Out There Halloween Mega Tape

Director - Chris LaMartina (WNUF Halloween Special, Call Girl of Cthulhu)

Starring - George Stover (WrestleMassacre, Flesh Eaters), Melissa LaMartina (A Corpse for Christmas, House Shark), and Ted Geoghegan (Sharknado 2: The Second One, Hatchet III)

Release Date - 2022

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "It's Halloween in your VCR!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Many years ago I grabbed a copy of Chris LaMartina's WNUF Halloween Special on DVD and it instantly became a staple of my October horror binge.  I don't think I've skipped an annual viewing of it since obtaining the DVD all that time ago.  I have upgraded to the blu when it was released but that is neither here nor there.  A few years back LaMartina released sequel to WNUF titled Out There Halloween Mega Tape.  I remember following the project when he finally announced it but I completely forgot about it until Terror Vision announced their bad ass special edition release of the film with all kinds of extras with it.  I quickly ordered the collection and had hopes it would arrive in time to watch for Halloween.  Sadly, it arrived a day late so I added it to my review stack to get to when I could.  After watching the Gingerdead Man series, I decided to finally check it out.

     The "mega tape" features two cable television Halloween specials recorded a few years apart and many years after the dreadful WNUF Halloween special where several people are still missing.  The first special is a day time talk show with a Halloween theme.  The second special takes place a few years after the first with the same host, now hosting a paranormal show, who is meeting a cult that expects extraterrestrials to appear to take them to their home world.

     I had no idea what I was getting myself into with Out There Halloween Mega Tape but I knew that LaMartina would not disappoint and I was right.  Out There is a fantastic trip back to the 90s when I was spending my time at the video store or glued to the television.  A lot of thought went into this one and only someone who survived the decade would be able to nail a film like this.  The acting in this one is very inconsistent but still enjoyable.  The main characters, like Melissa LaMartina's Ivy Sparks, are very enjoyable with a little more time spent on the character's personality and background but a lot of the supporting characters are a bit awkward to watch.  I'm not referring to the cast "acting" as awkward people being interviewed on television like you would see on the local news.  The story for this one really does feel like something you would have watched during the 90s.  Hell, the only thing it's missing from the nostalgia overload is a USA Up All Night clone and some static breasts.  We get some "local" commercials that feel genuine, a great parody/tribute to day time talk shows with a Halloween special, and the final segment with the "live" broadcast of the cult is something that would have been extremely popular during the Satanic Panic.  With that being said, I couldn't imagine a news station going all out on Halloween a decade or so after people went missing on a live broadcast.  Regardless, I enjoyed it and I'm glad it was done in the same style again.  Finally, don't expect a blood bath or a film with a body count.  We get a lot of campy video editing and graphics along with some cheap computer generated images that fits the tone of the film perfectly.  Overall, Out There Halloween Mega Tape is not on the same level as the original and I think they knew they wouldn't be able to duplicate the same look and vibe.  Instead, they set out to make a similar experience but with a different type of Halloween special.  I enjoyed it and it definitely made me reminisce of about all the shows, infomercials, and commercials I watched growing up.  This is a must see for genre fans and those of you that made it out of the 90s alive.  Check it out.  

Speak No Evil

Director - James Watkins (Black Mirror, Eden Lake)

Starring - James McAvoy (Split, Victor Frankenstein), Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate, Freaks of Nature), and Scoot McNairy (Invincible, A Quiet Place Part II)

Release Date - 2024

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Hear no evil"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Actor James McAvoy really impressed me when he appeared in M. Night Shyamalan's Split.  I never really paid attention to him or his career until that point but once I had seen Split I immediately started thinking about the previous films he had appeared in.  He's a fantastic actor but the intensity and dedication it took to bring Split to life on screen is nothing short of brilliant.  I've tried to watch all his films since Split and up to this point I've done a fairly good job.  A few weeks back I received a copy of Speak No Evil on blu and added it to my watch list.  I really wanted to move it to the top of the list but I decided to hold off and watch it in order that I received it.

     The film follows an American couple that recently moved to London and is on vacation in Italy meet a British couple.  The two pairs hit it off and the American couple is invited to the British countryside to spend time with the other couple. They agree and set off to an idyllic country retreat.  However, some fun in the countryside turns odd when some red flags appear from their new friends.  They chalk it up to a different country with different customs but soon learn the deadly reason they were invited.  

