Director(s) - Michael Hegg and Joe Sherlock (Odd Noggins, Odder Noggins)
Starring - Dee Alsman (Underbelly, Twisted Fates), Emily Andrews (Hairspray, The Devil's Trail), and Erin Arbogast (Vicious Circle, The Popcorn of Doom)
Release Date - 2004
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "Ya'll come back now, ya hear?"
Format - Streaming (Tubi)
Rating (out of 5):
Last month I started working through a good portion of Skullface Astronaut’s filmography. This started from a post I made at the end of September when I asked for indie films to watch and review during my October horror binge. Director Joe Sherlock was kind enough to send me over links to several of his movies so I decided to have a few mini-marathons every couple of days. This time around I decided to start 2004 horror comedy Bloodsucking Redneck Vampires. Like always, I want to thank Joe and Skullface Astronaut for sending these over.
The film follows a backwoods family who has won a contest to have an interior designer remodel one of their rooms. While he is getting acclimated to his new surroundings, a female vampire and her servant has relocated to their neck of the woods and plans on turning the yokels into her bloodsucking servants.
Bloodsucking Redneck Vampires is probably one of the most amateurish films in the Skullface Astronaut catalogue but it’s probably one of my favorites. I was in high school in the early 2000s and was obsessed with indie and no budget horror flicks. I was an active member of the UHM message boards and founds so many of my favorite films through them. I could totally see myself loving this film if I would have watched it when it was originally released. It’s the perfect amount of goofy and I’m a sucker for a vampire flick. The acting in this one is extremely fun but it’s obvious that this was the first film for a lot of the cast. I applaud their dedication but the inexperience does make a few of the scenes feel a little awkward. The story for this one is simple and straight forward but at times it didn’t feel like a horror flick. With that being said, I loved the way the film was set up. While the horror does take the back seat, the characters and their personalities steal the show. I would have loved a bigger role for the vampires in the film but it works without it. Finally, the film doesn’t really have any deaths or effects for the viewer to enjoy. It’s a no budget film and the crew did the best with what they had. Sadly, memorable deaths were not part of the cards. Overall, Bloodsucking Redneck Vampires is one of the few hixploitation horror films that I’ve been lucky enough to review. It’s a subgenre that I wish more filmmakers would approach because you can get project like this. The film is funny and the characters are very memorable. The vampires do get the short end of the stick but it still works. Check it out.
Starring - Sue Lynn Sanchez (Forensic Files), Bill Ushler (Zombies by Design, Head Cases: Serial Killers in the Delaware Valley), and Dave Bonavita (Fungicide)
Release Date - 2004
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "He's out of the woods... and in your neighborhood"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
I’ve watched and reviewed dozens of horror films centered around bigfoot or sasquatch but I can only count on one hand the amount of these films that I actually enjoyed. Most of these movies take themselves too seriously or fail to pull together a story that could hold the viewer’s attention while the few that I actually enjoy are horror comedies that know when to be serious and when to cause a laugh. Movies like Bigfoot: The Movie, Bigfoot vs. Zombies, and so on are movies that are simple fun. They don’t overcomplicate things and give us stories we don’t expect. When Visual Vengeance, the sister company to Wild Eye Releasing, announced the blu release of the outlandish indie horror comedy Suburban Sasquatch I had to see it. This is a movie that I had owned for some time now when I snagged a copy of the film in one of those multifilm sets from Pendulum Pictures and Brain Damage Films. Sadly, I had never taken the time to watch it. I reached out to my friends at Wild Eye and they were kind enough to send over a blu copy for review. Like always I want to say thank you to Wild Eye and MVD for always hooking me up.
The film follows a small suburban community that is growing passed it’s borders and encroaching on the nearby forest. This has brought the wrath of bigfoot who uses his powers to slaughter and eat those living in the sleepy burb. The police are unable to stop him and it’s up to a Native American warrior and a journalist to stop the bigfoot’s bloody rampage.
