The Treatment

https://www.amazon.com/Treatment-Blu-ray-Geert-Van-Rampelberg/dp/B00WKWVIEI/ref=sr_1_2_twi_blu_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1472311501&sr=1-2&keywords=the+treatment

A police inspector investigates a serial child kidnapper, his repressed childhood memories awakened in the process.

The Treatment is an unsettling Belgian murder mystery that gets under your skin and stays there. A nail-biting suspense yarn based on one of a series of best-selling novels by British crime writer Mo Hayder, the film is not an old-fashioned Agatha Christie-type whodunit, but its gritty themes of sexual violence and pedophilia give it a raw, contemporary intensity that places it in the same company as the "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" book and film series. Police inspector Nick Cafmeyer is investigating a case where a mother and father have been bound and beaten, and their young son is missing. An obsessive loner, Cafmeyer discovers that there are other similar cases - tragedies where the parents were forced by a psychopath to harm their own children, who then vanish. For the inspector, this triggers memories of his own brother's abduction as a child, and the possibility that he may still be alive somewhere. Grim and wholly engrossing, The Treatment is a thriller with an edge.

The Zero Boys Blu-Ray

http://mvdshop.com/products/zero-boys-the-blu-ray-dvd-blu-ray

Dark Was the Night (2014)

Dark Was the Night (2014)
directed by:
starring:  Kevin Durand, Bianca Kajlich, Lukas Haas, Ethan Khusidman, Heath Freeman, Nick Damici, Billy Paterson
format:  Blu-Ray - Personal Collection

(out of 5)

The Movie:  Well the movie as a whole was pretty damn good.  Everything from the acting to the effects was just so damn good.  Then the end happens.  Why, why the heck does a great movie like this go for the such a cheesy and cop out ending.  I will not give it away but don't go in expecting the end to equal the quality of the movie.  I really cannot think of another movie I've seen recently other than A Christmas Horror Story that made me so angry.  The only difference there is A Christmas Horror Story was a cheesy movie and no matter how much I love cheese straight forward dark horror is always better. 

The Acting:  Strong actors here.  Especially our main two Kevin Durand and the beautiful Bianca Kajlich whom I've been totally in love with since her time on Rules of Engagement.  She very much impressed me in this one being that the backstory involves the traumatic life experience of a child death between her and her husband Paul (Durand).  Really didn't even know it was her at first.  So used to seeing her with a big smile on her face.  Then of course we have Nick Damici who played our town bartender and I really like Nick he was in two of my all time favorite 2000 horrors Mulberry St. and Stakeland.  Lukas Haas was also a bit of a surprise I've never really seen him in a serious role like this one.  Or really as an adult I guess.  No bad acting here.

The Gore/Fx:  First five minutes we get some gore.  Great fx.  Until the end.  Cgi got thrown in at the end and ruined the creature for one.  Make up your own mind I wanted to ignore it.  And bad cgi is fun in say Sharknado but this again is a straight up scary movie and a rubber suit would have been more acceptable....per usual.  CGI isn't terrible but poorly done cgi in a film such as this most surely is.  Some get all bent out of shape when the subject of cgi comes up.  Eh it's just another effect but I will fully admit that when cgi is bad and looks like something out of a video game I'm sorry but the old Godzilla movies have better fx than that....and it's not hand sculpted.  The hand sculpted thing is what the pro-cgi arguers forget about or ignore.  Either way in this movie it was terrible. 

The Script:  Beautiful writing.  Probably the film's best quality.  Connected myself with the protagonist in a major way.

The Music/Score:  Creepy tones and the kind of score that doesn't pull you out but into the film.  Nothing out of the ordinary or special but just right.
The Shots:  It was a keep the creature in the shadows movie.  Loved the out of shot glimpses we got through the entire movie.  Off the road, in the woods.  Loved it.  A lot of people hate it when you don't see the monster till the end but I'm not one of those people.  The sense of curiosity leaving me at the edge of my seat with these shots was just plain awesome.  You want so bad to see it and they only give you enough to keep going all the way to the end.
The Rating:   Yes 3 out of 5 Bloody Handprints but this really isn't good or fair since the movie should have a 5 out of 5.  Top of the list at the moment for endings that ruined a movie.  Well A Nightmare On Elm Street still holds that torch for me, but that's the only one I can think of that totally flubs the end like this one does.