     Speak No Evil didn't do it for me.  McAvoy once again killed it with his performance but the story is painfully dull, predictable, and far too long for the film that it is.  I know this is a remake of a 2022 film but after seeing this remake I doubt I will want to watch the original.  The acting in this one is great, be it, a little one sided.  McAvoy once again delivers a powerful and intense performance that will be talked about for years to come.  He supporting cast is solid as well but nowhere near as memorable as McAvoy.  With that being said, the characters are not very likable.  In fact, I spent most of the movie fantasizing about how McAvoy's character would kill them.  The story for this one starts out so fucking dull.  We get what feels like most of the film spent on character development and building what is already a very predictable story.  Anyone with any common sense knows what is going to happen yet we have over an hour spent slowly building to it.  The pointless dialogue, the insanely boring scenes, and going nowhere mundane tasks makes it a difficult film to finish.  The last leg of the film is a lot of fun but the violence is not enough to save it.  Finally, the film has a lot of beautiful effects, practical and computer generated, during the last act of the film which I really enjoyed.  It's not a gory film but the violence is a lot of fun.  If the entire film had this sort of energy throughout the entire thing it would have been way more enjoyable.  Overall, Speak No Evil is a long winded film that has nothing to really say.  It's predictability and unlikable characters made it difficult for me to finish.  While I did enjoy the cat and mouse aspect of the ending, I still cannot recommend this one.  Skip it!

Worst Laid Plans

Director(s) - John Hale III (The Conduit, 10/31 Part 2), Jeremy Herbert (Killer Deal, The Childish Thing), Christopher G. Moore (Gut Punched, Backward Creep) 

Starring - Daniel Allen (The Things with the Glowing Green Eyes), Keegan Badillo, and Matthew J. Baker 

Release Date - 2022

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "You'll wish you weren't here"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) 

Rating (out of 5):

     I grew up steadily watching and renting slasher and zombie flicks when I could.  Hell, I still go out of my way to watch these two sub-genres but I've realized as I've grown older that anthologies were a big part of my childhood.  I grew up watching films like Creepshow, Creepshow 2, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, The Twilight Zone: The Movie, From a Whisper to A Scream, and many more.  I loved the wrap around segment, the little connections each short story would sometime toss in for those paying attention, and the mix of shorts we were given.  When director John Hale III announced that he was connected to the indie horror anthology Worst Laid Plans, I knew I would be checking it out eventually.  Sadly, I completely forgot about it until I was completing my collection of Scream Team Releasing releases and realized I never grabbed a copy.  I went ahead and added it to my cart and added it to my review list when it arrived.

     The film features three stories.  The first, Deep in the Heart," follows a family on a guided tour through a cavern when they cross paths with an abnormally large catfish with a taste for human flesh.  The second tale, You've Been Saved," follows two friends on a road trip when they think they've encountered a human trafficking situation.  However, on further investigating they learn there is more to the situation than appears.  The third and final tale, Taylor Family Vacation '93," follows a family on vacation with the dad recording everything with his tape recorder.  When he spots a strange man in the footage, he sets out to find answers and uncovers the ultimate truth.

     My biggest complaint with a lot of modern indie horror anthologies is the lack of wraparound segments that connect all the shorts together and serve as a sort of bookend.  A lot of the modern horror anthologies, especially indie productions, lack these stories.  Worst Laid Plans is one that doesn't have a wrap around segment nor is the segments consistent.  I enjoyed the overall film but some of these stories are better than others.  The acting in this one is actually very well done through the entire film.  The cast in all three segments do phenomenal jobs and really make their characters enjoyable.  It's not often I review an anthology featuring segments from various filmmakers and the acting is this consistent.  The stories for this one are not as consistent as the acting.  The film plays out in order of enjoyment, at least it does in my opinion.  The first segment, Deep in the Heart, is from director John Hale and is my personal favorite of the film.  A monster living in a cave deep in the mountains is something anyone in Appalachia would find interesting.  You throw in the great character development and acting and you have a great standalone short.  The second segment, You've Been Saved from Christopher G. Moore, had a story I actually liked but didn't fully explore every aspect of it.  Two former friends that have grown apart meet up to take a road trip and party when they cross paths with what could be a human trafficking situation.  It's an interesting premise but shouldn't have ended when it did.  The story has so much more to give viewers.  I need more on the two people "baiting" humans and what became of them.  If this anthology receives a sequel then it better have a follow up segment for this one!  The final segment, Taylor Family Vacation 93 from Jeremy Herbert, is the segment that did nothing for me.  The premise is very interesting but it reminded me too much of a segment in another horror anthology that's name is eluding me.  It may be from the V/H/S franchise but I can't recall.  Anyway, it follows a mother recording her child and every time she does a sinister force is visible.  When she tries to investigate it further it's discovered she's actually dead and the person she was seeing as sinister in the footage is the child's father who is raising the child alone.  This one follows a father who is seeing a strange man through the lens of his camera but not when he takes it down.  Upon further investigating he learns a surprising secret.  This one doesn't really fit with the theme of the other two aside from the vacation/traveling aspect and is not something I could really get into.  It was a bit dull and, as I stated earlier, it reminded me a lot of another segment from another horror anthology.  Finally, the film has some great practical effects.  We have a fun creature in the first segment and a fantastic mask with make-up effects in the second segment.  I really liked the look and editing of the third segment but the lack of gore really disappointment me with all three shorts.  Overall, Worst Laid Plans is a fun themed horror anthology but there is a lot of room for improvements.  It may not send chills down your spine but it will make you plan your next trip with extra care.  Check it out.  

