House of Seven Belles

Director - Andy Milligan (Blood, Dragula)

Starring - Dolores Barcia, Peter Barcia (Legacy of Blood), and Elaine Boies (Legacy of Blood)

Release Date - 1979

Genre - Drama/Horror

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     As I prepared to toss in the final film in this set from Severin Films, I wondered if it would be a film that could be followed or another abysmal watch.  The movie was a bit different than the previous films in the set as it was shot in the late 70s before he ran out of money to finish it while the other unfinished films were shot in the 60s and fell on the cutting room floor as he moved on to other projects.  The film, House of Seven Belles, s a period piece horror drama that did not have an ending.  This intrigued me and made me think that it would be watchable until the last leg of the film.  I was mostly right.

     The film follows seven southern belles whose family was once prosperous but has since fell on hard times since the civil war.  However, they are all fighting for the little bit of inheritance that is left and along their journey is a various characters ranging from rapists, wounded soldiers, and a murderer who is stalking the property killing people one by one.

     I went into this one knowing absolutely nothing about it besides the fact that it was completely shot aside from the ending.  I had no idea it was a period piece about the deep south and filmed in New York but I found myself really enjoying it.  The acting in this one is very loud and stiff.  The cast is inexperienced and not really into their roles in a lot of the scenes.  We have a lot of screaming, flat dialogue, and no emotional range.  I really wanted to like these characters but it felt like a stage play with an anger management group.  The story for this one is not what I was expecting and found myself really drawn into it.  It's a period piece drama that has some slasher elements tossed in randomly.  It does not make a lot of sense and some of the scenes left me scratching my head but it held my attention which says something.  On the opposite side of the same coin, the lack of an ending is a bit disappointing.  Finally, the film does have a few deaths but they are not that memorable.  Honestly, I enjoyed them in the film itself but they don't really stand out and use minimal practical effects.  Overall, House of Seven Belles is not the film I was expecting from Andy Milligan.  It's an odd period piece set after the civil war with slasher tones and a lot of unlikable characters.  It's the biggest surprise in this set and one I would recommend watching.  It's still far from perfect and a movie I will never revisit but it's still wild for what it is.  

Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me!

Director - Andy Milligan (Legacy of Blood, Fleshpot on 42nd St.)

Starring - Natalie Rogers (Tricks of the Trade, The Very Naked Canvas), Don Williams (The Ghastly Ones), and Peter Ratray (The Abyss, Walls of Glass)

Release Date - 1968

Genre - Drama

Tagline - "No one man could satisfy her"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I didn't know what to expect when I started diving into this Gutter Auteur set from Severin.  I was familiar with Andy Milligan's work prior to this but it was limited to a handful or so films that I had added to my collection over the years.  He was a very polarizing filmmaker that was not very consistent with his films but the few that I do like, I really like.  I started this marathon with The Degenerates because it was one I had wanted to see for some time but soon followed that up with the documentary about him and Compass Rose.  I was not a fan of Compass Rose but that didn't stop me from immediately throwing in Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me! from 1968.  

     The film follows a promiscuous house wife that starts going behind her husbands back to sleep around.  He's abusive and doesn't show her the attention she craves but several men, along with her husband's best friend, give her what she needs.  However, when he starts to sever ties with her as to not hurt his best friend, she starts scheming up ways to get him back until her husband ultimately discovers that she is sleeping around and not taking care of their child.

     I went into Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me! expecting it to be another unwatchable movie where the story was never finished by Milligan but what I found was a bit of an erotic drama that does have a lot of issues but still works as a coherent film.  It's not the best film I've seen but it was still watchable.  The acting in this one is leagues above Compass Rose but there is still a lot of room for growth.  We see some very well acted scenes sporadically throughout the film but other scenes show inexperience and awkwardness with the dialogue.  The story for this one is a little more straight forward but does have some rough editing at times.  A slutty housewife with a drunk husband going around lookin for strange is nothing we haven't seen before in sexploitation and it's not really done in an original way here.  It works to watch especially if you are going through this set like I am but it's not something I can recommend.  Finally, the film has a little blood but it's not a movie with a body count or great effects.  The movie is focused on the sleazy housewife and that's it.  Those of you wanting memorable deaths will be very disappointed.  Overall, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me! is very middle of the road and forgettable but it's watchable which is more than Compass Rose.  

Compass Rose

Director - Andy Milligan (Surgikill, The Weirdo)

Starring - Anthony Moscini (Seeds of Sin, Gutter Trash), Anne Linden (Hot Erotic Nights, The Vixens), and Candy Hammond (The Promiscuous Sex, Seeds of Sin)

Release Date - 1967

Genre - Drama

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      Many years ago I bought The Ghastly Ones and since then I've seen several of his horror titles.  I have seen his more erotic and drama centered films like Vapors and Seeds of Sin when I think it was Vinegar Syndrome released them.  I wasn't really a fan then but I'm really looking forward to checking out some of these other films after watching The Degenerate: The Life and Films of Andy Milligan.  The next movie in the set is the 1967 film Compass Rose.  This was one I had never heard of before and couldn't wait to check it out.

     The film, the best I can tell, follows a group of drag queen performers in an NYC underground theater where they encounter drug addicts, perverts, and other degenerates that inhabit the scene.

