Demonic

Director - Will Canon (Brotherhood, Air Jesus)
Starring - Maria Bello (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Max Steel), Frank Grillo (Poltergeist: The Legacy, The Purge: Anarchy), and Cody Horn (Rescue Me, Magic Mike)
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Every house has it's secrets"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've watched a few awesome movies the last few days.  The Night Shift wasn't the kind of film I expected and it let me down greatly but I refused to let that one bring me down.  Since then I've saw some pretty awesome Full Moon flicks along with an awesome short.  As I looked for the next movie to check out I decided to go with the 2015 supernatural flick Demonic.  The film was recently released on DVD and sent my way to review.  The film is produced by modern horror master James Wan so there was hope for this one.  Thanks for sending it my way!

     The film follows a group of twenty-somethings that venture to an abandoned house that was once the site or a horrible massacre.  They hope to make a paranormal documentary and attempt a séance but what they don't know is that the mother of one of them was actually the only survivor of the massacre all those years before and an evil presence has now been unleashed.  Now the evil has possessed one of them and will not stop until they are all dead.

   
     I didn't know what to expect from Demonic but I was going to be open-minded.  Sadly, the film just wasn't that entertaining and was very predictable.  The acting in this one is not that great.  The cast has no dedication to their role which makes several of the scenes almost laughable.  Scott Mechlowicz had me in stitches.  His performance as a hard ass ex-boyfriend was so preposterous that I couldn't help but laugh.  This was a clear case of bad casting.  This man is as intimidating at my three year old daughter and seeing him portray this type of character made the film almost look like a parody of haunted house flicks.  The story for this one is very predictable and unoriginal.  There has been so many stories of a group of young adults summoning a demon in an abandoned home.  Immediately my mind goes to Evil Dead.  This film is not like that, however, because it tries to feel more like The Conjuring instead of being campy.  The story moves at a snails pace and has a hard time holding the viewer's attention.  Finally, if you want blood you wont find it here.  There is a little but not enough to drown the thirst.  The practical effects are limited but there was some solid computer generated effects that I was not suspecting. Overall, Demonic was a let down.  Visually, it looked fantastic but you need more to a movie than that. 

Hideous

Director - Charles Band (Meridian, Head of the Family)
Starring - Michael Citriniti (Psychos in Love, Demonic Toys: Personal Demons), Rhonda Griffin (Naked Fear, The Creeps), and Mel Johnson Jr. (Total Recall, The Munsters Today)
Release Date - 1997
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Deformed. Depraved. Deadly"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I like horror.  The entire genre can be split up into many different sub-genres and for the most part I like em all.  I do like some more than others but for the most part I can find a movie in each sub-genre that I like.  My love for the genre is so broad that I often find myself liking things that most "real" horror fans like.  You know these people.  They are the ones that masturbate to Hellraiser and Texas Chainsaw Massacre while proclaiming extreme or underground horror is the only real horror.  We all know people like this and our social media pages is full is dickheads that feel the need to bash other films in the comment section of our posts.  My love of Troma and Full Moon has brought me under fire by these people before but I refuse to pretend not to like something so I can be cool and fit in.  The same reason I don't wear Harley boots with shorts like most of the guys I see at conventions.  Recently, Full Moon released their late 90s classic Hideous on blu.  This is one of the few Full Moon flicks I haven't seen so I reached out to them and they were kind enough to hook me up.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows a wealthy profiteer who sells biological oddities to the highest bidder.  When she scores the rarest of oddities she contacts a wealthy collector to sell the piece.  Her secretary sells her out and another collector steals the piece at gunpoint.  A private investigator is involved and they track the piece down which is being held in an old castle.  The owner locks everyone in until the situation is settled but what they don't know is that their collection of human oddities in jars is actually alive and they will kill be to free.
     Full Moon flicks are far from perfect but they still offer up an entertaining horror film.  Most of the films center around puppets or small creatures which is always welcome in my home.  I'm a sucker for a creature feature.  To be honest, I can't think of many Full Moon films that I didn't like.  Hideous is no exception.  It is the weaker of the Full Moon catalog but still offered up some entertainment.  The acting in this one is decent.  The cast works very well together but their characters are written very flat.  They have no personalities or real backstories that helps the viewer get to know them.  The story for this one is funny but one we have seen before.  The first thing that came to mind was that the film was Night of the Living Dead with the undead being replaced by aborted fetuses and the like.  I actually enjoyed the story for what it was but it did make the film feel small in scope and claustrophobic.  Finally, the film isn't as bloody and gory as most would like but the film is still home to some great practical effects.  I really liked how the creatures looked.  They were slimy and fantastic to look at.  I believe that a few of Full Moon's puppets from the Puppet Master series may have been repurposed here because the similarities are very noticeable.  Overall, Hideous is another late night flick from Full Moon.  The film does suffer from tiny sets and cramped scenes but the story is still worth a watch.  Check it out.  