Campground: The Requel (2015)

Campground:  The Requel (2015)
directed by:  Roman Jossart
starring:  Roman Jossart, Jack Norman, Brandon Prewitt, Anna Love, Casey Weber, Marla Van Lanen, Ayse Howard, Cliff Scantland, V.A. Bennett, Ty Binegar, Andrew Berman, Rachel Woods, Korey Dawson, Laura Wahler, Clay Orem, Kayla Stone, Kelly Shroder, Danielle Driscoll, Brady Crank, Paul Arnone, Bryce Slabinski, Ken Morgan, Heather Lynn Coulson,
format:  online screener

(out of 5)

 

 

The Movie:  As a fan of Studio 605 and the original Campground film I have to say I'm very impressed with the growth these guys have undergone since I began following them.  Campground had it's problems and there were a few but overall the energy and hard work done won me over and continues to do so being that it has become a staple movie for me.  Each flick 605 puts out has taken another step in what will hopefully be a long independent movie career for these guys.  So far tackling the slasher sub-genre with Campground and The Woods Within I as a fan cannot wait to see what else these guys have in their heads for the future of 605 cinema.  The Requel fixed most of the issues with the original although the first still holds a special spot for me I very much enjoyed more Varsin mayhem.   This one is much darker than the original and that for me is always better. 

 

The Script:  Minus a few oddly placed attempts at racial humor I loved this script.  Kind of goes over the events of the first film as a sort of campfire story and then more back story as well as the "sequel" portion towards the end.  Not sure if I can really say this has ever been done before.  I mean Evil Dead 2 is a remake of the first, no matter what anyone says ha ha, but it wasn't really a part 2 so it really cannot count in being a "requel".  Some of the dialogue was a bit hokey but overall much better in this one.  Something lacking in the last Campground that in my opinion was corrected for the most part.  What impressed me the most was the smooth transition of the story-line being that it covered the past and the present.  This is something I was a little apprehensive about when Roman told me about his idea for a new Campground movie.  But he came through with flying colors.

 

The Acting:  The actors seemed more prepared in this one.  If memory serves me correctly the last movie had problems with actors quitting at the last moment.  Of course if I recall Roman wasn't supposed to be in the original.  His presence in the first one was essential as far as I'm concerned, he makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it so I'm kind of glad some of it happened.  I can't say every actor in the film was good but I will say it was a vast improvement over the last.   Marla Van Lanen was the shining star in this one.  Love the way this woman acts, she played Varsin's evil and crazy mother very well.  At moments it seemed as if she was lost in her own head and not sure if that was intential or not but it served the insanity of the character well.  Very creepy.  And have to mention Jack Norman here.  While playing a giant in a mask slicing up young people doesn't always require a lot of personality I think Jack came through with fire for the part of Charlie Varsin.  Menacing and just plain scary Jack put me in close mind to Kane Hodder and really I can't emphasize that enough he was absolutely perfect.

 

The Shots:  And here we have the largest improvement of the Requel, the cinematography.  I don't know if Kirk Novit who is listed as the cinematographer is responsible or Roman himself but the shooting was vastly different and improved this time.  Charlie sits in his room, a broken mirror shot to cover his face, then Charlie stalks his prey outside a tent and we get a horrific view of his shadow from inside.  Bravo to the both of you. 

 

The Gore/Fx:  All practical fx here.  While some don't appreciate that or try and pretend it shouldn't matter it most certainly does to those of us who remember what fx were like before computers.  I don't hate cgi but I very much appreciate and enjoy seeing movies nowadays without it.  Rubber dummies always look better to me than what usually looks like a video game effect.  Blood most especially and the blood in this one flowed freely.  Love Charlie's mask.  Perfect design for this kind of film and quite unique unlike the white mask fad that seems to run rampant in the indie slasher genre.  Excellent job there.

 

The Music:  There is beginning scene as sort of an introduction where the score is very dark and haunting.  Loved the musical choices here.  Not everyone pays attention to scores or soundtracks while watching but I do and a good musical score really sets the tone for the film.