Suburban Sasquatch is not what I was expecting. The movie is a wild fucking ride and it doesn’t care if you enjoy it or not. It’s a no budget creature feature that embraces it’s shortcomings and gives viewers something that they will never forget. It’s been a few days since my last viewing and I still think about specific scenes and laugh at how absurd they are. The acting in this one leaves a lot of room for improvement but it’s not the worst I’ve seen. The cast is clearly dedicated to their roles but inexperience and direction takes away from the overall scene. There was several instances where their lack of enthusiasm and experience made for some seriously awkward scenes. The story for this one is bat shit crazy and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Some of the gags are repeated throughout the film but you never know exactly what is going to happen next. It’s full of twists and turns while delivering some seriously funny moments to genre fans. I loved the Native American aspect and the magic that the bigfoot has. If you’ve never seen this film then you are in for a fucking treat with the off the wall antics that this story delivers. Finally, the effects are the icing on the cake. We get some cheap practical effects and just as cheap visual effects. The CGI had me fucking cackling. I was not expecting a movie to make use of these effects like this one does. It’s not anything that looks amazing but how it was used really stands out. Overall, Suburban Sasquatch is not going to be for everyone. Hell, I don’t know who would enjoy this film aside from myself and a handful of people but it’s a lot of fun if you are open to it. I highly recommend snagging this blu from VV.
Starring - Rino Romano (The Batman vs. Dracula, Spider-Man), Alastair Duncan (Wizards, Stillwater), and Evan Sabara (Dinosaur, Malcolm in the Middle)
Release Date - 2004
Genre - Action/Sci-Fi
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
When I was in middle and high school I was an avid Nickelodeon fan. Even up until adulthood I found myself still watching Nick. I grew up during their Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Aaahh! Real Monsters, and All That years but during my teenage years I was still watching shows like Danny Phantom, The Fairly Odd Parents, and Avatar: The Last Air Bender. It's because I was so dedicated to Nick that I often missed out on the DC and Marvel shows because they aired on other networks. I didn't get to watch shows about Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, and so on during those years which is something I've come to regret. Not too long ago I received The Batman: The Complete Series on blu to review. This show originally aired when I was in high school in 2004 and ended in 2008. I knew of it but never took the time to check it out. Sadly, after watching it now I have to admit I feel like a fucking fool for sleeping on it. It was a lot of fun.
The series begins one year after Bruce Wayne (Romano) takes to the night to fight crime as Batman. Bruce learns to work as billionaire philanthropist during the day and crime fighter at night while stopping villains like Scarface, Joker, Firefly, and Mr. Freeze.
The Batman was a lot more entertaining than I thought it was going to be. The episodes don't overstay their welcome and the characters they give us are awesome new renditions of the classic characters we've grown to love. It's a lot of fun and only gets better with each episode. The voice acting in this one is one of the only aspects of the show that I didn't care for. Honestly, this isn't my first outing with Romano as Bruce Wayne but he just doesn't feel right in this show. I know it's meant to depict a younger Wayne in his infancy as Batman but his voice just doesn't feel right to me. He's not bad but his voice just doesn't fit as the caped crusader. With that being said, I was a fan of the rest of the voice acting and the cameos the show saw. We get some great work from legends like Clancy Brown, Udo Kear, Mitch Pileggi, and Adam West just to name a few. Such a fantastic ensemble. The story for this show doesn't really deviate too far from the source material. Most of the characters do get a more modern adaptation that I think works especially if you have lived through all the films and newer shows that try to capture them like they are in the comics. Seeing the newer looks does give the viewer something different to enjoy. With that being said, each episode is a lot of fun and even the later seasons are still very much enjoyable. This animated series doesn't lose any steam. Finally, it took me a few episodes to warm up to the animation but once I did I actually found myself enjoying it. It is exactly as you would expect from an animated series in the early 2000s. It has amazing colors and the detail on the characters are great. Overall, The Batman is a fantastic series that I feel a lot of fans slept on it when it originally aired. I had a lot of fun with it and if my son ever takes a moment to slow down and actually watch television I will show him this one. I highly recommend it.