The Creeps

Director - Charles Band (Prehysteria, The Gingerdead Man)
Starring - Rhonda Griffin (Hideous, Naked Fear), Justin Lauer (Hollywood 7, Untold Stories of the ER), and Billy Moynihan (Double Trouble, Jugular Wine: A Vampire Odyssey)
Release Date - 1997
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Undersized, undead, and angry"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Full Moon Entertainment and Empire Pictures are companies I grew up watching.  Movies like the Puppet Master series and Re-Animator are films I would often rent at the local video store.  Hell, I remember when the SyFy channel aired Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys and recording it onto VHS when I was in middle school or high school.  Their films may not be the best but they entertain for the most part.  When I was in high school I started actively collecting Full Moon films along with the releases of Troma.  I got a majority of their popular films but some of their off shoot films slipped through my grasp.  One film that I always wanted but never could find was The Creeps and finally a few years back my wife found a DVD copy of it at FYE.  She grabbed it and I tossed it on my shelf where it collected dust because I never could make the time to watch it.  That changed when Full Moon released the film on blu.  I was lucky enough to get a copy to review and was finally able to make time to check it out.  Thanks Full Moon!

     The film follows a young librarian who oversees and handles rare and expensive books.  A strange man comes in with credentials to see Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and that night she discovers he has stolen the original text.  For fear of losing her job she finds a private detective to help her track him down but comes to a dead end.  A few weeks pass and the man attempts to do the same with the Bram Stoker Dracula text but she confronts him.  He panics and cattle prods her  He takes him back to his lab to use a sacrifice with hopes of resurrecting literary monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and Wolfman.  Something goes wrong and the monsters come out 3 feet tall.  Now the monsters must hunt her down in order to finish the experiment so they can be full size.

     No one has accused Full Moon of making thought provoking films but no one can deny their weirdness.  Movies like Doctor Mordrid, Subspecies, and Head of the Family has cemented them in horror history as risk takers and kinds or weirdness.  The Creeps is another film you can add to the list.  The film is cheesy and clichéd but I really enjoyed what it brought to the table.  The acting in this one is fun.  For one, I'm a big fan of Phil Fondacaro.  When I was in middle school I watched Bordello of Blood and his performance made me a fan.  He has been in some classic films over the year and his performance here is just as good as any other film of his.  He took on the role of Dracula and made it his own.  The rest of the cast does a solid job but no one holds a candle to Fondacaro's performance.  The story for this one is cheesy as fuck but fun.  A scientist turning myths and legends into flesh is cheeky to say the least but said creatures coming out 3 foot tall is fun.  The film does it in such a  way that its not making fun of the actors and their stature.  The film has a few jokes tossed it for some laughs but the overall tone of the film is very serious.  With that being said, it wouldn't be a Full Moon film if there wasn't scenes in there that wasted the viewers' time with little to no purpose to move the story along.  Finally, this isn't the ooey gooey gore flick we want.  The film does have great practical effects and monster effects but lacks the blood and gore most horror fans love.  Also, the visual effects we get are very dated and pretty bad even for a Full Moon movie.  Overall, The Creeps is a fun late night watch that is perfect pairing with any 90s Full Moon film or The Monster Squad.  Check it out.  