     

Hemet, Or the Landlady Doesn't Drink Tea

Director - Tony Olmos (South of 8, Pulp Friction)

Starring - Kimberly Weinberger (Outer Dark, Apparition), Brian Patrick Butler (Hacksaw, The Gools), and Aimee La Joie (Golden Hour, The Film Crew)

Release Date - 2024

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "You thought your neighbors were weird"

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I get asked to review a lot of films from various filmmakers, producers, distributors, and so on.  I have a hard time turning a film away especially if something about the film catches my eye.  A few weeks ago I received an email to review the oddball political satire horror comedy Hemet, or the Landlady Doesn't Drink Tea.  The title and poster definitely peaked my interest and I agreed to check it out.  However, it take me a little time to get to it which I do apologize for.  I want to thank Dan Butler for sending this one along for review.  I seriously enjoyed it!

     The film takes place in the not so distant future where capitalism has completely taken over.  Profit rules the world and most laws protecting consumers have been virtually removed.  A tyrannical elderly landlord owns an apartment complex where she willfully increases rent on a whim while kicking out people she doesn't like.  This causes some of them to conspire behind her back to take her out in order to take control of the apartments.  

     Hemet, or the Landlady Doesn't Drink Tea is one of those films that is damn near impossible to describe.  It combines comedy with exploitation, satire, drama, and horror into something that defies labels.  With that being said, the film has a lot going on without really saying anything at all.  While I loved the acting and the out there story, the film itself doesn't really go anywhere.  The acting in this one is very uneven but not what I would call bad.  Some of the cast delivers a fantastic job while others do show inexperience.  These scenes are a bit awkward and feel like they are going nowhere.  On the flip side of that same coin, Butler makes the film as the elderly landlord.  This performance is unforgettable and makes the film for me.  I would have checked out of this film very early on if it wasn't for Butler and his performance.  The story for this one would be a solid premise for a short.  I loved the way money means everything but has very little value along with the power over the tenants the landlord had.  When you toss in the amazing performance from Butler as the landlord you have a solid base for a film.  However, we get a lot of talk about junkies eating people.  I don't know if this was written when the whole bath salts thing was popular on the news but mentioning it without actually showing them does very little for the viewer.  Also, we have a lot of scenes that go nowhere other than giving Butler a chance to shine.  While I do love his performance, a lot of these scenes could have been cut to fix the pacing of the film.  Finally, the film has some cheap visual effects and some wild make-up effects.  We have several deaths with a few of them using cheap visual effects and some blood splatter.  However, the make-up effects for the landlady is actually pretty impressive.  It's clearly a man in make-up but it's surprisingly well made and put together.  Overall, Hemet, or the Landlady Doesn't Drink Tea is a film that would have been a very clever and unique short.  However, it feels stretched too thin as a feature length film.  It's still a fantastic watch as is but does feel bloated in several of the scenes.  I still recommend it but keep it mind that it does feel way too long for the story it has.  

Attack of the Giant Leeches

Director - Brandon L. Kowalski (Jake and the Fatman, Airwolf)

Starring - Ken Clark (Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Pretender),Yvette Vickers (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, The Dead Don't Die), and Jan Shepard (Land of the Giants, The Magical World of Disney)

Release Date - 1959

Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "Crawling horror... rising from the depths of hell... to kill and conquer."

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      When I was growing up I would often go out of my way to watch any slasher and zombie flick I could find.  I absolutely fucking loved them and nothing was more entertaining than a stack of these films a bunch of snacks and soda on a Friday or Saturday night.  However, as much as I loved slashers and zombies, I always found myself drawn to genre titles of the 40s, 50, and 60s.  I used to love watching films from these decades with my grandmother.  I watched a lot of films with her and even more from these decades over the years.  In 1959 Kowalski would follow up Night of the Blood Beast with Attack of the Giant Leeches.  The film would be remade in the early 2000s but this remake would completely miss the camp that made the original so much fun.  A few weeks back Film Masters sent over a Brandon L. Kowalski double feature with two Roger Corman produced films on blu.  I couldn't wait to dig into them and as soon as I finished Night of the Blood Beast, I hit play on Attack of the Giant Leeches.  

     The film follows a scientist and his girlfriend who are doing research in the swamp near a smalltown when a local starts claiming that a large monster killed the man he caught his wife sleeping with.  The town suspects him of killing him for that very reason but as time goes on more people turn up dead and they discover giant leeches are responsible.  