Starring - Les Pollack (Generation Why?, Blackmailing Santa), Aaron Sims, and Kurt Carley (Godzilla, A Haunted House 2)
Release Date - 2004
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Meet the surgeon general!"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
At one time Fangoria was THE name in horror. So many of us grew up reading the magazine and a lot of the films we consider classics now were first introduced to use because of Fangoria. At the height of their popularity they dabbled in film distribution and production. Hell, they produced one of the most underrated vampire films of our time, Children of the Night, in 1991. In the early 2000s Fangoria attached themselves to several indie horror films under Fangoria Presents Gorezone Video. This was the first time I had heard of the extremely odd horror flick Skinned Deep that starred the Leprechaun himself, Warwick Davis. It was a strange film to say the least but I did enjoy it. When Severin announced the release of the film on blu I decided that this is the best time to revisit it. I reached out to MVD, who was handling the release, and they were kind enough to send over a copy for review.
The film follows an all American family who venture out for their family vacation when they become the target of a deranged and disfigured "family" who kill tourists that venture into their neck of the woods. We then follow the daughter of the slain family who is taken in to be one of them after one of them takes a liking to her. However, she refuses to succumb to their murderous ways and starts fighting back.
Skinned Deep has been a joke among a lot of the horror groups on social media after it's release from Severin. I can see why a lot of the more serious horror fans have been mocking it but as someone who loves Troma and the weird side of indie horror I can't help but love it. It's so fucking wacky yet the atmosphere and scenery is perfect for a horror film. I appreciate what the team behind this one was trying to do and this is one that never loses it's charm. The acting in this one is extremely cheesy but very enjoyable. The characters are all extremely fun and almost all of them stand out. The characters may ham up their performances but they do a fantastic job at bringing unforgettable characters to life. The story for this one is a blend of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, and House of 1000 Corpses. I never picked up on the resemblances between this one and those three films but now they stick out. With that being said, I still enjoy how those films come together with the odd sense of humor to create something that still makes me laugh even after all these years. It's a goofy story that borrows heavily from classic horror films. Finally, the film has some fun death scenes that only get better as the film progresses. The practical effects are a lot of fun and the film not only showcases great prosthetic and prop effects but some fun make-up effects as well. The film has a lot of gory deaths that makes it a must watch for fans of bloody horror flicks. Overall, Skinned Deep is a strange and entertaining film that is a lot of fun. It has fun characters and some great death scenes. This release from Severin is a must own. Check it out.
Director(s) - Laura Giglio (After Midnight, Tales for the Midnight Hour II), Christopher Kahler (A Prelude to Purgatory, Director's Cut), Andrew N. Shearer (Space Boobs in Space, Cannibal Sisters), and Gary Whitson (Psycho Vampire, Bloody Creek)
Starring - Laura Giglio, Christopher Kahler, and Suzi Lorraine (House of Manson, Bleeding Hearts)
Release Date - 2004
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
A few weeks ago I was checking out what was new with my friends over at The Sleaze Box when I saw that they had a few new releases that I had not checked out. Hell on Earth: The Arena of Death is what really caught my eye but I was also curious about the horror anthology Around Midnight. I'm a sucker for a vampire flick so I reached out to Chris at The Sleaze box and he was kind enough to send a copy of it my way.
The film follows a beautiful vampire in lingerie as she tells us several stories involving vampires.
I went into this one expecting a cheap S.O.V. vampire anthology with some cheap laughs, fun stories, and blood. Sadly, the film was lacking in the story department and was not as bloody as one would expect coming from a film centered around vampires. It was enjoyable for a first time watch but it has no replay value. The acting in this one is pretty solid. I noticed that a lot of the cast has limited experience but you wouldn't know this from watching the film. Each segment is fairly consistent with the acting. The cast does a great job even though they were inexperienced. Some of the segments had characters that I enjoyed but everyone is on the same page which made the film flow a lot better than it should have. The stories for these segments are straight forward but lacking. I wanted to really like these segments but they felt like they were rushed and incomplete. A few had fun scenes but nothing that you will remember. Finally, the film has some blood and prosthetic fangs but that's really the extent of it. The make-up and practical effects and nearly nonexistent but the deaths are what you would expect coming from a story like this. Overall, Around Midnight has some fun moments that could be really entertaining with some beer but don't expect a movie you can rewatch and enjoy over and over again.
