Violence in a Women's Prison

 



Director - Bruno Mattei (Zombies: The Beginning, Rats: Nights of Terror)
Starring - Laura Gemser (Black Emanuelle, Deep Blood), Gabriele Tinti (The Mysterious Island, Cut and Run), and Maria Romano (Thor the Conquerer, Women's Prison Massacre)
Release Date - 1988
Genre - Crime
Tagline - "The strong ones take.  The weak ones give"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     There is several exploitation trends that left their marks on movie history.  We had our standard exploitation films before the sub-genres took over like nunsploitation, hixploitation, Blaxploitation, women in prison, Canuxploitation, biker, and naziploitation.  With that being said, I can find something fun to watch in all the sub-genres but I do have to admit that the women in prison films are among my least favorite.  I have crossed paths with several that were fun but when compared to the other sub-genres I find this one to be the most boring with the exception of the Italian cannibal flicks. Sometime ago Severin Films released the 1988 Bruno Mattei directed Black Emanuelle film Violence in a Women's Prison on blu.  I dig most of Mattei's films and I like a majority of the Emanuelle films that I have seen so I couldn't wait to see how this one went.  Thanks Severin for sending this one my way to check out.

     The film follows journalist Emanuelle (Gemser) who goes undercover in a women's prison to report on the corruption, neglect and abuse the prisoners go through on a daily basis.  She is subjected to horrendous torture, sexual advancements from the prisoners, as well as, the guards, and unbearable living conditions.  When the guards and warden discover who she is they try to cover their tracks by poisoning her but an inmate turned doctor helps her escape her hell so she can report on the injustices she suffered and so many before her had endured.

     Black Emanuelle is a series that wanted to submerge itself so deep into exploitation that it touched in almost every sub-genre at least once.  My favorite of the series is the sexploitation films but this installment is up there.  It was highly entertaining but did lack one key element.  The acting in this one is solid and the same quality that you get in the other films.  Some of the characters were more entertaining than the others.  I wouldn't say this was a reflection of the cast more than the writing but there was definitely different characters that stole the scene.  The story for this one does add in different scenarios but at the end of the day we get another sexually driven women in prison flick with the same basic premise.  The journalist under cover is something a little different but the guards sexually abusing and torturing prisoners is nothing new in cinema especially by 1988.  Finally, if you want blood this one has it but if you want some gore you will want to look elsewhere.  The effects we get are minimal but work very well with the story but they don't really stand out.  The film is more intended to be sexy and sleazy instead of bloody.  Overall, Violence in a Women's Prison is one of the more violent Black Emanuelle films but with one major flaw...Emanuelle is not in this one as much as the other films!  Regardless, it is still fun and this release from Severin should be added to any fan's collection. 



Code Name: Dynastud

 



Director - Richard Griffin (Strapped for Danger, The Disco Exorcist)
Starring - Anthony Gaudette (Long Night in a Dead City, Strapped for Danger), Derek Laurendeau (The Sins of Dracula, A Strange Arrangement), and Bruce Church (A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Disco Exorcist)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Action/Comedy
Tagline - "Justice never looked so good"
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     This was one review I was looking for.  Director Richard Griffin is one of the most versatile filmmakers to grace the indie movie scene.  He has tackled musicals, action, sci-fi, Shakespeare, and, of course, horror.  He is easily one of my favorite directors and his films never disappoint.  Not long ago he released the LGBT heist film Strapped for Danger and it was a really enjoyable film.  Sadly, some people that like to sniff their own farts decided that a film centered around gay characters deserved their time and attention to share their close minded religious beliefs.  So I was forced to spend a better portion of a week defending my review on social media until they got bored of me trolling them and moved on.  I always find it funny that people who claim to be against homosexuality spend all their free time thinking about it.  Anyway, after the success Griffin had with Strapped for Danger he decided to knock out another gay action film filled with political satire and sci-fi.  Several weeks ago Richard reached out for me to review his new film Code Name: Dynastud.  I was unable to get to the film in a timely manner due to a family emergency but I'm glad I was finally able to take the time out to see it.  Thank you Richard!