     Like all the films in this set, Compass Rose was never completed by Milligan so we have no idea what his final vision was for the film but as it sits currently it is damn near unwatchable.  I went into this one really excited to see some of the things I had learned about him from the documentary but the movie is pieced together the best as possible but that doesn't give us a lot to go on.   The acting in this one is a lot of fun but it is rough.  The cast really gets into their roles and brings a lot of energy in some of the scenes but the dialogue delivery is rough.  Their inexperience is evident but I still had fun with their energy in several of the scenes.  The story for this one is extremely lacking.  I'm sure Milligan had a story or idea in his head when he originally started the film but I have no idea what the end game was without it being finished.  It's extremely difficult to follow and has very little direction as is.  I seriously wanted to get into it but I was confused through most of it.  Finally, don't go into this one expecting deaths.  We do have some nudity and an incoherent story if that's more your speed.  Overall, Compass Rose was a very difficult film to finish.  While I liked the characters and the cast, it was a rough experience.  I wanted to like it but it's not a fun watch as it is.  

The Degenerate: The Life and Films of Andy Milligan

Director(s) - Grayson Tyler Johnson (Toast, Community Service) and Josh Johnson (Rewind This!, Creation is Violent: Anecdotes on Kinski's Final Years)

Starring - John Borske (Bloodthirsty Butchers, Gutter Trash), Alex DiSanto (Nightmare in Psycho Town, Bad Seeds), and Gerald Jacuzzo (The Man With Two Heads, Torture Dungeon)

Release Date - 2025

Genre - Documentary

Tagline - "Strictly adult entertainment"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've reviewed more documentaries this year than I have previously.  Hell, I've probably reviewed more this year than I have the last two or three years combined.  I love documentaries but I'm not really a fan of reviewing them as it entails a lot to cover.  I usually try to simplify it as much as possible which does most documentaries an injustice.  Anyway, I recently watched several documentaries sent over from Severin as part of their various collection sets.  The first was about the films from Spain following the death of their dictator while the second was on the life and career of the legendary Christopher Lee.  As I move over to the Gutter Auteur set from Severin, I find myself watching another one.  This time it's the 2025 doc. The Degenerate: The Life and Films of Andy Milligan.  Milligan is a filmmaker I was familiar with but I'd be lying if I said he was one I admired or genuinely enjoyed.  I did like a few of his films but for every one of his films I liked there was a few that I didn't care for.  Anyway, I went into this set excited and after watching The Degenerates, I figured it made sense to watch this one next.  

     This follows an in depth look at the personal life and career of Andy Milligan featuring interviews from film historians, collaborators, and personal friends.  We see him growing up as an Army brat, to the stage, and filmmaking all while being openly gay before he died of AIDS.  

     I'll be honest and admit that I didn't know a lot about Milligan before this documentary.  I knew he had fought with his cast and crew during filming and died sometime back but I had no idea he was openly gay and died as a result of AIDS.  This was kind of an eye opening documentary in regards to his backstory and how that shaped his films.  This also confuses me as to why I never seen him mentioned among other LGBTQ+ filmmakers.  He more than deserves to be on those lists.  I may not like all his work but making films as long as he did during the decades he did is commendable.  The interviews in this one are insightful and not always one sided.  We get a full look at his up bringing, career, and personal life through several eyes.  These interviews are not sugar coated either.  We get a real look at him and see how he was as a person.  I really dislike films that gloss over the negatives but this one doesn't.  You get to see the real Milligan.  The topics discussed follow his life chronologically and, in some instances, are very informative.  While some are thorough than others, it does offer a wide variety of what made Andy Milligan stand out.  Finally, this one is edited and shot very well.  The transitions look great and the cinematography looks amazing.  I was really impressed by how well this one looks.  I was familiar Josh Johnson's previous docs and knew he would do a great job but this one is easily his best looking doc.  Overall, The Degenerate: The Life and Films of Andy Milligan is an informal and well put together documentary about a true cinema maverick.  While I wouldn't say I'm a fan of his work, the fact he was openly gay and creating movies during a time when this could get you hurt means he was truly passionate about it.  I highly recommend checking this one out especially if you have no idea who Andy Milligan was.  Check it out.  

The Degenerates

Director - Andy Milligan (The Naked Witch, The Man with Two Heads)

Starring - Bryarly Lee (Omnibus, Studio One), Marcia Haufrecht (The Sopranos, Dog Day Afternoon), and Anne Linden (The Vixens, The All American Honeymoon)

Release Date - 1967

Genre - Sci-Fi

Tagline - "They always go down to the lowest depths of human sensuality"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     There is a lot of filmmakers that were lost to time over the decades as beta and VHS made way to DVD and blu but many boutique labels have made it their mission to find these films. Director Andy Milligan is a filmmaker I was somewhat familiar with.  I began collecting movies when I was in high school and sometime during my college years I found a copy of The Ghastly Ones on DVD for a decent price.  I went ahead and snagged it for my collection.  One of the campus officers would often borrow this movie and during my last year there I gifted it to him.  Sadly, this was one of the few Milligan films that I had seen until a few years back when Severin released their Andy Milligan set.  I snagged a copy and checked it out.  Not all of his films hit for me but I enjoyed most of them.  A few weeks back Severin announced a second Andy Milligan release and this one would feature several lost films of his along with a documentary.  I quickly shot them an email requesting this one for review and they were kind enough to send it over.  It only made sense to start with the The Degenerates from 1967 which is the movie of his that I had always wanted to see but never had the chance.  I want to thank Severin for sending this one over!