Lunch Ladies

Director - J. M. Logan (Family, The Garage Sale)
Starring - Donna Pieroni (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Married with Children), Mary Manofsky (Future Man, Saved by the Bell: The New Class), and Chris Fickley (Hamlet's Ghost, La Mesa)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "What would Johnny do"
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     It's been awhile since I've watched a good short.  I've seen several awesome movies lately but that winning streak ended with The Night Shift which was a huge let down.  I needed something to get me back in the groove when I crossed paths with the Facebook page for the horror comedy Lunch Ladies.  This looked like just the film I needed to wash the bad taste of The Night Shift out of my mouth.  I reached out to the page where I met writer and producer Clarissa Jacobson.  This hardworking and dedicated young woman was kind enough to let Horror Society and myself check out this amazing short.  Thank you Clarissa!

     The film follows sisters Seretta (Pieroni) and LouAnne (Manofsky) who are down on their luck school lunch ladies who just won a contest hosted by Johnny Depp.  As they prepare for their trip to the event they are struck with more misfortune when the principal threatens to let them go if they can't provide a tasty school lunch.  Their string of bad luck finds Seretta in the restroom when she is confronted by a bitchy cheerleader and she snaps.  She kills her and decide to use her body as an ingredient in tomorrow school lunch...which was a hit among the students and faculty.

      Lunch Ladies is one of those films where you know you are going to enjoy yourself.  The trailer and posters for the film just capture what the film is perfectly and is a great representation of what the viewer is about to watch.  The acting in this is phenomenal.  We are only in January but I can see this short holding my vote for best acted film for the year.  The characters are beautifully written and Pieroni and Manofsky does an amazing job at bringing the sisters to life.  They are colorful at times and, much like an animal backed in a corner, they can be deadly if need be to survive.  The supporting cast is perfect as well but the film's focus is on these lovely ladies and they absolutely nail their performance.  The story for this one is simple but the film adds more to it than just the story.  The lunch ladies killing and feeding students to other students is almost a parody of Sweeney Todd.  This is known throughout the film and even acknowledged at one point which was fantastic.  The film has light humor scattered throughout that really makes this bloody short stand out.  The film also tosses in aspects from other films that would be associated with Johnny Depp.  For one, the film is full if beautiful shots.  The cinematography is beautiful and reminds me a lot of some of the films of John Waters mixed with the early films of the Coen Brothers.  Depp and Waters collaborated on the film Crybaby together so this is only fitting.  The characters and score reminds me a lot of the early works of Tim Burton which is another frequent collaborator of Depp's.  The love for Depp runs deep in this short and that really adds to the charm.  Finally, the film gets gruesome in the final moments.  We have one kill and it takes place off screen but the film makes up for it by allowing the viewer watch as the cooks dismember the body.  The practical effects look amazing and incorporating real meat in the preparation of the school lunch made it cringe worthy.  Overall, Lunch Ladies is a mother fucking masterpiece.  This being a short is a crime against humanity and a feature needs to be made. This short is fucking perfect and the world needs more.  

Jigsaw

Director(s) - The Spierig Brothers (Undead, Daybreakers)
Starring - Matt Passmore (Lethal Weapon, Son of the Mask), Tobin Bell (Manson Family Vacation, Saw), and Callum Keith Rennie (Smallville, The Butterfly Effect)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Make America bleed again"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     The last ten years or so has saw the rise of several horror franchises that are just as popular as some of the classics.  Films like Paranormal Activity, The Purge, Insidious, and Saw are modern series that show no signs of slowing down with new films being released every couple of years.  The Saw series is one that seems to be the more popular of the ones mentioned above.  The series first broke ground in 2004 and was releasing almost yearly until 2010 when it stopped.  Silence fell on the Saw series until 2017 when the series was rebooted with Jigsaw hitting theaters.  This was one of the films that was released theatrically this year that I really wanted to check out but life got the best of me.  When news broke of the film's physical release I reached out and was able to grab a review copy.  Glad I did.

     The film picks up 10 years after the death of John Kramer (Bell) aka the Jigsaw Killer and a new series of murders has sprung up using his same tactics.  The police start to suspect that there is a copycat killer on the loose and suspect that the medical examiner's assistant may be the culprit.  As the police investigate their lead they find themselves neck deep in Jigsaw's trap and the real killer is not who they thought.