     The year is 2024 and its illegal to be gay.  The far right has won their war on homosexuality and being gay could result in the death penalty.  Gay bars are now hidden and are used as an underground route for homosexuals to reach Canada.  Caught in the middle of all this is Bart (Laurendeau) who is now a pawn to a corrupt senator who forces him to marry his daughter so she will stop sleeping around and ruining his good name.  If he fails to produce the senator a male heir he will be killed. On his wedding night he is rescued by Dynastud.  Dynastud needs his semen to awaken his lover Bruce Li so they can make love and make the world a better place for all the gay men and women.  The only thing standing in their way is Bart's scorned wife and her homophobic father who now has an anti-gay gun.

     I honestly didn't know what to expect with Code Name: Dynastud.  I knew it would be good.  Richard has yet to let me down but how would this one play out?  I can honestly say I was not expecting what I saw on my television that night.  The acting in this one is fantastic.  The film's leads Anthony Gaudette, Derek Laurendeau, and Bruce Church were fucking fantastic.  They all worked so well together and gave the viewer some unforgettable characters.  If the Senator does not return for another film I will kick my dog.  I really love my dog and don't want to kick him but I feel that it is necessary to get my point across.  Don't make me kick my dog.  The supporting cast is just as good as the film's lead which is a quality that I expect from Griffin and his films.  The story for this one almost feels like a joke taken to the most entertaining extreme. I've heard several friends and family mention how they would love to kill certain politicians over their closed minded and bigoted views.  Dynastud almost feels like this was an inside joke alone those lines and then the political satire, the sci-fi, martial arts, and humor was added.  I absolutely loved how Richard approached this and showed us a future that sounds like a far stretch but honestly isn't that big of a stretch at all.  Finally, this one has several deaths.  Some are off screen and play on the styling of the old spy films from the 60s and 70s.  They are funny and fit the story but gorehounds will want to check out some of Richard's earlier films.  Overall, Code Name: Dynastud is the funniest movie I've watched this year and easily my favorite film from director Richard Griffin.  I cannot recommend this movie enough.  Check it out whenever you get the chance!



Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals

 



Director - Joe D'Amato (Antropophagus, Heroes in Hell)
Starring - Laura Gemser (Erotic Nights of the Living Dead, Black Emanuelle), Gabriele Trinti (Women Prison's Massacre, Caged Women), and Nieves Navarro (Death Walks at Midnight, The Magnificent Dare Devil)
Release Date - 1977
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "That Emanuelle girl is back.  More erotic and exotic than ever"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     By this point in my reviewing career I've reviewed a dozen or so Italian cannibal flicks from various companies.  Personally, I don't care for these films but there has been a few that popped up here and there that I did enjoy.  Several months back Severin Films announced that they would be releasing two Black Emanuelle films on blu.  The first film of the two is the 1977 Joe D'Amato cannibal film Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals.  I'm a fan of the Black Emanuelle films so I was looking forward to checking it out but I was concerned that the lack of story that most of these Italian cannibal films lacked would ruin it.  Thank you Severin for sending this one my way. 

     The film follows journalist Emanuelle (Gemser) who catches a lead from the local hospital where a woman was just admitted.  She attacked a nurse and took a bite out of her breast.  She has a strange tattoo and with some research Emanuelle discovers that this white woman could have been raised by the last known cannibals in a isolated jungle.  A professor, Emanuelle, and a team of explorers set out to explore the jungle in hopes of finding the cannibals and not find their way on the menus. 

     I honestly didn't know what to expect from this installment in the Black Emanuelle series.  I had seen a few of these films before but I'm sure they were out of order and had nothing to do with one another outside of the titular character.  Anyway, I liked how D'Amato approached the story and it's delivery.  It was nothing knew but it did work for the character and the sub-genre he was looking for.  The acting in this one is decent but there was plenty of room for improvement.  Gemser got her start in sexploitation films and carried that acting style over to all her films following.  She has a lot of screen time but she seems more comfortable during the sex scenes and being nude over the acting.  The supporting cast is solid, but much like Gemser's performance, there is plenty of room for improvement.  They dedicate themselves to the role but there was several scenes that was not that convincing.  It was as if they did not know what they were expected to do.  The story for this one is so fucking similar to the countless other cannibal flicks before it but with one exception.  That exception is the Emanuelle character and knowing she will survive which takes away from the danger of the story.  The movie does move at a slow pace but the progression of the Emanualle character and gore keeps you entertained.  Finally, the film has the gore that most fans of this sub-genre come to expect.  They look fantastic and the camera doesn't shy away from them like so many other horror films of the time.  We get long, steady shots where the fan can enjoy the gore.  The effects themselves looks great and really add to that cannibal feel.  Overall, Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals is a sleazy entry in the Italian cannibal sub-genre and a pretty gruesome entry in the mostly erotic Black Emanuelle series.  Be sure to check this one out on blu from Severin Films. 