     The film takes place some time after a nuclear disaster.  A group of men are searching for survivors when they cross paths with a group of women barricaded in an old farmhouse.  They soon learn that no everyone wants saved and not everyone is a victim.

     I went into The Degenerates knowing a little about the plot but that is about it.  I knew what to expect from the acting and the story but it wasn't until I was getting ready to put my review together that I learned that the film was originally unfinished and had to be edited together to make it more coherent.  With that being said, I actually enjoyed it for what it was.  It is extremely rough around the edges but it's still fun.  The acting in this one is what you would expect from an early Milligan flick.  The cast is really into their roles and you can see how dedicated they really are in some of the more intense scenes but the overacting and lack of emotional depth made a few scenes really awkward.  Some of the cast would go on to have pretty stellar careers but it's clear that this is some of their first films and used it as a learning experience.  The story for this one fits in with the late 60s sci-fi trend with the cold war in full effect.  However, what sets it apart from the others is the role reversal of the women being the depraved.  The film does suffer from pacing issues and I can only assume that some of the middle portion of the film was never filmed which left some gaps in the story but it still finds a way to work in a sexploitation kind of way.  Finally, those of you looking for a bloody flick will be very disappointed.  The film is very light on the effects and the deaths are not gruesome. The movie is clearly a no budget affair and they did not have money in the budget for memorable deaths.  Overall, The Degenerates could have been a career defining film from a fringe filmmaker but was never finished for various reasons.  I would have loved to see what Milligan really envisioned but this is the best we can do.  This is a must see for any cult cinema fan.  Check it out.  

Pancake Man

Director - Bron Theron (Half Dead Fred, The Crude Crypt Volume One)

Starring - Michael Della Pia (Robot Dracula, Arena Wars), Seth Hart (Cocaine Stepdad, Insomnia), and Sparkle Soojian (Sharks N Da Hood, Among the Willows)

Release Date - 2026

Genre - Thriller/Crime

Tagline - "Revenge is served all day"

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I get a lot of press releases in from various marketing firms, producers, indie directors, and production companies wanting me to share any news they may have on the site.  I cover horror but over the years I've shared stuff on exploitation, sci-fi, dark thrillers, crime dramas, true crime, and so on just because of who was attached to it or because it was a good fit for the site.  Sometime back I received a press release for the film Pancake Man.  I didn't ready it but I shared it on the site thinking it was something like a horror comedy slasher.  Over time I completely forgot about it until I received another press release announcing that it was going to be available on Tubi very soon in the future.  Not long after that email I received a message on Instagram requesting me to review it.  I wasn't able to right away but I added it to my list to check out as soon as I could.  The film was not what I was expecting and I'll leave it at that for now.

     The film follows a man who enters a diner in hopes of scoring some pancakes.  However, the kitchen has stopped serving breakfast 10 minutes early resulting in him becoming extremely hostile.  When another patron to the diner tries to interfere with his order, he is sent over the edge.  Soon the bodies start piling up and his rampage steps on the toes of a gang and a crime boss igniting a war in the streets.

     I went into Pancake Man knowing absolutely nothing about the film and was very surprised by what I saw.  I had high hopes that it was going to be a comedic spin on the slasher sub-genre and was not expecting to see a crime drama with strange deaths. Honestly, the film felt like it was stretched too thin and struggled with identity issues.  I wanted to like it but I couldn't get into it.  The acting in this one is not bad but it is very inconsistent as the film progresses.  The film's lead, Michael Della Pia, does a great job in the opening scenes of the film but as the movie moves along he becomes less and less as intense.  He does dial it back up during a few random scenes later on but it's not as consistent.  The same can be said about the supporting cast.  It seems like everyone came out of the gate firing on all cylinders but the later scenes just don't have the same burning.  I don't know if filming had burned them all out by that point or what but it's evident that they are not attacking their roles like they did earlier in the film.  The story for this one is is listed as horror but it's not what I would consider horror.  It reminded me a lot of Beyond Fury meets Zed's Dead.  It's a crime drama with a small body count that doesn't feel horror at all.  Also, the story itself feels like it was stretched too far.  The movie didn't need to be as long as it is and a lot of the scenes are extremely dull.  The pacing, which is already thrown off, would benefit if it was trimmed down drastically.  Finally, the film has several death scenes but they are not something genre fans are going to really enjoy.  The effects are minimal or not existent but they do look good for what they are.  Overall, Pancake Man is not what I expected and while I wanted to like it, it just wasn't for me.  It is billed as a horror movie but it's more of a crime drama with an unhinged guy going around starting shit that doesn't really make sense.  Sadly, this is one I would recommend skipping.  

Protanopia

Director - Matthew Mahler (What Jack Built, Vault)

Starring - Timothy J. Cox (Creatures of Habit, Friends Forever), Anthony Carey (The Scream of Silence), and Paula Mahler (Dark Romance)

Release Date - 2024

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Have you seen this girl?"

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been fortunate enough to review some wild indie titles over the years here at Horror Society.  I get asked to review a lot of films and some are memorable while others are just not for me.  I hate to be negative but I can't like them all and I refuse to lie or be dishonest in my reviews.  A few weeks ago I was asked to review the indie horror film Protanopia.  I knew absolutely nothing about this one but the title did peak my interest.  I had no idea what it meant at the time which made my mind work overtime thinking about what I was about to see.  I want to thank actor Timothy J. Cox for sending this one over for review.  I truly appreciate it!