   

     The Saw series was on of those franchises that started out with a bang but the repetitiveness of it make the series run stale.  Fans were very open to the first several installments but as the films progressed they found themselves just not caring.  Jigsaw comes in just 7 years after the last Saw film hit theaters and just enough time has passed to where fans might actually care again.  I went into this one very optimistic and enjoyed it for the most part.  The acting in this one is solid.  No one outshines the other and everyone was on the same page.  The characters are very clichéd especially in the Saw series but the cast did the best they could with what they had to work with.  The story for this one is a more updated version of what we got with the original series.  The traps are fun for what they are and the story's twist can be seen from a mile away.  With that being said, it still has the same tone and atmosphere of the original series which is still fun for what it is.  Finally, the film is just as bloody as any of the other films in the series.  The practical effects and traps are fantastic to look at.  I was really impressed by how much practical effects was pumped into the film.  However, the film makes use of computer generated images and effects which stick out like a sore thumb.  I have no idea why they included this mess in the film.  Overall, Jigsaw is a fun watch that would be a blast to see in a theater with horror nerds.  Sadly, it doesn't really have replay value.  Fans of the series need to check it out but if you were one of the few that didn't like the Saw series then this one is going to be more of the same.  

The Night Shift

Director - Massimiliano Cerchi (Hellbilly, Holy Terror)
Starring - Sadie Katz (Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort, Blood Feast), Greg Maness (The Vampire Diaries, Insane), Vincent Rivera (The Social Network, Sleepwalker)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've watched some pretty fun movies lately.  A few were bad but they still entertained which is all I ask of any movie.  Movies can be bad, either by accident or on purpose, and still entertain the viewer.  As much fun as I've been having I knew I was pushing my luck and soon I would toss in a real dud.  A few years back I befriended director Massimiliano Cerchi on Facebook.  Max is a pretty cool guy that takes filmmaking very seriously.  Since then I had seen a few of his films.  Some were fine while others were just not for me.  Recently, Max teamed up with SGL Entertainment for the release of his 60 minute horror film The Night Shift.  I tend to enjoy films centered around Satanic cults so I reached out to MVD who was handling the release and they were kind enough to send a copy my way.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows a security guard who is tasked with watching the summer home of a wealthy man.  He is tasked with not falling asleep or inviting guests over while keeping the property intruder free.  After hearing voices and falling asleep a few times he hears a knock at the door.  A beautiful young woman is standing on the other side and convinces him that she is the home owner's daughter.  He lets her in and the two spend some time getting to know each other before heading to the bedroom for some in out.  She leaves after the deed and the homeowner calls to check in.  When he tells him that his daughter is there he learns that the owner's daughter had died years ago and the woman he was with is apart of something sinister.

     I really wanted to like this film but the final product was lacking.  Lacking several things from substance to character development.  Honestly, it feels like the film was incomplete.  The acting in this is not the best.  It was solid but there was a few scenes that is only be described as being awkward.  Vincent Rivera was decent as the security guard but his inner dialogue and rambling to himself did not seem genuine.  His words carried no emotion and conviction.  The same can be said about his interaction with Sadie Katz.  The two show no connection on screen and their conversation is extremely bland and boring.  Their characters are underdeveloped but a great performance would have more than made up for it.  The story for this one is very linear, basic, and feels incomplete.  The security guard watching the home of a Satanist who is then sacrificed is a pretty metal fucking story.  Sadly, the film's running time is 60 minutes and 55 of it is him running around acting like a wiener.  The Satanic cult angle was only in the film a few moments and we never fully get to see that angle explored.  For the sake of the viewer's sanity the film should have been 30 minutes establishing how big of a coward the security guard is and then the remainder of the film following the Satanic cult as they prepare their sacrifice and learn their endgame.  Finally, if you want blood go somewhere else because you wont find it here.  The film is void of gore or bloodshed that most horror fans would expect when dealing with the top human sacrifice.  Overall, The Night Shift was a huge disappointment.  The acting isn't the best and the story is lacking.  I would love for Cerchi to revisit this with a more comprehensive script.