     Attack of the Giant Leeches is one I had seen before but never stood out to me.  It's a pretty forgettable movie but it's not bad.  It's a campy film that will satisfy if you are looking for cheesy monster movie from the golden age of Hollywood.  The acting in this one is extremely campy and stereotypical of the time.  Everyone is over the top and extremely dramatic.  Everyone hams it up but the female cast is my absolutely favorite.  Their screams are so loud and powerful while their portrayal of women is frail and weak.  The story for this one is not one that is thought provoking or clever.  However, it is a straight forward monster movie that made going to the drive-ins so much fun during this long gone era.  It's a mindless monster attacking a generic group of characters that the viewer has zero connection with.  Finally, this isn't a bloody flick.  It does have a body count but the kills are never shown on screen.  We have to use our imagination which is a good way for the film to cut some of the budget.  The creature design is a bit of a miss as well but it does have a certain charm about it that made all creature features of the 50s fun.  Overall, Attack of the Giant Leeches is not the most unique monster movie from the 50s but it's still a solid watch especially if you just finished Night of the Blood Beast.  I highly recommend checking it out.  

Night of the Blood Beast

Director - Bernard L. Kowalski (Knight Rider, Blue Thunder)

Starring - Michael Emmet (Perry Mason, Attack of the Giant Leeches), Angela Greene (The Day of the Locusts, Futureworld), and John Baer (Terry and the Pirates, The Beverly Hillbillies)

Release Date  - 1958

Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "No girl was safe as long as this HEAD HUNTING THING roamed the land!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've always looked forward to reviewing older titles.  When I saw older, I don't mean films released in the 80s and 90s.  While that may seem old to some, I don't see those films as "older" releases.  When I say I want to review older titles, I'm referring to films from the 40s, 50s, and 60s.  These are the movies I would sit up late with my grandmother watching with the lights out and a bowl of popcorn placed between us.  She loved sci-fi and would leave her television on the original incarnation of the Sy-Fy Channel before it was rebranded.  It was around this time that I first saw Night of the Blood Beast.  It's not the most memorable film but it just happens to be a film that was on television during many memorable moments.  The first viewing was with my grandmother, the second was when I was in college and needed some background noise while I was playing Fallout 3, and the third time was late at night with my daughter when she was a baby and wouldn't sleep.  It may not be my favorite movie but it's a movie that has a lot of fond memories tied to it.  That's why I jumped at the chance to review the new blu from Film Masters who I would like to thank for sending it over for review!

     The film follows an astronaut returning to Earth but something catastrophic happens.  He plummets to his death but his body doesn't show signs of decomposition.  As they begin to study it further they soon realize that an alien organism has taken control of the body and is now going on a murderous rampage.

     Night of the Blood Beast is one of the films that Roger Corman and his brother produced early on in their careers that found it's home in the drive-in circuit of the time.  With that being said, it's a film that most mock or ridicule for being bad.  While it is far from perfect, it still has it's own charm especially for later generations looking back at a bygone era.  I'm a millennial and watch these films a little differently than those who were alive during it's initial release in the same manner a younger generation will watch films from my youth.  It's a trip back in time where we get to see the different styles, slang, and culture of decades long gone before I was born.  Night of the Blood Beast is not perfect but I've always enjoyed it.  The acting in this one is classic camp.  The female cast in this one does that iconic scream that is often shown in vintage throwbacks to this time period.  They are overdramatic and ham up the screen.  The male cast is the exact opposite.  They are masculine to a fault and extremely corny.  This was the acting of the time but someone not from that era may find it unintentionally funny.  The story for this one melts horror and sci-fi themes of the time into a pretty solid, yet predictable, story.  Space travel and alien invasion films were taking over the drive-in circuit of the time.  Mix that with fears of infections an disease of the time and you have a great premise for a horror/sci-fi mash up.  While the film does have this great basis for a film in place, it does struggle with creating atmosphere and the lack of tension makes a lot of the more pivotal scenes fall flat.  Mix that with the editing, cheap sets, and campy acting and you have a film that may not be one of the most memorable films of it's time.  Finally, the film doesn't have the bloody deaths that many modern horror fans are looking for.  In fact, this is pretty mild for out standards.  We get a few make-up effects here and there but that is the extent of the carnage we get to see with this one.  Overall, Night of the Blood Beast is a film no one expected to have last as long as it did.  The Cormans were clearly cutting costs and rushing films out for various distributors with no regard to quality.  However, here it is.  A time machine for younger generations to see what horror and sci-fi films were like for the late 50s.  It is unintentionally funny an extremely cheesy but that's part of the charm.  I highly recommend checking out this release from Film Masters.  