     The film follows a young man who suspects his step-sister is missing.  He files a missing person report but the police tell him that typically this sort of thing sorts itself out.  In the town over, a man has just inherited his father's home after his passing and took over as president on the council.  The other board members want to search his property and the surrounding area but he declines to let them out of fear something may happen.  That night he has a dream about his father and when he awakens he starts to suspect that something strange is going on with his home.  While he is becoming obsessed with his home, the step-brother is starting to receive visits from someone instructing him to write his next novel.  Eventually, everything is connected and revealed to the two.

     When I started writing this review for Protanopia I learned that it is the name for those that have red/green colorblindness.  Honestly, I have no idea how that really played into the story itself but it does somewhat fit considering how heaving on the colors the lighting was.  I went into this one kind of excited and was quickly ready for it to end.  It's not a bad movie per sei but it wasn't for me.  The acting in this one is solid with Timothy J. Cox doing most of the heavy lifting.  I'm not just saying that because he sent this one over for review.  I'm saying it because his performance is head and shoulders above the rest which is truly saying something considering everyone does a a solid job.  The characters are not all written equally with some having more time spent on their development.  This doesn't give everyone a lot to work with but the performances we do have are decent.  The story for this one is simple with an experimental/arthouse vibe to it.  A missing woman, a man seeing ghosts, and a stranger telling a writer to write is about the extent of this one.  We have a lot of bloated scenes that do very little to progress the story along and the beautiful lighting and cinematography is meant to enhance the film but is unable to truly do so due to the stale story.  Finally, the film doesn't have any memorable deaths and or practical effects.  It relies heavily on the on the lighting to do all the work which it is beautiful to look at but genre fans want to see the red stuff.  Overall, Protanopia is not for me.  The story didn't go anywhere and it didn't have anything to really hold the viewer's attention.  I did like the cast but that is the extent of it for me. 

Souls Chapel

Director - Jake C. Young (Daylight to Dark, The Dark Room)

Starring - Andrew Pierson (Tulsa King, Punk Shark), Brian Bremer (Pumpkinhead, Coffintooth), and Niko El Santo Zavero (Robot Ninja, Axegrinder 7: New Blood)

Release Date - 2026

Genre - Horror/Western

Tagline - "Kentucky's most haunted legend"

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was in college I found myself really getting into the few horror westerns that I added to my collection when the local Hollywood Video was going out of business.  The movies Dead Birds, The Burrowers, The Dead and the Damned, and Ravenous were all cheap buys as the video rental giant was trying to liquidate as much as they could.  Honestly, I enjoyed them and still check them out from time to time when I want something different to watch.  I always keep an eye out for a horror western when I'm movie browsing but I rarely find them.  A few weeks ago I received a press release for a supernatural horror western.  The movie, Souls Chapel, caught my eye but the title and artwork didn't do much for me.  However, I quickly agreed to check it out when I was offered the chance.  

     The film follows a drifter who is on the hunt for gold when he finds himself in the middle of a snow storm.  He tries to seek sanctuary in a small church but soon finds himself at the mercy of the town priest, his nun, and their followers.  Things go from bad to worse when he learns that there are supernatural forces at play in this small town and the church is at the center of it all.

     I went into Souls Chapel kind of excited.  It's been a minute since my last horror western and that film in particular was very underwhelming.  I was hoping that this one would finally scratch that itch that I didn't know I had but it fell short.  I seriously wanted to like it but it was too stretched out and not enough going on to hold my attention.  It was a great looking film but it just didn't have anything to say.  The acting in this one is a bit uneven and inconsistent.  Some of the cast shows inexperience while those that have appeared on camera prior to this shows a lot of inconsistency.  In some of the scenes we have some great performances where the cast is really dialed in while other scenes feel rushed.  The characters themselves are somewhat cliched but a few do shine through the cracks, most importantly, the woman in white and the nun.  The story for this one is stretched way too thin for the run time we have.  The movie uses pointless scenes full of dull dialogue to bloat the run time.  A good portion of the film could be trimmed down making the story more streamlined.  The movie should have took the story and went straight through it instead of all these unnecessary scenes.  Finally, the film has some blood and a few deaths but neither are that memorable.  The effects are minimal and the deaths are not that imaginative.  Genre fans will want more and will be very disappointed by this.  Overall, Souls Chapel is an interesting idea that just didn't find it's way.  The story reminded me a little of the series Wynonna Earp but just wasn't able to give us the fun characters or a story to follow.  I wanted to love it but it just wasn't for me.  

Vampire Time Travelers

Director - Les Sekely (Night of the Living Date, I Know What You Did in English Class)

Starring - Lynne Baker, Ali Elk (Of Light and Darkness, Hollywood Homicide), and Kat Facchino (Beverly Hills Bordello, Vampire Night)

Release Date - 1998

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "Bite her in the butt"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I was raised on 80s and 90s vampire flicks.  I watched movies like Fright Night, The Lost Boys, My Best Friend is a Vampire, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Children of the Night all the fucking time when I was growing up.  I absolutely fucking loved them and the release of Blade catapulted my love for vampire flicks.  Sadly, as time went on I found myself more interested in zombies and slashers instead of vampires.  Fast forward to a few years ago when a friend of mine on Facebook made a post talking about the late 90s vampire comedy Vampire Time Travelers and how the VHS he just got was his favorite movie in his collection.  The title peaked my interest but the artwork was lame as fuck so I had no interest in it.  Move to a few weeks back and Visual Vengeance announced that they would be release Vampire Time Travelers on blu.  I thought the title sounded familiar but couldn't remember why it was.  I shot them a message and they were kind enough to send a copy over for review.  It wasn't until I was watching it that I realized this was that movie and how much fun it actually was.  I want to thank MVD and Visual Vengeance for sending this one over!