 

The Rating:  4 out of 5 Bloody Handprints and Roman deserves it.  Well done.  Really set the bar higher for Studio 605's next feature. 

 



 

You're Next (2013)

You're Next (2013)
directed by:  Adam Wingard
starring:  AJ Bowen, Sharni Vinson, Joe Swanberg, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, Margaret Laney, Ti West, Barbara Crampton, Larry Fessenden
Format:  Netflix NTSC: Region 1 DVD

(out of 5)

      I so wanted to like this movie.  Home invasion, Larry Fessenden, Ti West, Barbara Crampton, what else can a horror fan want?  Well how about a lot less comedy.  This is home invasion not Home Alone.  Maybe it's just me but home invasion stuff for me is terrifying and yeah sure every movie needs a little comic relief but this just went too far with the clumsy baddies running around getting their asses handed to them by our heroine super girl.  I say super because this girl was unstoppable and had the creative sense of McGuyver.  Oh yeah sure she grew up in a survival camp and...yeah not buying it.  She was cool at first and they just took it overboard.  Especially with the ass kicking, oh but it's more realistic when the baddies act clumsy and weak...no it's not.  Sorry like I said all that stuff was cool for a moment then it was just too much.  I wasn't sickened or concerned for the characters at all half way through.  And the great twists everyone likes to talk about were easily guessed.  All three of them, by me, no lie.

    What did I like about the film.  The actors were great, especially Barbara Crampton and Larry Fessenden.  Ti West was in it as a cameo but I don't think he had any lines outside of being introduced to the family.  Oh well still cool to see him in the production.  And the fx!  No cgi blood was one of the first things I noticed and in this day and time it's rare.  Cgi is ok for certain things but never for blood.  I mean if you're making a film with some sort of artistic cgi ok I'm with ya but for regular splatter and gushing nothing looks more fake than cgi blood.  You just can't replicate blood running and splattering with a computer.  That's it.  I have nothing else to say about this movie.  Such high hopes.

     And as far as everyone comparing this to the Purge.  Well all I can say is I'd give the Purge 4 Bloody Handprints and this has 2 and a half so there's my opinion on that.  Oh wait the Purge was Hollywood fodder....yeah no it wasn't that's your anti-Hollywood attitude talking.  Me I'm not big on Hollywood films but I certainly don't rule them out like some of my fellow horror fans and reviewers.

Lucid

Director - P.J. Woodside (The Creepy Doll)
Starring - Brittney Saylor, Bill Johnson (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Supernatural Activity), and P.J. Woodside (Goatsucker, Spirit Stalkers)
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Horror/Thriller/Suspense
Tagline - "Wake up"
Format - DVD (Screener) (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was in high school I watch the sequels to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the loose remake for the first time.  I had watched the original numerous times and liked it, not loved it, but for some reason I never pursued the sequels.  After watching them I fell in love with TCM II.  I loved everything about the film.  Bill Moseley's performance as Choptop was amazing and Leatherface was seen in a whole new light.  This Leatherface was more carnal while retaining his sheer terror.  The man behind the leather mask was Bill Johnson and his portrayal of Leatherface was my favorite by far.  That being said, I often keep an eye out for his films out of respect for the man.  I was surprised one day when the Horror Society page received a message from someone promoting this film.  The name Bill Johnson caught my eye.  I messaged them back and requested a screener.  They were nice enough to send me one and for that I thank you guys and gals very much.  The screener came with some directions.  They wanted the link to their site So, BOOM here it is!
     The film follows a beautiful young girl who is in a loving relationship with her boyfriend.  Everything is picture perfect...while she is awake.  The second she falls asleep she has horrible nightmares about killing her boyfriend. She begins to worry that her horrible nightmares may spill over in to the real world and seeks help from a psychiatrist and a dream specialist.  She frantically rushes to get to the bottom of her ghastly dreams.  Was it a frightful accident?  Was it physical and sexual abusive from her parents?  Was it the guilt of cheating on her beloved boyfriend?  You will have to watch the film to find out!
     Psychological thrillers are a style of film that I typically do not like so keep that into consideration while reading this review.  The stories for psychological thrillers tend to be too ambitious and fail miserably when filmed.  Most are predictable and can't hold your attention after the halfway mark. For me this film is no exception.  The acting is actually great.  The cast was great all across the board and it would be a crime against humanity if they do not go on to star in other films.  Usually films like this make it hard for you to follow because the acting is amateurish, however, this film does not fall prey to that.  The story starts out fun and was really enjoyable.  Sadly, the second half of the film is just way too chaotic to really enjoy.  The film could have been an amazing psychological slasher but instead went wrong.  I think the film wanted to go out being a mindfuck and instead ended up being a clusterfuck.  I'm too damn stupid to really enjoy films that have been over thought and too complicated.  I want to sit down and watch a movie as a way to escape instead of being immersed in a film that feels like it is trying too hard to mess with your mind.  Finally, we don't get any real special effects or on screen kills.  The film tries to use moody atmosphere and story to get a rise out of the viewer instead of blood and guts.  Overall, this a film that showed promise but ended up falling short.  If you like psychological thriller then give this one a shot but keep an open mind. 