Mothershucker

Starring - Carl Vinson, Eric Moreland, and Jonathan Payne

Release Date - 2024

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Stay the shuck out of his fields"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) 

Rating (out of 5):

     I grew up grabbing slashers from the local video store or watching the cut versions on cable.  I've always been a fan of the sub-genre and as I got older and founder myself pulled toward indie films it was slashers and zombie flicks that I would often look for.  I'm no stranger to no budget slashers.  In fact, some of my favorite slashers are no budget backyard flicks made my a group of friends in their teen/early 20s.  That's why I immediately grabbed a copy of the slasher Mothershucker when I found it while browsing Esty.  It was strange to find an indie horror on blu on Etsy but the title and artwork pulled me in.  I ordered a copy and added it my review list as soon as it came in.  

    The film follows a small town who is terrorized by a drunk that has mysteriously turned into a demented cornstalk with a knack for killing people.

     I went into this one really excited for a corny slasher but it wasn't what I had hoped for.  I'm here for a slasher in a corn mask killing people with corn in the same line as the ape in Psycho Ape does with bananas.  However, the film struggles in a lot of ways to find it's own footing.  The acting in this one is respectable but it's clear the cast has a lot of inexperience.  They give the film the best performance they can but at the end of the day a lot of the films are awkward to watch and the cast struggled to find their marks,  The story for this one had me hooked.  It reminded me a lot of Death O'Lantern with the cheap rubber masks and themed deaths.  However, the lack of character development and story that pulls it all together made it feels like a mess of jumbled scenes and awkward dialogue.  A little more time spent on the writing and editing would have made this one so much better.  Finally, the film has several deaths that fit the film perfectly.  While budget is a problem with this one, the film showed a lot of creativity and thinking outside the box to make it work.  They may not be the best effects you've seen but they are still fun.  Overall, Mothershucker has a lot working against it from inexperience to no budget.  However, I'm glad the cast and crew came together to make something they can be proud of.  They cut their teeth on this one and I'm sure the next one will be even better after they take what they learned from this one.  While I don't recommend this one, I'm still looking forward to what the future holds for this cast and crew.  

Longlegs

Director - Osgood Perkins (The Twilight Zone, Gretel and Hansel)

Starring - Maika Monroe (It Follows, The 5th Wave), Nicolas Cage (Mandy, Renfield), and Blair Underwood (Dear White People, Ironside)

Release Date - 2024

Genre - Horror

Format - UHD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Nic Cage has been one of my favorite actors for many years.  I grew up on his classics like Face/Off, Con Air, Once Bitten, Raising Arizona, and so on.  While he did hit a bit of a dry spell with the Left Behind films along with the two Ghostrider movies, he seems to have found his second wind with the smaller budget films like Mandy, Color Out of Space, Willy's Wonderland, and the recent hit Longlongs.  I heard a lot about Longlegs and how it was written and directed by Osgood Perkins but I had no idea Cage was attached.  I ordered the UHD release of the film and when it arrived I saw his name attached to it.  That made me immediately move the film to the top of my watch list.  

     The film follows an young agent who is working on a case where young kids were murdered and strange occurrences happened inside the home.  When she starts to uncover a pattern she realizes that the person responsible for the deaths is connected to another crime where an entire family was murdered.  The revelation of the killer leads her to her family home and a dark secret her mother has been hiding for decades.

     Longlegs is one of the genre films that immediately became a hit among horror fans.  I heard so much about the film to the point that I almost skipped it.  Movies that are typically hyped up by pop horror fans tend to be underwhelming to me.  However, after getting the film in for my collection and seeing it featured Nic Cage I knew I had to check it out.  I'm glad I did because it was one of the better films of the year and probably one of my favorite performances from Cage to date.  The acting in this one is absolutely amazing.  Monro and Underwood are fantastic.  They really do hold their scenes and the characters they bring to life make the movie.  Also, they work so well together and their on screen dynamic really shows how talented they really are.  With that being said, Cage makes the film what it is.  He's absolutely unhinged in this movie and damn near unrecognizable.  I've seen damn near everyone of his films to date and this was the first time he gave me goosebumps.  I couldn't see this film having the same impact if someone else had took on the role of Longlegs.  The story for this one is a bit of a stretch but I enjoyed it for the most part.  I loved the gritty true crime aspect.  It reminded me a lot of Se7en and Kodiak which are two of the most underrated films of all time.  We then get the Satanic aspect that I absolutely love.  I grew up during the Satanic Panic of the late 80s and early 90s and love seeing this incorporated into true crime films.  With that being said, the film does hit the paranormal on it's final stretch which does throw the movie off some but not enough to ruin it.  If the film was going to go that route I wish it would have embraced it from the beginning instead of just dipping it's toes in it during the last stretch of the film.  Finally, this is not a gruesome film.  We do get some blood and great make-up effects on Cage but the main focus of the film is the characters and rich story.  Overall, Longlegs is another fantastic pop horror film that I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did.  This is going to be a genre film that fans will remember for many years to come.  I urge anyone that is on the fence about this one to give it a go.  You will not be disappointed.  