     The film follows a group of girls pledging a sorority.  What they don't know is that this particular sorority stopped a vampire from taking over the world recently and her sister is hellbent on revenge.  Now she is going through the sorority one by one biting them on the ass and turning them into time traveling bloodsuckers.

      I had no idea what this movie was about going into it but the title gave me a pretty good idea that it would involve vampires and some time traveling.  However, it wasn't until I got to the scene with the butt biting that I realized that this was the same film my friend had bragged about on VHS.  I love stupid movies and this one is easily one of the dumbest movies I had ever seen.  It was so much fucking fun and I can't wait to recommend it to people looking for stupid movies to watch the next time they want to pop an edible.  The acting in this one is not that great but I kind of enjoyed that quality.  It added to the overall no budget look and feel of the film.  The characters are a lot of fun and the cast, regardless if they are experienced or not, do a lot to bring their characters to the screen.  We have a lot of fun scenes with this cast and they make the movie as funny as it is.  The story for this one is a bit of a mess but that's what I love about it.  The movie is actually a sequel to Sorority House Vampires which was something I just discovered as I was typing this review.  The info I could find on it according to imdb states that that both movies were made in 1998 and featured different filmmakers.  I didn't watch the first one and I was still able to enjoy this one.  Back to this film.  We have vampires, bloodthirsty record execs, bitchy sorority chicks, ass biting, and so much more in this one.  With that being said, it's the amount of simple one liners and puns that makes this film so fun.  This movie is everything I would expect from a mid-90s direct to video comedy but it's actually a late 90s no budget horror movie.  Finally, if you are looking for some fun effects and memorable deaths then you are shit out of luck.  We have some simple and cheap visual effects and some not so impressive make-up effects but that is the extent of that.  The movie focuses more on story and humor than it does the death scenes.  Overall, Vampire Time Travelers is easily my new favorite movie.  I will be adding something from this to my horror sleeve in the near future.  I highly recommend snagging a copy of this one soon from Visual Vengeance.  

The Substitute

Director - Robert Mandel (ABC Afterschool Specials, The X-Files)

Starring - Tom Berenger (Major League, Platoon), Raymond Cruz (Alien: Resurrection, Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires), and William Forsythe (Dick Tracy, The Devil's Rejects) 

Release Date - 1996

Genre - Crime/Action

Tagline - "The most dangerous thing about school used to be the students"

Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I pretty much lived at my local video store.  Dewey's Video was about a 15 or 20 minute ride from my home and I was there several times a week and always on Friday so I could get that extra day rental.  I was always checking out movies regardless of their genre.  Horror will always be my favorite genre but sometimes a movie from a different genre would catch my eye and I had to rent it.  This was also the time of the premium channels like HBO and Cinemax.  I loved movies and would often scour the TV guide looking for something to watch when I didn't have a movie from Dewey's to check out.  A few weeks back I received the press release for the crime action flick from 1996 called The Substitute.  This is a film I'm very familiar with after watching it several times growing up.  I can't remember if it was because I rented the tape from Dewey's or caught it on the premium channels.  Regardless, it had been a long time and I couldn't wait to check it out again.  I shot them a message and they were kind enough to send over a copy of the UHD release for me to check out.  

     The film follows a former soldier turned mercenary who turns to teaching when his fiancée is attacked by a gang at the inner city school she teaches at.  He goes undercover to get revenge on the gang only to learn that they are working with the principal and a known drug dealer to push their product onto the students of the school.  He turns to his former team to infiltrate the group and put a stop to them.

     The Substitute is one of those mid-90s action flicks that takes a simple action story and tosses it in an urban setting.  These became extremely popular after films like New Jack City was released and I've always enjoyed them for the most part.  The Substitute is not as dark and gritty as a lot of the others but it more than makes up for this with better writing.  The acting in this one is great.  We have a fantastic cast that features some seriously heavy hitters.  Major League is one of those films that I watched all the fucking time as a kid and I always thought Tom Berenger was fantastic in it.  It wasn't until I revisited The Substitute now that I realized how fucking fantastic he is.  Honestly, he carries the film to me.  His character is pretty cliched and not that original but he does an amazing job at bringing him to life.  Ernie Hudson is great as the film's antagonist.  I don't know of another film where he is the villain and I love seeing the charisma he brought to the role.  We also have great performances from Luis Guzman, Raymond Cruz, William Forsythe, Glenn Plummer, and several more.  This film does not have a weak link in regards to cast.  The story for this one is is  bit more complicated than a lot of the other action flicks at the time.  We have a school gang that is selling drugs provided by the principal while a mercenary and his team infiltrate the school to stop them.  It is a bit goofy and busy but it works.  We have characters that are well written and the scenes unfold perfectly.  Finally, we get a lot of gun fights and some minor explosions but those looking for a lot of fun deaths and fantastic gore will be very disappointed.  Overall, The Substitute is one of those mid-90s action films that many people might look over but is actually pretty fucking fun.  I genuinely love this movie and it was great revisiting it in 4K.  I highly recommend checking out this release from Vestron Video.  

