harsh, sleazy and brutal.
The Night of the Executioner is also known as La noche del ejecutor.
This review is based upon the Spanish region 2 DVD release from Filmax Home Video, it´s uncut and spanish language only.
Rating: 5 out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot despite the language barrier. It´s a nasty and violent vigilante flick and I do love the vigilante subgenre. Recommended!
/JL
Paul de Marnac (Paul Naschy) is told that his wife Geneviève (Julia Saly) is suffering from a serious heart condition and needs relaxation if she is going to stay alive. He decides to take her to his out-of-the way chateau deep in the countryside but en route the pair are attacked by bandits and Geneviève's heart condition becomes worse. Eventually arriving at the chateau, Paul meets the feisty young maid Julie (Frances Ondiviela) and she tells Geneviève about the terrible legends surrounding the house. Geneviève starts to see horrifying visions and her heart condition keeps getting worse... Panic Beats is written and directed by Paul Naschy. The acting is decent, the cinematography and editing is very good. There are some stunningly beautiful visuals in this! The soundtrack is very nice. There is a strong sense of atmosphere in this. The whole flick has a very nice vibe to it, it´s suspenseful and there are a couple of twists and turns. It´s gory but actually the kills are more brutal than graphic but don´t worry there is quite a bit of carnage as characters gets killed by ax and a chain mace. It´s, of course, practical fx. There is gratuitous nudity in this, including full frontal nudity from three actresses.
This review is based upon the region all (Region 0) DVD release from Mondo Macabro. Spanish audio with english subtitles are available.
Rating: 7 out of 7. I love this movie! Beautifully made, violent and suspenseful. Panic Beats gets my highest recommendations!
/JL
First I´d like to thank Colin Clarke for contacting me and providing me with a online screener.
A small community lives in fear of the satanic evil that festers within the dark forests that surround their small village. One night, a love-struck villager ventures into the oppressive woods in search of forbidden magic and ancient rites. To aid them, the townsfolk enlist the aid of William Thatcher Blake, a witch hunter whose arrival stirs a cauldron of terror that threatens to engulf them all in a bloody pit of horror! Witchfinder is written and directed by Colin Clarke. The acting is solid, it´s professionally shot and edited. There are some really nice visuals in this and some scenes are genuinely creepy but due to spoilers I won´t go into details. It is a very ambitious flick from Colin Clarke and Daredevil Films with its historic setting, costumes, props and so on and must say that it looks great! Its obvious that the filmmakers spent lot of attention and a large portion of the budget to make it look good. The soundtrack is nice. The pacing is good, the running time is approx 18 minutes. There is blood but no gore in this. There´s no nudity in this.
This review is based upon a online source provided by Colin Clarke
Rating: 7 out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot! Witchfinder is a great, ambitious and creepy short film. It´s very well made and should do well on the festival circuit. Make sure to check it out when showing at a festival near you, you won´t be disappointed!
/JL
First I´d like to thank Shawn Burkett for providing me with a online screener.
A rash of grisly murders plagued a small southern Ohio town for over a decade, before ending abruptly in 1992. After several state wide searches, police officials gathered little to no evidence, and were no closer to solving the murders. Now, twenty years later this small town is again terrified as the body count begins to rise. Bludgeon is written, directed and edited by Shawn Burkett. The acting is good with special praise to Erin R. Ryan and Haley Madison. It´s nicely shot and edited. Especially the nightime scenes are very good, atmospheric and tense as they´re shot with limited lightsources such as headlights and the light from the dashboard. I don´t want give too much away, I do try to keep my reviews free from spoilers, but this is a bleak story so if you´re looking for fun and laughs this ain´t for you. There is very brief gore, I think its digital fx but I can be misstaken. There is brief female topless nudity in a scene in the beginning of the movie.
This review is based upon a online screener provided by Shawn Burkett.
Rating: 6 out of 7. I enjoyed this. When I started viewing Bludgeon I thought that I knew what kind of flick I had before me but I was wrong which was a pleasant surprise. It´s a well made small flick. I can imagine that some viewers might be disappointed with the lack of gore and nudity but Bludgeon does delivers the atmosphere and creepiness that we crave and long for and I loved those nighttime scenes where there characters are literally surrounded by darkness.
/JL
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