Starring - Leigh Whannell (Cooties, Insidious), Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights), and Danny Glover (The Dead Don't Die, Angels in the Outfield)
Release Date - 2004
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Ever piece has a puzzle" Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
When I was in high school I remember so many amazing horror movies getting released. I was constantly burning through what little money I had snagging up these releases. Movies like Shaun of the Dead, Dead and Breakfast, Land of the Dead, the Dawn of the Dead remake, and Saw. Once I got copies of these movies I started pretty much playing them on repeat. Hell, there was a time when I couldn't stand watching these movies anymore because I had burned myself out on them. Saw was easily one of the most ambitious and popular releases and for years a sequel was hitting theaters almost like clockwork. I enjoyed the first three installments but I never took the time to watch the remaining films in the franchise. A few weeks back I received the press release for the 4K release of the original Saw. It's been a solid 10 years since I last revisited this one and a UHD release looks like it was the perfect reason to spin it once more.
The film follows two men who awaken in a dilapidated public restroom and chained to the pipes. While going over their surroundings and checking their pockets they begin to unravel a series of clues that fit into a much bigger puzzel when they realize they are the newest pawns in the game of the Jigsaw killer.
Saw was a huge hit when it was released and the marketing team behind the DVD releases should have won some awards for their designs. Genre fans are all familiar with these clear sleeve cases with Saw themed artwork throughout. Honestly, it was a bit of a bummer when I received the UHD release without that iconic artwork. Regardless, I had fun with it but I did find it a little dull at times. The acting in this one is great and the cast is legendary. If you had a childhood similar to mine then you already knew Cary Elwes and Danny Glover from some classic 80s staples. They both bring on very different performances than I was accustomed to but they absolutely nailed it. Elwes is someone I've always associated with comedic roles and seeing him here really caught me off guard. Also, writer and actor Leigh Whannell delivers a solid performance but a few of his scenes is a little overacted. With that aside, I enjoyed his performance very much. The supporting cast is great and even though he is rarely in the film we can see the beginning stage of what I would consider the face of modern horror with Tobin Bell in his role of Jigsaw. The story for this one is gritty and claustrophobic at times but I enjoy it for the most part. I love the disgusting and nauseating sets mixed with the puzzles that force people who have made bad decisions throughout their lives to works. It also adds another layer to the film when the viewer gets to watch the various traps created for each victim. With that being said, a few of the scenes are extremely dull and slow with little to no story development for these scenes. They just go on for no purpose other than to highlight Whannell's acting. Finally, the film has some seriously entertaining death even if they don't take place on screen. The practical effects, traps, and your imagination makes this one stand out among viewers. It's been almost 20 years later and people are still talking about some of the deaths provided in this film. Overall, Saw is one of the most memorable horror films to come out of the early 2000s and the franchise as a whole is iconic with the Jigsaw puppet reaching pop-culture status. This UHD release looks amazing but still retains that gritty and dirty look that makes this series so much fun. I highly recommend upgrading your copy to this one.
Starring - Michelle Boback (Hell Hath No Fury, Destination: Infestation), Tamara Pender (Darkest Hour, Human Nature), and Daniel Lomas (Latchkey's Lament)
Release Date - 2004
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "A savage little tale of one nurse's revenge"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
Over the last year or so Unearthed Films has been releasing the late Ryan Nicholson's films on blu. Ryan was an amazing effects artist that directed several underground hits throughout his career. I had one of his film's prior to his death but once Unearthed Films started releasing them I got them in for review. I was really impressed with Gutterballs and Famine but Live Feed was not for me. Torched is one that several friends of mine told me to check out so when Unearthed sent it over for review I couldn't wait to dig in. Thanks Unearthed and MVD for sending this one over.
The film follows Deanna (Boback) who is a nurse who finds herself becoming the center of several men. After she is raped and take advantage of by several men she soon turns to revenge using various tools that she has at her disposal.
