Unknown World

Director - Terry O. Morse (Godzilla, Godzilla: King of the Monsters)

Starring - Bruce Kellogg (They Were Expendable, The Golden Eye), Otto Waldis (Gomer Pyle: USMC, Hogan's Heroes), and Jim Bannon (Good Neighbor Sam, Wagon Train)

Release Date - 1951

Genre - Sci-Fi/Adventure

Tagline - "Adventure into the unknown!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I say this all the time and I absolutely mean it.  I wish I lived during the golden age of drive-in cinema.  I could see myself basically living at the drive-in watching every campy double feature and cheesy sci-fi and horror flick they had to offer.  While I was born decades after the fall of the drive-in, I still like to fantasize about what it was like as I watch these older films sent to me for  review.  A few weeks back my friends over at Severin Films sent me a few flicks to check out and among them was the 1951 sci-fi adventure flick Unknown World.  Like always, I want to thank Severin for sending this one over!

     The film follows an expedition team as they seek out a place inside the Earth for mankind to live if a nuclear war happened to occur.  During their voyage they do discover a vast land that could potentially be home to the human race along with a vast ocean network.  However, they soon learn that something is making those there sterile but before they could uncover the cause they are forced to flee when a volcano erupts.

    I went into Unknown World knowing absolutely nothing about it and it was nothing like I was expecting.  I liked it's unique set up and how the story got to where it was going but the ride itself was painfully dull and boring.  I seriously wanted to like it but it just wasn't for me.  The acting in this one is extremely cheesy but that is what makes these drive-in classics so much fun and enjoyable.  The over-reacting in some scenes and the underwhelming reactions in others is exactly what I was expecting.  The acting in films like this is my favorite part and this one did not disappoint.  The story for this one starts out in a fun way that really captures the time in which the film was made.  We are in the beginning years of the Cold War and the film starts out like a film meant to prepare you for the "big one."  We then move on to a cheesy sci-fi adventure to the middle of the Earth with generic characters, a little romance, and a lot of boring dialogue that doesn't help the movie out at all.  It's almost as if the film was being pulled in too many direction resulting in a finished film that fails to gain traction.  Finally, the film has some miniatures and some campy sets but that is about the extent of it.  Those with a eye for the red stuff will be very disappointed in that regard.  Overall, Unknown World is an interesting idea and one I could normally see myself enjoying but the execution here leaves us with a bit of a dull flick.  Fans of Cold War era sci-fi flicks might enjoy this one but I couldn't.  

Wan Pipel

Director - Pim de la Parra (Lost in Amsterdam, Rubia's Jungle)

Starring - Borger Breeveld (The Obsessed One, Wiren), Diana Gangaram Panday, and Willeke van Ammelrooy (The Killer is on the Phone, Paradise Lost)

Release Date - 1976

Genre - Drama

Tagline - "At last a movie with heart"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I never know what will show up for review but each and every film I receive makes me excited.  Is this going to be a new favorite, something historical that will stand out in the history of cinema, or will it be something that I don't care for?  I never know until I pull the trigger on the play button.  Most of the time the films are horror or, at the very least, have some sort of horror theme within.  However, that's not always the case.  A few weeks ago I received the blu release for the 1976 drama Wan Pipel, or One People, from my friends over at Cult Epics.  This was a new one to me and even though it wasn't a horror flick, I was still excited to check it out.  Like always, I want to thank Cult Epics for sending this one over.

     The film follows a young man who is studying in Amsterdam when he receives a call that his mother was dying in his home country of Suriname.  His girlfriend gives him the money  to return home and he does.  However, once he returns home he begins to become enthralled with his heritage and country.  He even goes as far as to fall in love with a local woman and refuses to go back to the Netherlands to finish his studies.  

     I knew absolutely nothing about Wan Pipel prior to watching it but I actually enjoyed it.  It's not a movie I can se myself revisiting anytime soon but it was solid for a first time watch especially for something that wasn't horror-centered.  The acting in this one is solid but there was a few scenes where the acting was very forced and the cast didn't show a lot of experience.  The cast is fully submersed in their roles but the scenes are not consistent.  The story for this one is a fantastic character driven story about patriotism and embracing where you are from.  However, this story does somewhat run thin once you see the direction the film is actually going.  A little more character arcs or an interesting dilemma would have made the film much more enjoyable.   Finally, those of you looking for blood or memorable deaths will be very disappointed.  The film is a strict drama with focus on character development and growth.  Overall, Wan Pipel is a solid foreign drama that is a fun first time watch.  This is a great release from Cult Epics that I highly recommend checking out especially if you are a collector.  

Graveyard Shark

Director - Matthew A. Peters (Big Brood, Axegrinder 666)

Starring - Stephanie Ward (Stranded, Radiant Dark), Michael John Gilbert (The Man with No Pants, Barely Coping), and Berndele March (Slade Collins and the Tree of Life, Romeo 3000)

Release Date - 2024

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been a fan of indie horror for as long as I can remember.  This deep seeded love started with Evil Dead II and spiraled out from there.  I love horror, regardless of the budget, sub-genre, nationality, and so on, but the creativity found in indie horror flicks is unmatched.  Over the years I've crossed paths with some wild flicks that I knew I had to see and several of them spun in my head for days until I could write about them.  One of those films is the 2024 horror comedy Graveyard Shark from director Matthew A. Peters.  I snagged the blu from Makeflix sometime ago and forgot all about it until I came across my copy while sorting my review stack.  I immediately tossed it in to check out.

     The film follows a paranormal/cryptid investigator who visits a graveyard where several people were ravaged by a shark.  She soon learns that the stories are true and a local fisherman, who claims to have fucked a mermaid, is responsible for the beast's bloody rampage after killing his mother when asked for child support.  