The Blair Rabbit Project

Director - D. Kerry Prior (Roadkill, The Revenant)

Starring - Adam Powers and D. Kerry Prior

Release Date - 2021

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "In October of 1999 two assholes and some actress they hired shot a stupid satire of a blockbuster found footage movie... twenty years later their footage was found"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've reviewed several parodies over the years for the site.  Most of them were adult films but that didn't make them any less enjoyable.  Hell, movies like Evil Head and Fuckenstein are movies that I still recommend to genre fans that prefer their films a bit on the sleazy side.  I've always been a fan of parodies.  I was finding my way into horror when the Scary Movie franchise was taking off.  Since then I've watched the first four films of the series, the slasher parodies Student Bodies and Screamwalkers, and several more.  Several months back I was browsing Instagram when I saw that Future Video had put out a few new releases on blu that I needed to add to my collection.  The first was the Blood Gorge/ Cruel double feature and the second was the found footage parody The Blair (Blare) Rabbit Project.  I was very curious about both releases and quickly grabbed them.  

     The film follows two aspiring filmmakers and an actress they found online as they head deep into the woods to uncover any truth to the legend of the Blair Rabbit.  However, tensions come to a boil when they find themselves lost in the woods and someone, or something, is stalking them when they discover little poop sculptures outside their tents.

     I'm not really a fan of the Blair Witch Project or the reboot.  The sequel is a solid film but it's been years since I've seen it.  Found footage has never been my thing but I was still excited to check this one out.  I was hoping it would be a humor filled found footage film that not only poked fun at what I dislike about found footage films but parodied one of the biggest horror titles of the last 30 years.  While it did have a few laughs, it was way longer than it needed to be and a bit difficult to finish.  The acting in this one is exactly what you would expect from a found footage film.  The cast tries to capture that authentic found footage vibe with the casual conversation and small talk which takes up 90% of the film.  It's extremely awkward to watch and doesn't give the viewer the chance to see what the cast can really do.  The story for this one has a lot of iconic Blair Witch moments and turns them into something funny or could be funny.  I say that because not every joke finds it's mark.  I did laugh at the film a few times but the overall movie failed to deliver on the comedy.  Instead, it feels more like a serious approach to a found footage film with the absurd twists to the original story.  The movie fails to find it's own footing and create the movie that it wants to be.  Finally, those wanting a lot of blood and gore will be very disappointed.  Hell, if you are looking for laughs and a fun parody then you will be disappointed.  Overall, The Blair Rabbit Project is a huge miss in my book.  I wanted to love it but its focus on being a found footage film rather than a parody makes it difficult to finish.  This is one I would skip.  

I Am Frigid...Why?

Director - Max Pecas (Brigade of Death, I Am a Nymphomaniac)

Starring - Sandra Julien (The Shiver of the Vampires, House of Cruel Dolls), Marie-Goerges Pascal (5 Kittens, Good Little Girls), and Jean-Luc Terrade (Dossier 51, Bel Ordure)

Release Date - 1972

Genre - Drama

Tagline - "She was hot ice... learn how she melts"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Sexploitation may not be everyone's cup of tea.  In fact, I've met an handful of fans over the years and while I am fairly knew to the exploitation sub-genre, I've been fortunate enough to review dozens of these films over the years.  It's a sub-genre that I never expected to like but once I dipped my toes in, so to speak, I was absolutely hooked.  Not many boutique labels cater to this type of filth but companies like Mondo Macabro has released several must see titles from the exploitation heyday.  Recently, they sent over a double feature of works from Max Pecas.  The films, I Am a Nymphomaniac and I Am Frigid....Why?, feature similar stories but told from very different aspects.  After I watched the first film in the set I quickly made my way to the second.  Like always, I want to thank Mondo Macabro for sending this one over.

     The film follows a young woman who finds herself being taken advantage of by a man and his sister.  This destroys her sex drive so she resorts to sleeping with everyone she can in hopes of re-awakening her sex drive.  

     I Am Frigid...Why? is a solid sexploitation film that does foster similarities to the other film included in this double feature.  Both of these films are rather enjoyable, especially for a first time watch, but I don't see myself revisiting them anytime in the near future.  These are the types of films that you can watch once every decade or so but anymore than that will leave you feeling a bit bored.  The acting in these fit the film very well but there was several scenes where the cast just didn't feel that dedicated to the film.  While these scenes were short in nature, they do stick with the viewer and become somewhat unintentionally funny.  The remainder of the film is well acted which makes these scenes in particular stand out more than normal.  The story for this one has a lot of similarities to I Am a Nymphomaniac.  The film follows a woman who suffers a traumatic experience and is sent down a lustful path in order to cure herself.  In I Am a Nymphomaniac, a woman suffers a horrible fall and awakens a nympho.  In this film, a woman is abused by a man and his sister and turns to sex in order to rekindle her sex drive.  While both stories are similar in that regard, they are very much different in how the scenarios play out.  We get a lot of sleaze and a surprisingly large amount of character development.  It's a well written film that has great pacing and a lot of skin to look at.  Finally, this is not a bloody flick that most of my readers would expect.  While the one scene may be unnerving for some, the remainder of the film is more mellow with lots of skin to look at.  Fans of sleaze will truly appreciate this one.  Overall, I Am Frigid...Why? is a solid sexploitation film.  It's not one that has a lot of replay value but if you are looking for something a bit different then this one is for you.  