Torched is one of the many movies I've owned for several years but never actually took the time to watch. Hell, I actually own three different copies of this one. For those of you that don't know, Torched is part of the anthology film Hell Hath No Fury. I purchased that DVD many years ago and over the years I found a copy of Torched in the wild and snagged it. I've always been curious about this release but I never really take the time to watch movies for fun anymore. I usually spend all my time watching movies sent over for review so this way I'm glad Unearthed released it. I didn't really care for it but there was a few things I liked. The acting in this one is pretty good. Boback was great as Deanna. She is beautiful and very talented in front of the camera. She gives the viewer a wide range of emotions and all of them felt genuine. The supporting cast is rather hit or miss but the overall acting was very well done. I liked the cast and the characters made the scenes a little easier to swallow. The story for this one is simple and straight forward. However, even at 40 some odd minutes I found myself becoming bored with it. It's essentially a loose remake of I Spit on Your Grave with better kills and lacking the build up and tension. I liked the kills scenes and how Nicholson approached them but all the other scenes were dull and did very little to make the story fun. Finally, it wouldn't be a Nicholson film without some memorable kills. This was at the beginning of his career so it's not as perfect as you would expect but they were very impressive. It's not the goriest film I've seen but the kills will be something that stays with you. Overall, Torched was one I could barely finish. If it wasn't for the death scenes I would have turned it off. The acting is solid and the torture scenes are surprisingly fun but the overall film is pretty dull. Collectors will want this release to show support for a pivotal filmmaker from horror's underground but this movie of his is the weakest. The blu does look better than the DVD's I have. I took them out to compare the video and audio and this release is leagues better than both.
Director - Shin'ya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Tokyo Fist)
Starring - Tadanobu Asano (Thor: Ragnarok, Tokyo Zombie), Nami Tsukamoto, and Kiki (Starfish Hotel, Pandora's Box)
Release Date - 2004
Genre - Drama/Thriller
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)
Rating (out of 5):
I was excited to continue my trip through Solid Metal Nightmares after watching the sexually fueled thriller A Snake in June. The next film in the set was another dark thriller. This time on the chopping block (which is fitting so to speak) is 2004's Vital. This is one I've seen a few horror-minded friends share in the horror groups so I was very excited to finally check it out. I will admit that I was not aware that it was a Shin'ya Tsukamoto film.
The film follows a young man who loses his girlfriend in a horrible accident. He was in med school before the accident and decides to return after her death. However, he does not recall the accident and a lot of his memories before the accident. During his studies he is to dissect a corpse and he becomes infatuated with it. Studying the body day in and out and while doing so he starts to remember his lost love and the accident.
I went into Vital still thinking about A Snake of June but after 20 minutes I had forgot about the film to focus on what was before. Vital was not the kind of movie that I was expecting but god damn was it fantastic. The acting in this one is extremely uneven. Tadanobu Asano is fantastic as the film's lead. His emotionless approach to the role really brings a new depth to the film with his eerie performance. The supporting cast hits hard in a few of the scenes but in others they do come across as very underwhelming. The story for this one is as beautiful as it is morbid. A man loses the love of his life but soon finds passion in his studies while dissecting a body of a stranger that, it turns out, is actually his lost love. It's depraved and poetic. I absolutely loved it and Tsukamoto's pacing is a delight in every scene. Finally, this is not a bloody mess of a movie. It is character driven but we also get several fantastic scenes of the young medical student exploring the cadaver. The effects are fucking fantastic. Overall, Vital is a superb film and I don't see the remaining films in this set dethroning this one as my favorite.
Director - Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300)
Starring - Sarah Polley (eXistenZ, Go), Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, The Goods), and Jake Weber (Hell on Wheels, Wendigo)
Release Date - 2004
Genre - Horror
Tagline - When there's no more room in Hell the dead will walk the Earth"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
My range in horror has always been broad. When I was younger I loved all movie genres. I was a typical kid so I would check out movies like Space Jam, Heavy Weights, Air Bud, Prehysteria, and so on but when my mother was still around I was sometimes forced to watch movies against my will. This happened before she was institutionalized. As a kid I liked some horror movies but I was forced to watch Evil Dead II and God Told Me To! years before my mom was diagnosed schizophrenic. She would tell my sister and I that we needed to watch these films to prepare but I never did find out what we were preparing for. Once she was out of the picture my grandmother would take care of us while we were out of town. She was obsessed with the SyFy channel way back when it was still Sci-Fi Channel. It was here that I watched the Night of the Living Dead remake for the first time. I loved it and I soon tracked down the original film and Dawn of the Dead. I became obsessed with the series and when I was in high school news broke that Romero's classic Dawn was going to be remade. While most people bitched and moaned I was excited. I loved the NotLD remake and couldn't imagine how awesome a Dawn remake would be. Recently, Scream Factory released the remake on blu alongside Romero's Day sequel Land of the Dead. I was lucky enough to receive a review copy. I want to thank Scream Factory for sending this one my way.
