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