I Am a Nymphomaniac

Director - Max Pecas (Sweet Taste of Honey, Brigade of Death)

Starring - Sandra Julien (House of Cruel Dolls, Freddy), Janine Reynaud (Two Undercover Angels, Operation White Shark), and Yves Vincent (Surprise Party, Knights of Terror)

Release Date - 1971

Genre - Drama

Tagline - "You have read about it.  The Sensuous Teenager is now a motion picture"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Exploitation cinema is one of the main reasons behind why I started writing reviews.  I wanted to cover forgotten direct to video action flicks and the thousands of exploitation films lost to time.  I've always been fond of exploitation flicks with blaxploitation and hixploitation being my favorite sub-genres of it.  When I started my run writing reviews I never expected to find sexploitation flicks sent to my mailbox for review but over the years I've reviewed dozens, if not hundreds of them.  Hell, I've actually enjoyed most of them when I reviewed them.  A few weeks ago Mondo Macabro sent over a double feature of I Am a Nymphomaniac and I Am Frigid...Why?  The first one of the chopping block was I Am a Nymphomaniac which was originally releases as The Sensuous Teenager.  Like always, I want to thank Mondo Macabro for sending this one over.  

     This one follows a beautiful young woman who sees a man for the first time and finds herself becoming hot and bothered.  Not paying attention to where she is going, she falls down some stairs and hits her head.  She walks away from the accident with minor injuries but the incident forever changes her.  A once prude woman, she is now consumed with sex and tries frantically to screw everyone she can while trying to live a rather normal life.

     I went into this one completely blind aside from the fact that it was an erotic drama.  It wasn't until I wa putting my review together that I saw that it was directed by Max Pecas who also directed Brigade of Death, or Death Squad, that was also released by Mondo Macabro.  I was lucky enough to review this several months back and really enjoyed it and was surprised to see that he helmed both of these films.  I Am a Nymphomaniac is a solid sexploitation flick that does rely heavily on the sleaze but still delivers a decent enough story.  The acting in this one is great.  You will see several familiar faces from genre films and they all give it their all.  With that being said, no one in this film will be winning awards for their performances but they are still solid especially for a skin flick.  The story for this one id so fucking clever for a sexploitation flick.  A stuck up woman hits her head and becomes sex crazed.  That's absolutely brilliant and instead of that being the end of the film we get the added stress and drama you would expect from a person obsessed with sex as they try to hold down a real job and so on.  It's a well written film that does a great job holding the viewer's attention.  Finally, no blood in this one for you sick fucks.  Instead, a lot of skin and some moaning for the other sick fucks.  Overall, I Am a Nymphomaniac is a surprising fun skin flick that has one of the most fitting stories I've seen this far in my writing career.  I highly recommend snagging a copy from Mondo Macabro.  

XXX-Mas

Director - James Dean (Fountaine and the Vengeful Nun Who Wouldn't Die)

Starring - Drew Marvick (Pool Party Massacre, Murdercise), Morrigan Thompson-Milam (Crackcoon, Blood and Breakfast), and Jonathan May (Unresolved, Fountaine and the Vengeful Nun Who Wouldn't Die)

Release Date - 2023

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "The naughty list just got deadly"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

    I spent a good portion of December binging as many Christmas themed movies as I could.  Luckily, Tubi has a surplus of Christmas centered horror films to choose from.  I spent days watching no budget films about Krampus, killer elves, and so on before I wanted something a bit more.  That's when I remembered that several months back I bought James Dean's XXX-Mas on blu and put up for December.  I quickly rushed to my movie collection to snag the blu to watch.  I'm glad I remembered because this film did not disappoint.  

     The film follows an adult film crew as they work on a feature length fuck flick about Santa.  However, Santa (Marvick) himself finds out about this and sets out to kill everyone involved one by one.