Dead Shack

 



Director - Peter Ricq (Come Together, Freaktown)
Starring - Matthew Nelson (V.C. Andrews' Heaven, A Knife), Lizzie Boys (iZombie, Shut Eye), and Gabriel LaBelle (The Predator, iZombie)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "No one gets out alive"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      I grew up on zombie flicks and slashers.  I've always been a fan of both but the popularity of The Walking Dead has turned the undead sub-genre into a pop culture phenomenon.  When I was a teenager I was obsessed with zombie comedies like Shaun of the Dead, Dead and Breakfast, Dead Heads, Bong of the Living Dead, and so on.  These films were always fun but the post-apocalyptic zombie films that fell in the wake of The Walking Dead lacked the humor and focused too much on the human survival and interaction with other survivors over the crisis at hand.  We do have a few horror comedies here and there but the serious zombie flicks far outweigh the comical ones.  Sometime last year I received the press release for the zombie comedy Dead Shack.  I fucking loved the poster and the premise sounded interesting.  I posted it on the site and, like so many films, I forgot about it as time moved on.  That changed when I was given the opportunity to review the film on blu.  I could not turn it down and I'm glad I did not. 

     The film follows a dysfunctional family and a family friend who rent a cabin for a weekend getaway.  While in the countryside they do some exploring when they come across a seclude home with an unusual amount of cars on the property.  They decide to investigate the property and discover the woman living there lures men back to her home to kill them.  They try to tell their dad and step mom but they are too drunk to understand the severity of the situation so they take him back to the home to show them where they learn that she is killing men to feed her undead family.  Now their father is in danger and it's up to them to stop the flesh hungry zombies and a heavily armored mommy.
     It was sometime ago when I saw the pitch video for a crowdfunding campaign for this film.  Since then the film has changed some but the end result is still fucking entertaining.  The acting in this one is fun.  The young cast carries the film and brings to life some unforgettable characters.  They work very well together and I would be shocked if I don't see them in more unforgettable horror flicks in the future.  The supporting cast does a fantastic job but the three young stars of this film are perfect in their roles.  The story for this one isn't anything new or reinvents the sub-genre but it does offer up some fun.  The mother killing men to feed her undead children is something comic fans may recall from The Walking Dead comics with The Governor and his daughter.  I did not get that far into the show to know if this was something adapted but in the comics this was a cool concept.  I'm sure movies have depicted this long before the comics but this is what comes to mind.  With that being said, it still holds the viewer's attention very well and the humor is paced evenly throughout for a very enjoyable experience.  Finally, the film does not shy away from the gore.  The film has several bloody deaths on screen with great practical effects.  The gags are great and the zombies look awesome.  They don't stand out like some of the other zombie films from decades ago but they still look good.  Overall, Dead Shack  was worth the wait.  The cast is brilliant and the humor carries over very well through the horror.  I highly recommend checking out this zombie comedy as soon as possible.  Check it out. 
 
     

Ouija: Blood Ritual

 



Director - Dustin Mills (Puppet Monster Massacre, Kill That Bitch)
Starring - Dustin Mills, Kayla Elizabeth (A Night of the Living Dead, New Blood Rising), and Rob Grant (In Guns We Trust, Colt Navy)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Spread the gospel"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

 

      Dustin Mills is one of my favorite filmmakers in the world of no budget indie cinema.  His films are always visually stunning and the story has more than enough power to hold you in place.  I first saw his movie Puppet Monster Massacre when it was released on DVD and not long after I grabbed Zombie A-Hole.  I was hooked.  I've been an avid fan ever since.  I'm sure Dustin thinks something completely different but I am most definitely a huge fan of his.  It has been sometime since he released his last film but a few weeks before Halloween he announced that his newest film Ouija: Blood Ritual was available for preorder.  He contacted me to review the film but I wanted a copy for my collection so I bought one.  I wanted to review it before Halloween but time got the best of me and I couldn't get around to it until now. 