The film follows a nurse that loses her husband to an outbreak that turns the living into savage flesheaters. She flees after her community falls to the outbreak. She crosses paths with a police officer, an interracial couple expecting a child, and a man. They seek refuge inside a mall where they are greeted by a hostile security team that refuses to trust them. Things change over time and learn to trust each other when a truck of survives crashes into the loading dock. Things look up until the power goes out and the undead make their way into the mall forcing them to flee in hopes of finding an isolated island but not everyone will make the voyage.
I went into the remake expecting a more faithful adaption to the original film much like Savini's remake of NotLD but was given something completely different. The film may be different but it still offers up a fun zombie experience unless you are those people that can't get over the fact that zombies run. The acting in this one is alright but it could have been better. I was never sold on the cast. I enjoyed Ving Rhames and Michael Kelly. Both delivers fantastic performances but I struggled to get behind Sarah Polley and Jake Weber as the film's lead. Their characters just didn't fit into the film like some of the others and their portrayal made them very underwhelming. The film really needed stronger characters than what was actually delivered. The story for this one is loosely based on the original film. Director Zack Snyder made this movie his own and made some major changes. The mall aspect remains but most of the story was changed. The classic shambling zombie was replaced with a faster and meaner zombie which made for some intense scenes. The survivors have a hard time agreeing with one another which takes the viewers back to Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead where the group was split between fortifying the house or locking themselves in the basement. This created a great deal of tension which really drew the viewer in where the original Dawn film followed a group that was mostly unified and worked well together. I also liked the fact that the story was remade to be a standalone film and created a new universe that was sadly never followed up with. My biggest complaint about the story is the characters. Some of the characters were flat and boring while others, though minor, were so enjoyable to watch. What made the original film so fun was the abundance of memorable characters that you want to see survive and thrive during the apocalypse instead of becoming zombie shit. Finally, the film is full of great on screen kills with some amazing practical effects. I really enjoy the kills we get in this and the extent they went to use practical effects. The CGI is only for filler and not that noticeable. I was surprised to learn that A Nightmare on Elm St. star Heather Langencamp was one of the effects artists on the film. Overall, Dawn of the Dead is not a bad remake. In fact, I really enjoyed it. People often bitch about remakes but this one was solid. Check it out.
Director - David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Eastbound and Down)
Starring - Jamie Bell (Fantastic Four, King Kong), Dermot Mulroney (Dirty Grandpa, The Grey), and Josh Lucas (American Psycho, Thinner)
Release Date - 2004
Genre - Thriller/Drama
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
A week or so ago I was going through my collection and found the Olive Films and Slasher//Video release of Trashology. Among that same stack was another Olive Films flick, Undertow. I have no idea why I put those movies to the side like I did but I completely forgot about them and now the reviews for both are very behind. Which is pathetic for me to completely forget about the films and because Undertow is one I have wanted to review for sometime now. I grew up in southern West Virginia which is a strange place. It is the only state to come out of the Civil War and fought on the side of the Union but as time moved on it has started to associate itself as the south for whatever reason. Because of this I grew up with an interest in all things southern, particularly southern religion. Films like Forrest Gump, Sling Blade, and to a lesser extent, What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Undertow looked like it would be a fun southern drama that fit with the others. Sorry Olive Films that it took so long to get the review up!
The film follows single father John (Mulroney) and his two kids who move to a pig farm as a way to start over. His oldest son Chris (Bell) is acting out due to the change and is often getting caught up with the local law. One day John's brother Deel (Lucas) shows up after serving time in prison and starts secretly searching the property for old coins that their father stole. When John catches him Deel kills him. Chris witnesses the murder and leaves with his younger brother and the coins forcing Deel to chance him through rural Georgia.