Amityverse

Director(s) - Chad M. Campbell (Jeanie's Face Exploded, Chillermania! The Story of Michigan and American Chillers), Curtis Everitt (Shark Balloon, Doll), Ron Ford (Grass Hook Massacre, Twisted Fates), Evan Jacobs (Backrooms Bigfoot, The Pickleball Exorcist), Chad Knauer (Murder Clown 1985, Skeleton Cop), Jt Kris (The Arkansas Pigman Massacre, Ghosts of Amityville), Josh Spiegel (Witching Hour, The Last Amityville Movie), Blaize Tudor (The Exotic Zoo of Terror, Cocaine Witch), Douglas Waltz (Invisible Shark, The Basement of Baron Morbid), and Andy Wolf (Monster Mansion Memories)

Starring - Armand Arekian (Tales from the Aether, Dummy), Jace Blalock (Meanboat, Santa Crawls), and Paul Bradford (Skate to Hell, Gobblefoot)

Release Date  - 2025

Genre - Horror

Format - Streaming (Tubi)

Rating (out of 5):

     Sometime last year I took a few days to watch the original run of Amityville Horror films.  I had seen them before but it had been years so I decided to revisit them.  I've always liked these films, for the most part, and really enjoyed myself watching them again.  I tend to stay away from the indie and no budget Amityville "sequels" unless it catches my eye because I don't really care for most of them.  With that being said, I do enjoy Amityville Vibrator and Amityville Christmas Vacation.  A few weeks back I received a press release from my friends over at SRS Cinema announcing the upcoming release of their indie horror anthology Amityverse.  I brushed it off like I do most of the Amityville films until I saw it on Tubi while I was browsing for something to watch.  I decided to pull the trigger and check it out.

     This anthology features ten stories ranging from evil mimes, killer clowns, the famous Skeleton Cop, serial killers, and more.

     I went into Amityverse with an open mind and found myself not having a good time.  It had some interesting segments that I liked but the overall film was a tough one to finish.  I hate writing reviews like this, especially about an indie flick, but it was clear that these were done quickly with very little care.  The acting in this one is uneven.  Some segments offered up some decent performances while others felt very rushed and insincere.  I've reviewed indie, no budget films for years and while some of these segments are among the better acted I've seen, others are very rough.  The stories in this one varies from clever and fun to very confusing and unwatchable.  The Skeleton Cop and Death Toilet Reprise are my two favorites in the film but they are still far from perfect.  Personally, the segments are just too short and don't stay around long enough to really get any traction.  They are all rushed and feel incomplete for the most part.  Finally, the film has some practical and visual effects but neither are enjoyable.  The deaths are very lackluster and add nothing to the films while the effects are noticeably cheap.  Overall, Amityverse feels like a no budget anthology that just tried to cram as many segments as it could without focusing on quality.  I seriously wanted to like this one but it was not enjoyable at all.  Skip it.  

The Paranormal

Director - Todd Norris (Call Me Snake, Nighty Night)

Starring - Josh Anderson, Dave Byerley, and Davide Baldin 

Release Date - 1999

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "They knew the movie was bad... they didn't know it would kill them"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     The 90s was the decade that I gound my love of horror.  It started with my grandma letting me watch Tom Savini's remake of Night of the Living Dead and then showing me the original immediately after.  It wasn't long after this that my love for reading, at the time, sent me down the path of horror with R.L. Stine's Goosebumps and Fear Street along with several collections of Appalachian ghost stories and Stephen King from my local library.  Horror also took hold with my T.V. as well with Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Tales from the Crypt, and so much more.  I know the 90s is easily one of the most hate decades in regards to horror but it's a decade I cherish.  I'm always open to check out horror from the 90s and when Visual Vengeance announced the release of 1998's The Paranormal, I knew I had to see it.  I once again want to thank MVD and Visual Vengeance for sending this one over!

     The film follows a paranormal investigator who is sent back to his hometown to investigate a movie theater that was said to be the site of unexplained phenomenon.  What he thinks would be a routine investigation but finds himself, along with some others there for the investigation, locked inside the theater when it hit midnight.  Now they have to figure out what is going on and why everything paranormal happening in the theater is connected to an old zombie movie.

     This is one of the many movies I had never heard of prior to Visual Vengeance releasing it.  The press release for this one really peaked my interest and the artwork for the release sold me on it.  The movie was just as good as I had hoped and this release from VV is now among my favorite releases in my collection.  The acting in this one is solid which is surprising considering how inexperienced the cast is.  The cast works very well together and do a decent enough job at bringing their characters to life.  Also, they do a great job at showcasing their wide range of emotions that fit the scene.  The story for this one is not what I was expecting at all.  I knew it was going to be supernatural based story but I did not expect the movie subplot and how well it was going to play in the film.  The character development is a little off and the pacing has issues in some of the scenes but the overall story works.  Finally, the film has some make-up effects but that is the extent of it.  we don't get any memorable deaths or fun effects.  We get some classic movie magic and that is it.   Overall, The Paranormal is the kind of movie that I really enjoy watching late at night.  It's not that well made but it's fun for what it is.  Check it out on blu from Visual Vengeance.  

Colony Mutation

Director - Tom Berna

Starring - Joan Dinco, David Rommel (Downer), and Anna Zizzo 

Release Date - 1995

Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "Don't be afraid of..."