     The film follows three filmmakers who are attempting to carve their own notch in the paranormal investigating field by filming a series of videos surrounding different paranormal and cryptozoology subjects.  The cameraman, Dustin (Mills), suggests they look into creepy pasta story The Closet Man.  He shows them videos online and they agree to do the ritual to summon the closet man.  The ritual doesn't go as planned but Dustin soon spots a dark figure who starts haunting him every waking moment until he does the unspeakable and turns his back on his friends to save himself. 

     I know that most filmmakers strive to reinvent themselves so they don't bore their fans.  Mills is a very technical filmmaker that always brings something knew to the table.  I wouldn't say he reinvents himself but I would say that he is always learning and improving.  Going from Zombie A-Hole to Her Name Was Torment you can see a clear jump in experience.  Dustin is a filmmaker through and through.  He wants to bring new content to his fans but realistically he cannot make a movie that is for everyone.  Ouija: Blood Ritual was not for me.  In fact, I'm certain this is the first of his films that I did not like.  The acting in this one is decent.  Mills took on smaller roles in several of his previous films but this film has him taking on a much bigger role.  He does a solid job.  The same can be said about Kayla Elizabeth and Rob Grant.  Their interactions, for the most part, seemed genuine but there was a few scenes where their dialogue seems forced and a little awkward to follow.  My biggest complaint with this film is something I dislike with most found footage films and that is the over abundance of dialogue that does little to nothing for the story.  I understand that filmmakers add it to make the film feel like an authentic found footage film but it makes for a very boring experience.  The story for this one is very similar to other creepy pasta films like Charlie Charlie and the no budget Ouija films.  We follow a small group of people trying an internet trend only to discover that it is real.  We've seen this so many times in recent horror films regardless of budget size.  What we get is stretched out farther than it should have been.  In fact, the length of the film is just too long.  A short would have been more effective with a majority of the dialogue removed.  Finally, this is not one of the beautifully crafted no budget films that Mills is known for.  He goes all in on the found footage look which results in a dark and ominous film with a little of his creature style but not enough to truly hold his fans over.  We do get a little practical effects but nothing that really stands out.  Overall, Ouija: Blood Ritual is not a bad movie but it is a movie I don't care for.  It is rather boring and a slow burner with none of the flair that I come to expect from Mills.  It is a textbook found footage film so fans of those should check it out but horror fans looking for Skinless and Kill That Bitch will want to venture elsewhere.  



Amazon Hot Box

 



Director - James Bickert (Dumpster Baby, Dear God No!)
Starring - Ellie Church (Headless, Harvest Lake), Kelsey Carlisle (Space Babes from Outer Space, The Legend of Wasco), and Jett Bryant (Dear God No!, Frankenstein Created Bikers)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Action/Adventure
Tagline - "When life is cheap, you bust out"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     Indie filmmakers either embrace their beloved genre or hate being labeled a horror director.  Some are horror fans and give the genre everything they have while others think too highly of themselves and hate being defined by one genre.  Then, you have filmmakers with an eye for other genres but have too much love for horror.  That brings me to cult filmmaker James Bickert.  Bickert is one of the few filmmakers slinging exploitation.  His classic Dear God No! is one of my favorite modern exploitation flicks.  Though it has horror elements scattered throughout the film is still a modern embodiment of exploitation.  The follow up, Frankenstein Created Bikers, kept the exploitation vibe a live but was more aimed at horror.  Several months back Bickert announced a new film, Amazon Hot Box.  This women in prison exploitation flicked starred Ellie Church and once again featured Bickert's regular Jett Bryant.  I couldn't wait to check this one out.  A few weeks later Bickert surprised me with the film in the mail.  Thank you James for allowing Horror Society and myself the opportunity to check this out.