     I went into this one expecting a lot of cheese and was a bit surprised by the film itself.  The title made me think I was getting a Chris Seaver style flick with a campy creature and a lot of shark themed puns.  Sadly, the film struggled with it's own identity.  The acting in this one is pretty solid and consistent.  The characters are not that memorable, with the exception of a few, but the cast does a great job with their roles.  Everyone really dedicated themselves to their roles which made the scenes go by so much better.  The story for this one has so much potential but struggles with it's own self-identity.  The film has the perfect premise for horror flick overflowing with humor.  Instead, the film flows like a serious slasher with the killer being a shark...in a graveyard.  Aside from the creature's backstory, the film doesn't really embrace the comedic side.  The serious tone it takes feels out of place.  Honestly, the film would have been so much more fun if it followed the tone we see during the fisherman's tale of what the shark is.  Finally, the film has a lot of fun practical effects that fit the film.  I liked the look of the creature and the way the deaths flowed like a slasher but the kills are not that memorable.  Overall, Graveyard Shark has a few enjoyable moments but wasn't for me.  The movie flirted with comedy but never crossed the line which made a few scenes really stand out.  I wanted to like it but it wasn't for me.   

An Evening with My Great Aunt Bedelia

Director(s) - Toby Lerone, Chris Seaver (Death O' Lantern, The Dingleberries), and Josh Suire (Deck the Halls, Happy Helladays)

Starring - Josh Suire and Toby Lerone

Release Date - 2012

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "You'll inherit... THE WILLIES!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been fortunate enough to review a good bit of Chris Seaver's films over the years.  I've been a fan for sometime now and I've collected most of his work over the years.  A decade or so ago I snagged several Warlock Home Video releases on DVD and immediately watched them when they arrived.  I thought I took the time to write reviews for all of them then but looking back I realized that I missed this one.  A couple weeks back I upgraded by DVDs of Die-B-Que and An Evening with My Great Aunt Bedelia to blu.  While revisiting the films I quickly realized that I never  reviewed this one.  

     The film follows a young lady who visits her ancestral home after she received word she inherited something.  Things start out innocently enough until she learns the true intentions of her Great Aunt Bedelia.

     This is a typical Warlock Home Video release.  It doesn't have the most memorable story or characters but it has the sexually charged dialogue and puns that we have grown to expect from Seaver.  While it's not my favorite of his films, it's still a fun one.  The acting in this one is exactly like the other Warlock Home Video releases.  The cast really gets into character and it looks like filming was a party among friends.  They are having a lot of fun in their roles and it shows in each scene.  The story for this one reminds me a lot of the late 70s and early 80s haunted house horror flicks that took on the taboo topics of the time like demon possession and Satanic cults.  While this one doesn't dive that deep into them like the original films did, it still embodies that style and tone.  These films are a lot of fun and I love finding ones I had never seen before.  With that being said, this film is not that long but some of the running time could still be trimmed to improve the pacing.  Like a lot of the films from Seaver, the editing is not the best and it's evident in this one.   Finally, the film is a no budget flick and the effects are  very minimal.   In fact, they are pretty much nonexistent.  The film's focus is on the characters and story itself which works for the most part.  Overall, An Evening with My Great Aunt Bedelia is a fun late night horror comedy from one of my favorite filmmakers.  This film, much like his filmography, is not for everyone but it's a lot of fun.  I highly recommend it.  

Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project

Director - Max Tzannes (12 Mill Road, Two Niner)

Starring - Brennan Keel Cook (Take the Night, Snowfall), Chen Tang (Mulan, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and Erika Vetter (Stay Awhile, Only Murders in the Building)

Release Date - 2025

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     A week or so ago I received the press release for the horror comedy Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project.  I'm a huge fan of cryptids and I'm very familiar with the Patterson-Gimlin footage so I was very interested in the film.  I was hesitant about requesting a screener link due to the fact that I typically don't enjoy found footage flicks.  However, after watching the trailer for the film I realized that it wasn't going to be a found footage film.  At least one in the traditional sense.  I'm glad I took the chance because it was a lot of fun and one I was not expecting.

     The film follows a documentary film crew that is following a low budget film crew as they make a found footage horror film inspired by the Patterson-Gimlin Footage.  As the crew moves through securing the miniscule budget, casting mishaps, and location issues, they soon discover that the place they are filming their film is home to a dark presence that is unleashed when they opened the door to the room is was locked in.  Small mishaps grow to disappearances and possession forcing them to fight for their lives.

     Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project is not the film I was expecting and I'm honestly grateful for it.  The movie starts out very slow and makes you wonder what the point of it is then it pick up the speed and delivers.  While it will not be making the top of any year end lists, it was still fun for a first time watch.  The acting in this one is great and very consistent.  The characters are not that memorable and are rather cliche but they deliver fantastic performances.  With that being said, the film really needed a comedic character that carried the film especially during the first portion where the film is establishing itself.  The story for this one starts out painfully slow, so much slow that it will deter many from finishing the film.  It's painfully mundane and dull.  However, once the the film hits the last 30 minutes or so it becomes very interesting.   Personally, I would have loved a bit more time spent on the characters so the slow leg of the film wouldn't have been so dull.   Finally, the film has some fun make-up effects and a bigfoot costume that looks better than 90% of the horror films I've seen that features the cryptid.  Sadly, it's not a bloody or violent film so those of us looking for a lot of the red stuff will be very disappointed.  Overall, Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project is a decent late act Evil Dead inspired horror flick that kind of misses the mark with the comedy.  While I did enjoy it for what it was, it does fall short in a few categories.  Regardless, it deserves a watch especially if you dig occult horror flicks.