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Visual Vengeance quickly became one of my favorite boutique blu labels of recent years with their dedication to S.O.V. cinema.  I'll be honest, a lot of their films do not benefit from being restored and put on blu but it's awesome having a lot of these in my collection with many of them being stuck in VHS hell.  Some of these movies are proudly displayed in my collection.  A lot of them are movies I had never seen before and it was thanks to VV that I was able to finally check them out.  However, for every movie that I live, there is one that just didn't do it for me.  A few weeks back Visual Vengeance sent me the 1995 sci-fi horror mashup Colony Mutation from Tom Berna.  I had never seen this one before but I couldn't wait to dig into it.

     The film follows a man who is sneaking out on his hot scientist wife with another woman.  She learns of the affair when she gets his credit card bill and confronts him.  She slaps him and then throws a chemical her colleague is working at him before he beats her to death.  After hiding of her body, he tries to go about his life as if nothing happened but soon learns that the chemical he was hit with has altered his body.  His limbs are now carnivorous creatures with a taste for human flesh.  

     I went into this one knowing very little about it.  It looked like an attempt at the science gone too far films that many of us would watch on the Sci-Fi Channel before their rebranding.  While it does feel like that at times, the story is just different enough to make it feel like something somewhat unique.  It had some fun moments but loses itself during the last half of it's runtime.  The acting in this one is rough at times but I appreciate their dedication to their roles.  Most of the scenes feature dialogue spoken without conviction and a lot of their mannerisms are unnatural.  They are really into their roles but their lack of experience shows in every scene.  The story for this one is another science gone too far creating body horror.  We've seen this type of films before with films like The Blob and The Fly remakes.  I loved how the film started.  We have a cheating husband and a scientist who catches him.  In a fit of rage, she throws a chemical on him before he kills her before his body slowly changes into a flesh eating beast.  I really love how the film is written but it's the second half of the film where it loses me.  The whole body horror aspect is half-assed resulting in a poorly put together last act that has nothing enjoyable for the viewer to see.  Honestly, I feel this part was changed during filming for unknown reasons.  Finally, the film has several deaths but they are not as fun as they could have been.  The effects are very limited which is why I suspect the second half of the film is difficult to finish.  I love the idea behind his body/limbs being monsters but the way the films goes about it leaves a lot to be desired.  Overall, Colony Mutation is a movie that I was really looking forward to and was actually liking until the film lost steam.  The ending felt rather dull and out of place makes me think that it was changed on the fly.  I wanted to like it but it just wasn't for me.  Skip it.  

The Ugly

Director - Scott Reynolds (The Cult, When Strangers Appear)

Starring - Paolo Rotondo (Power Rangers Dino Charge, The Rule of Jenny Pen), Paul Glover (Spartacus, Power Rangers Ninja Steel), and Chris Graham (Power Rangers Beast Morphers, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)

Release Date - 1997

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Murder is in the eye of the beholder"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was in high school I snagged a horror documentary as a bonus movie with another horror title that I picked up somewhere.  I think it may have been Walmart at the time but I honestly can't remember.  Anyway, this documentary talked about several horror titles from the popular franchises like Child's Play and Friday the 13th but it also featured some other films that I had never heard of before.  One of those films is the 1997 horror film The Ugly from New Zealand.  A friend of mine decided to track down the movies from this for us to check out and got a VHS copy from eBay.  I remember digging it but also being a bit underwhelmed by it.  The documentary made it seem like it was a lot more gruesome than what it was.  Fast forward two decades to me checking my mail when I was surprised to find a copy of the new blu from my friends over at Unearthed Films and MVD.  This gave me the perfect chance to revisit it and, like always, I want to thank MVD for sending this one over for review!

     The film follows a psychiatrist who is sent into an asylum to interview a serial killer.  This starts out innocently enough when we learn that he was bullied by other boys and his mother was very abusive.  However, the deeper into his past she goes, the more things don't add up until he finally admits that he sees people.  Those that he has killed will tell him to kill.  They are persistent and their persistence drives him mad until he finally kills them adding yet another face to the crowd.

     The Ugly is a film that is never really talked about among genre fans but the few times I've seen it mentioned it feels like it is embellished to some extent.  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the film but even by late 90s standards, it's not that gruesome or depraved.  Hell, I don't even think it's gruesome by New Zealand's standards of the time.  The acting in this one is pretty damn good.  Paolo Rotondo gives an amazing performance.  He doesn't come across as menacing or sinister but his emotional range in this film is damn impressive.  I would have loved to see him give a little more intensity during the death scenes but his performance is still fantastic as is.  The supporting cast is solid but a lot of the characters are generic or very flat which doesn't give the cast a lot to work with.  The story for this one is very interesting and works for the most part.  A serial killer that is haunted by his victims is pretty clever.  However, I would have loved to explore more of his life and the time during the killings rather than the random flashbacks.  We know what happens before it happens.  If we would have followed him through his murders then we would have that sense of unpredictability.  It's still enjoyable but we know exactly where it's going before it gets there.  Finally, the film doesn't have imaginative deaths.  A straight razor across the throat of his victims is the extent of what we get.  We have black blood, which I assume is a censorship thing over there, and some solid make-up effects but nothing that will stick with you once you hit stop on the film.  Overall, The Ugly is a solid film that could have been so much more if we had some death scenes that stood out.  It's still a fun film but I don't feel that is nowhere near as violent as others let on.  Regardless, this release from Unearthed is fantastic.  Collectors will want to grab this one.  