     The film follows a group of female prisoners who are imprisoned on the small island of Rattica.  The warden, Von Krupp (Church), is known for her torture and has invited her former mentor over to witness her newest method of torture...the torture machine.  What everyone is unaware of is the U.S. has now set a bounty on their newly voluntold president Jett (Bryant) and will stop at nothing to assassinate him and everyone else is a causality of the mission.
       What I respect the most about James Bickert and his body of work is how he doesn't make movies to fit in.  He doesn't make movies to go with the crowd.  He makes the movies that he likes to watch.  Dear God No! is an indie cinema masterpiece that blends some humor with several exploitation sub-genres of the 70s with horror.  His follow up films also beat to a different drum and gave fans something different to enjoy.  Amazon Hot Box took the fun of the women in prison films of the 70s and early 80s and made it something much more.  Similar to the Black Emanuelle film Violence in a Women's Prison.  The acting in this one is fun.  The star of the film, regardless what the story may dictate, is Ellie Church.  Her accent is funny but you have to be familiar with the films it is paying tribute to which usually consisted of American actresses faking European accents.  She is funny and steals every scene she is in.  I also enjoyed Jett Bryant's laid back performance.  In every film I've seen in him he is naturally comfortable in every role.  The supporting cast is just as fun.  The characters are entertaining and the cast does a fantastic job bringing them to life.  The story for this is the standard women in prison scenario following "innocent" women who find themselves in a prison in another country.  They then take some of the things that made these so much fun and almost parodied them.  The sex appeal is turned humorous and the torture is very whimsical in a way.  They then toss in some random horror aspects such as the undead which is a signature of Bickert who is constantly adding horror to his exploitation.  Finally, the film does have some kills scenes.  These are mostly forgettable for the most part but there is a few that you wont forget.  The effects for these kills work as well but they, like most of the kills, are easily forgettable.  Overall, Amazon Hot Box is one indie production you need in your collection.  There is a few things that could have been improved but the overall movie was well worth my time.  Check it out. 

Mortuary Massacre

 



Director - Christopher James Miller (American Horrors, Chicago Dracula)
Starring - Kit Bateman (Chainsaw Sally, Ironhorse), Eric Berggren (Mind Polish), and Erin Blaisdell (Night of the Living Dead 3D, Toolbox Murders 2)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Everyone will rest in pieces"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     Halloween is a popular setting for most horror films.  Many horror fans are Halloween obsessed so it makes sense that filmmakers, mostly fans themselves, set their films against the backdrop of Halloween.  In fact, most distributors get in so many Halloween oriented flicks that they cannot release them as such films.  Most want to have steady releases all year and not just a huge influx of releases in October.  That brings me to the 2016 horror anthology Mortuary Massacre from director Christopher James Miller.  I was under the impression this film was centered around a pilgrim or sorts due to the cover of the release.  Fuck, was I wrong.  This Halloween centered anthology did not sell itself as a Halloween flick which is a bummer considering we are just on our second week in November.  Either way, I'm glad I was able to check out this Wild Eye release. 

     The film follows a mortician and a police detective as they discuss several corpses that just arrived over the course of Halloween night.  The first corpse follows an apartment building manager who snaps after his job and the tenants push him over the edge.  The second corpse follows a group of twenty-somethings that accidentally resurrect an old wild west outlaw that has a bone to pick with the descendant of his arch nemesis.  The third corpse is that of an aspiring actor who continued to lose roles to an overrated actor which sends him over the edge.  After they discuss these corpses the investigator is greeted with another grisly discovery. 

     I didn't know what to expect when I tossed in Mortuary Massacre.  The movie had several things I really enjoyed and several things that needed improved but it was still a fun watch.  The acting in this one is very uneven.  This is something I've seen in countless no budget productions and that doesn't make it a bad film.  Just some of the cast had a little more experience than others or was not as shy in front of the camera.  Each segment had break out stars while others just did enough to move the story on.  The stories for this one are fun for a late night horror flick but they don't have any replay value.  The wraparound segment is the low point of the film.  Not only does this segment have the weakest acting but the story is just not that interesting.  The actual segments of the film are fun.  They are rather slow paced but the stories eventually offer up a kick with some predictable but mindless fun.  Finally, this film has some fantastic practical effects.  The film does have a very strict budget and the effects show they but they do some very tremendous things with what they had to work with.  Overall, Mortuary Massacre is far from perfect but it is still a fun horror outing with some decent stories and entertaining practical effects.  Check this one out.  



Mandy

 



Director - Panos Cosmatos (Beyond the Black Rainbow)
Starring - Nicolas Cage (Mom and Dad, Left Behind), Andrea Riseborough (Waco, Black Mirror), and Linus Roache (Batman Begins, Vikings)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Horror
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):