When I was in high school I remember seeing stuff for Undertow popping up on different websites but I was not interested at the time. If it wasn't vulgar, bloody, and stupid then I didn't want to see it. However, as I got older I started to open my eyes to the world around me and ventured off this path where I found so many amazing movies. Undertow is a well shot drama thriller but some of the scenes were irrelevant to the film. The acting in this one is great. The older Munn brothers, Josh Lucas and Dermot Mulroney, were great. They took control of every scene they were in and made their characters bigger than the screen. With that being said, the real stars of the film is Jamie Bell and Devon Alan. These two feed off each other and the viewer can feel the love between these two. It's hard to convince yourself that they are not actually brothers. Their interactions and love on screen are what drives the film. The story for this one is has its moments but it is something that has been done before. The southern setting may be new but a film where two children are fleeing from a very bad man while holding something of value is nothing new. In fact, I instantly thought of The Goonies when I started watching it. Though The Goonies was intended for children and this one not so much. The story is not slow or boring by any means but some of the scene have little to nothing to do with the story. These should have been cut to improve the flow of the film. Finally, the film does have some blood and a brutal death scene that has great effects but that is as far as it goes. The film is not a bloody one but does have some. Overall, Undertow is a well shot southern drama thriller that has some amazing acting and a lot of character development. The film is a bit too long but worth it.
Director(s) - The Polonia Brothers (Splatter Farm)
Starring - Dave Fife (Bigfoot vs. Zombies), Brian Berry (Werewolf Rising), and Brice Kennedy (Splatter Beach)
Release Date - 2004
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "You'll be having a bade hare day"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)
Rating (out of 5):
I love holiday themed horror flicks. If you flip through my reviews you will find dozens of them. I love how corny and fun they can be when they turn something we find associated with a holiday into a weapon. No holiday is safe from the mayhem. We have thousands centered around Halloween, dozens set on Christmas, a few for Thanksgiving and New Years, one for April Fool's Day and a remake, President's Day, and even one of the holiest days imaginable, Easter. Easter, surprisingly, has several horror films but there is nowhere near enough for this holiday. There is so many possibilities with this holiday and a lot of potential is just sitting there waiting to be made. One Easter horror film that I had always heard about but never actually seen was Peter Rottentail. This Polonia Brother's horror comedy was in a box set released from SRS Cinema titled American Gore Stories. The set was cheap and I wanted to see the movie so I ordered it last summer and waited patiently to see the film when the time was right.
The film begins with a shitty magician trying to pay his bills by working kid's birthday parties. The kids patronize him and ridicule him. He leaves the party distraught and comes across a long haired man who offers him a vile with a magic potion inside. He accepts the gift and the next day uses it as part of his act. It fails to work and he kills himself. We jump forward some time and the man is now an urban legend. Teens gather on his grave on the anniversary of his death to party it up. Two cousins reunite to clean their deceased grandmother's home to put on the market when one of them starts having visions of the magician. Soon, former friends of theirs starts dying one by one with only one connection, they all attended a birthday party together in their youth. Now he starts to suspect that the magician is back to kill him and anyone that attended the party while dressed as a rabbit.
People give films like this too much hate. They forget what kind of films these are and start watching them like they are horror movies that are meant to be serious. These films are campy, corny, cheesy, and any other word like that I am missing. They take items associated with the holidays, i.e. crosses, eggs, Christmas trees, whatever, and turn them into instruments of terror. How can you take a film seriously if the killer is wearing a rabbit or Santa costume? You can't! These films are stupid for the sake of being stupid and Peter Rottentail is no exception. The acting in this one is surprisingly not bad. Not saying it is good but it is far from being shit. The cast is fun and really rolled with the vibe of the film but they are far from winning any rewards. I can see why the Polonia Brothers cast the people they did. They all work very well with each other which makes the scenes very fun. The story for this one is nothing new. In fact, it is the same story that I have seen in so many slashers. In fact, it is a story that will continue to be used to this day with Easter Sunday borrowing from it heavily. There has been so many slashers that follow a killer returning from the grave to seek out those that have wronged them. Hell, that is the basis for most of the slashers from the golden age of slashers. Finally, the film has no on screen kills. All the deaths take place off screen which is very disappointing for a slasher. The whole point of a slasher is to watch a masker murderer kill teens. If we can't watch teens die then why watch a slasher. Overall, Peter Rottentail is a fun no budget slasher. The cast is decent and the story is nothing new but it still entertains. Just don't expect to see some breath taking kills. Check it out if you can get it for cheap.