     XXX-Mas was a lot of fun but it had some serious issues.  While the issues stopped me from giving it a 4 or 5 out of 5, it doesn't stop me from enjoying it the way it is.  It's a blast from start to finish and the cast makes the film one that you can watch over and over again without tiring of it.  The acting in this one is one of the highlights of the film.  Drew Marvick never disappoints in front of the camera.  He could be hosting a cooking channel on Tik Tok or being solicited for sex at a gym.  If the camera is on him then you know you are going to have a great time.  XXX-Mas is no different.  We still get some scenes showcasing his comedic side but most of the film shows how well he can portray a cold-blooded killer.  The remaining cast is just as great.  We see some of my favorite indie scream queens/starlets show why they are continuously being cast in so many amazing project.   Morrigan Thompson-Milam and Jessa Flux both show that they have the looks and on screen talent to steal the show.  Both of them, regardless of the film you see them in, will go above and beyond for the project.  This one is also my introduction to Madilynn Paige and Niv Aranea.  Both do a fantastic job in their scenes and I really look forward to seeing them in more genre titles.  Their male counterparts are just as good with amazing performances from Jonathan May, Newt Wallen, and the rest of the cast.  Honestly, whoever was responsible for casting this film truly deserves a pat on the back and all the praise they can get.  The story for this one is great for a late night watch but I did have some issues with it.  I really liked the light humor scattered throughout and how even though the film's main location was the adult film set, it didn't over do it.  Don't get me wrong, nudity does have it's place in horror but a movie with blood and boobs with no plot is dull as hell. We get a lot of character development, interaction, and a story that is straight to the point.  With that being said, the whole "eat a cookie and become dazed" bit was cheap as hell.  Could these beautiful and chiseled adult film stars not protect themselves from Santa Home Alone style?  I can sit here and name at least a dozen other Christmas classics that they could have paid tribute to while protecting themselves from Santa besides feeding him cookies and letting the diabetic coma take over.  Finally, the film has a lot of fun deaths and plenty of blood.  While the kills are not as gruesome as I would have liked, the addition of the great cast and all the skin more than makes up for it.  Overall, XXX-Mas is a must see during your holiday season.  This is the kind of Christmas movie I could see late night programing, like USA's Up All Night, would be showing late in December.  I highly recommend snagging this one when you can.  

The Invisible Raptor

Director - Mike Hermosa (Dutch Hollow, The Righteous and the Wicked)

Starring - Sean Astin (Encino Man, The Stranger Things), Mike Capes (From Jennifer, Bachelor Party Massacre), and Sandy Martin (Speed, Jawbreaker)

Release Date - 2024

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "You'll never see it coming"
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I love reviewing movies that are odd and not for everyone.  In fact, the weirder and stranger the film, the more likely it is that I will want to see it.  Its when goofy humor and imagination come together to create something memorable.  A few weeks ago I was sent a press release for the film The Invisible Raptor.  I typically don't watch trailers for films sent my way but I wanted to see if this was something I wanted to see.  The title did intrigue me but I wasn't impressed by the film's poster.  However, I was sold on the film after watching the trailer.  I quickly reached out to them and they were kind enough to send over a review link.  

     The film follows a washed up archeologist who works for an amusement park and the security guard who find themselves in the middle of the biggest discovery in history when people are found ripped apart or missing and a pile of shit in their place.  They soon uncover a conspiracy by a local corporation to cover up one of their experiments when an invisible raptor escaped from their facility and is wreaking havoc all over town. 

     The Invisible Raptor was a lot of fun and fans of Spielberg and drive-in cinema will enjoy.  However, those looking for a fun sci-fi comedy may not appreciate it as much.  It has a lot of hang ups that stops it from being the best movie it could be but it's still worth a watch.  The acting in this one was a lot of fun.  Sean Astin makes a short appearance in the film.  I knew his screen time would be short lived when I saw his name and picture on the press release and poster.  It's one of the biggest marketing plows low budget films use and it's a damn shame.  I would have loved to see more of his character in the film.  With that being said, the rest of the cast is still solid.  The characters are enjoyable and the cast does a great job at giving them memorable personalities.  There was a few scenes where the dialogue was rushed through and had very little conviction behind it.  Luckily, these scenes are few and doesn't really take away from the overall film.  The story for this one reminds me a lot of the cheap drive in "invisible" films of the late 60s and early 70s meets fans of Steven Spielberg.  The drive-in invisible film trend seems to have begun with a few invisible hits in Japan that spawned some cheap knock offs here in the states.  Instead of spending money of special effects for the creature in question, they would say that it was invisible and just act out their scene as if its there.  Honestly, it's funny to a fault but the joke runs it's course fairly early on.  The same can be said for the movie itself.  The way the story unfolds is just too damn long.  The scene where the co-workers have a falling out and split up has no place in the film.  It ruins the pacing of the film and does absolutely nothing to move the story along.  Finally, the film is full of visual effects that are rather cheap but do insight several laughs.  The movie doesn't shy away from the blood but that is about it aside from the visuals.  Overall, The Invisible Raptor may not be making anyone's favorite films of the year lists but it's still a fun one to watch.  Check it out.