     When it comes to horror I tend to be an odd duck.  When most people obsess over a movie I tend to find myself questioning humans and their obsession with shit.  A few months back Mandy was released on VOD and horror fans went ape shit over it.  I decided to skip on it until I saw the trailer.  I don't know why I liked it so much but the trailer had me totally hooked on the film.  Then RLJ offered up a review copy of the film.  I had to jump on it and I'm glad I did.  In three days I've watched the film just as many times and when not watching it I've wrote this review in my head at least a dozen times. 
     The film follows couple Mandy (Riseborough) and Red (Cage) who stay to themselves and are madly in love.  Their love is put on trial when the leader of a cult finds Mandy walking one day.  He sends out his followers to kidnap her but when she fails to fall in love with him they kidnap Red in hopes of using him as leverage to break her.  When they see they cannot win her love they set her on fire in front of Red.  Red is able to escape and plans his revenge on the cult but has to make his way through a deranged biker gang that has a soft spot for pain and torture. 
     I didn't know what to expect from this film.  I had heard it was a LSD trip through a doom/stoner metal music video with gore.  I was intrigued with this and the beautiful the trailer painted made me want to see this.  I have to say that the trailer does not do this film justice.  The movie is fucking fantastic and one I will revisit frequently.  The acting in this one is phenomenal.  I've always been a fan of Nic Cage.  I know people give him shit for the quality of movies he has been in but I grew up in a home where you would see Nic Cage at least once a week on the television screen.  Honestly, this is probably my favorite performance from him.  If not my favorite it is easily the most fun.  The supporting cast is just as fun especially Andrea Riseborough in her mind bending performance.  The film is perfectly cast and they did an amazing job at making this film unforgettable.  The story for this one is fantastic and offers up many different elements into one fun story.  The couple in the 80s who become victims to a love cult is something you don't see in horror much anymore outside of the 70s and 80s.  On top of that we get a killer biker gang that immediately puts you in mind of The Plague from Hobo with a Shotgun.  Around all that we get an adventure type of film with beautiful images and gore.  It holds the viewer's attention very well and gives them several "what the fuck" type scenes that they will never see coming.   Finally, the kills in this one are relentless.  The kills catch you off guard each time and the effects are top notch.  I really enjoyed the kills and the amazing effects we get to see.  Overall, Mandy is going to be hard to top for my favorite movie of the year.   The cast and story is absolutely brilliant and perfectly brings an insane film to life.  Check this out!

Dead Night



Director - Brad Baruh
Starring - Brea Grant (Dexter, Halloween II), AJ Bowen (Hatchet II, The House of the Devil), and Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Look deeper"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     I get a lot of movie in to review.  In fact, I'm too greedy and take on more than I have time for but I love it.  Everyone movie gets my undivided attention when I review them.  I always give each movie the same amount of time which results in one movie taking about 3 or more hours of my day with viewing time included.  Even though these movies get the same amount of time there is certain movies that I look forward to reviewing than others.  Dead Night is one of those films that I couldn't wait to review.  This film was recently released on DVD and I was sent a copy to check out. 

     The film follows a family of four and a family friend who rent a cabin deep in the woods that is supposedly on an iron deposit that has therapeutic properties.  However, this weekend getaway full of healing does not go as planned when they fall into a bigger plan involving witches and a politician looking to gain her career with the family stuck in the middle as blood tribute.
    
     Dead Night is one of those films that I just absolutely knew I was going to love.  The artwork and the synopsis on the press release had me sold on it.  I knew I would just love it but I was very, very wrong.  The acting in this one is hit or miss for me.  The real star of the film is horror royalty Barbara Crampton who absolutely steals every scene she is in.  Honestly, it's not fair to the rest of the cast to have them in the same scene as her.  The rest of the cast just doesn't do it for me.  All of the characters have the same personality and the cast does nothing to make them stand out or make them their own.  This cannot be said for the witches who, like Crampton, do a fantastic job.  The story for this one has so much potential but falls apart during filming.  The cabin in the woods with witches and a corrupt politician using them for personal gains is fantastic.  So many great elements there to make an amazing gory throwback film.  Sadly, The story falls apart for several reasons.  My biggest complaint is the characters.  Aside from Crampton's character and the witches I fucking hate everyone else in the film.  You want the bad guys to win which takes the power away from the story.  Its rare that you had the victims or good guys but the personalities for them in this film is just so ugly and annoying.  Finally, this film has spectacular on screen kills and practical effects.  I was surprised by the gore in this one and how brutal the kills are.  You can tell the director and crew was passionate about the film because a lot of thought and time went into these gags.  Overall, Dead Night could have been an unforgettable throwback to 80s horror but the weak cast and lack of likable characters turned what could have been a fun and gory flick into generic horror that is easily forgettable.