Plankenstein

Director - Diq Diamond (Don't Drink and Drive: A Family Film, The Bunker)

Starring - Leilani Ramos (Potluck with Smooch), Amy Jennings (Paranormal Sh!t, True Tales of Terror), and Shane Chisum (The Tattoo Club: Curse of the Dragon, Static)

Release Date - 2025

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "A killer surf movie"

Format - Streaming (Tubi)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've seen a lot of movies over the years thanks to my connection with Horror Society.  I've seen some of the wildest films imaginable with movies featuring living placentas, murderous condoms, gay bikers that create a fight club, bigfoot with an STD, and so on.  A few weeks back I received a press release for the surfing slasher Plankenstein.  The film was released on Tubi and the team behind the indie horror film wanted to get the news out.  I shared it on the site and decided to add it to my watch list.  It looked fun and a movie that I could really enjoy.  

     The film follows a surfer, a cop, and the chief of police as they investigate a string of brutal murders along the beaches of popular surf spots.  

     I went into this expecting a lot of Frankenstein puns mixed with a lot of surfing.  Instead, what I was greeted with was a move that felt like it was intentionally trying to annoy you.  I made it maybe five minutes before I found myself wishing it would end.  I hate being that way especially for an indie movie but this one was one of the hardest films to finish that I've reviewed in sometime.  The acting in this one is very stiff at time with flat dialogue.  The cast seems to be having a lot of fun on set and that shows in a few scenes but the overall acting is fairly one dimensional.  The story for this one is a slasher meets island lore.  I was expecting more a Frankenstein story with a surfing theme but what we get is a slasher that doesn't really feel like one with some made up legend that doesn't really pull the viewer in.  The film feels like there is several decent enough ideas thrown out but none of them full builds up on them.  Honestly, a patchwork surf board killing tourists would have been a much more entertaining film than what we have here.  Finally, don't expect memorable deaths.  We have some prop body parts and some blood but that is the extent the practical effects.  We do have a few scenes with some horrible visual effects that stand out.  The deaths are not memorable or imaginative but they do make good use of the practical props.  Overall, Plankenstein is not the movie I was expecting.  In fact, it was damn near impossible to finish.  When I was putting my review together I saw a similar review on Letterboxd or imdb that said the film was "intentionally trying to piss off the viewer" and I somewhat agree with it.  I wanted to like it but it was all over the place and held together with chewed gum and cheap tape.  This is one you will want to skip.  

Amityvillenado

Director(s) - Paul Tucker (Amityverse: Infinity, Steamboat Willie: Blood on the Water) and Jeff Van Gerwen (Blight, Clickbait)

Starring - Trey Ball (Clownsquatch, Sharksgiving), Jib Haddan (Semicolon), and Elizabeth McCoy (Royal Jelly, After Life Crisis)

Release Date - 2026

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "Cloudy with a chance of death"

Format - Streaming (Tubi)

Rating (out of 5):

     The Amityville Horror did something that many other horror properties could do and that's spawn a series of unofficial sequels that are still popular to this day.  The original film and subsequent sequels are among some of the most popular genre films in history.  However, about 20 so odd years ago we started seeing films that had nothing to do with those films appear using the Amityville title.  These unofficial sequels are known for their outlandish stories and absurd titles.  While many genre fans watch them to see just how bad they truly are, I look forward to them because I truly love indie cinema.  A few weeks ago I was browsing an indie horror group on Facebook when I found a post talking about the horror comedy Amityvillenado making it's way to Tubi.  I fucking adore Tubi and quickly added the film to my watchlist.  I had originally planned on watching the film for fun while I was working on other review but I decided to write a review for it instead.  I was seriously impressed by the film and thought many other genre fans would be interested in it as well.

     The film follows two friends who are house sitting for the sister of one of them with plans of hitting up a concert nearby.  This just happens to be near the legendary home that spawned the Amityville legend.  It just happens that when they arrived in town, the iconic home was destroyed by a freak tornado.  As they try to get settled in and ready for their concert, more tornado sightings occur where those near them are left dead.  The police suspect that there is a serial killer on the loose but those in the loop know that something sinister was unleashed when the house was destroyed.

     I'll be honest.  I went into Amityvillenado expecting the worst and found myself actually enjoying it.  It's not a perfect film by any standards but it's entertaining for the most part.  The acting in this one is not bad but the characters are not likable at all.  It's almost as if the characters were written to be cliched in a funny way but they all come across as unlikeable.  The acting is solid for the most part but I wish some of the cast could have provided us with a character that didn't make me want to turn the movie off.  The story for this one pokes fun at some of the original Amityville sequels while giving us a no budget comedic tale that fits in nowhere among all the Amityville films.  I loved the idea behind the film with the Amityville house becoming so evil that is turns into tornadoes that kills.  Honestly, I really enjoyed this goofy story and how it played out.  My only real complaint about it is that very little time went into character development.  A "funny" guy that isn't funny and is always shitting, a dude that is a major buzzkill, many other unlikable characters drag a good bit of the fun down.  Finally, the film has some cheap visual effects that is not the worst I've seen but is still very noticeable.  I would have loved to see some great practical effects and memorable deaths but that wasn't in the cards with this one.  Overall, Amityvillenado is a goofy film all around and while the humor doesn't really find it's mark, the film itself is pretty fun.  I don't see myself revisiting it anytime soon but I will recommend it to someone looking for no budget fun.  Check it out.