The Way of the Buffalo

Director - Shawn Burkett (Bludgeon)
Starring - Liz Wazenegger, Scott Gillespie, and Erin R. Ryan (Easter Casket)
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Horror/Thriller/Suspense
Format - Streaming (Youtube Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I absolutely love short films.  These shorts, when done properly, can do in a matter of minutes what most films take hours to display.  Most features are filled with pointless scenes and even more pointless dialogue that has nothing to do with the story.  Shorts, on the other hand, get straight to the point and hit you with only the necessities.  Therefore, I was very surprised and slightly excited when Shawn Burkett sent me a link to watch his new film The Way of the Buffalo, which is as most of you have guess by now, a short.  Burkett's films have been very entertaining overall but they due struggle with keeping pace and are filled with filler scenes and dialogue which is something you never find in a short.  
      The film follows a stalker who is obsessed with serial killers from the 60s and 70s as he stalks a young lady.  He often reminisces of a time when serial killers were almost glorified by the media and is sickened with the fact that you never hear anything about them in the news.  He sets out to rape and kill the young girl he has been following even though he has a bad heart.  One evening he waits on her to arrive home and sneaks in her home while she is in the shower.  When she gets out of the shower he attacks and rapes her killing her in the act.  When he nuts he suffers a heart attack and dies himself.
      I personally find the topic of rape to be unnerving and one of the many real life horrors that many people suffer through on a daily basis.  I do not personally know anyone who has been raped but I could only imagine what it is like.  Anyway, I had no idea what to expect when I started watching this but right from the start Burkett creates the perfect atmosphere for a found footage film.  I typically do not like found footage films because they all lack that certain atmosphere that makes a normal horror film so enjoyable.  So it was nice to see Burkett do something so many others tried to do.  The acting is very well done even though the cast is very limited.  The actor portraying the serial killer does a great job in his role.  He plays a very convincing deranged killer and is very natural in front of the camera.  He should be cast in more films and it will be a crime if he is not.  The story is nothing special but works very well with the short and plays very well with the twist at the end.  If the film was any long the story would have turned boring so kudos to Burkett for keeping this one short.  Finally, we are not treated to special effects or amazing kills.  Instead, we get great atmosphere and a truly deranged serial killer.  The killer's self shot confession is truly the highlight of this film and makes this short worth watching.  Overall, this is a truly dark shocker that will leave you unnerved.  I highly recommended it.

   

 

She's Dead

Director - Nik Box (Wrath of the Violent Vicar)
Starring - Alexander Lewis (Weeds), Julian Seager (Snow White and the Huntsmen), and Jamie Smith
Release Date - 2012
Genre - Horror/Suspense/Comedy
Tagline - "3 Men, 1 Corpse, 1 Room, 1 Hour"
Format - Streaming (youtube, screener)
Favorite Quote - "What you've done so far is positively turd worthy"

Rating (out of 5):

     This is the second film Nik Box sent to me to review.  The previous two films I wrote about were short films, where this one is a full length movie.  Being a low budget film that has a limited release I was not able to find anything about it before giving it a watch.  After watching the previous two movies I knew this one would follow the curb and be in improvement over the two where each film surpasses the last.  He told me in the email that it was a "Dark Comedy with a hint of Horror" which are some of my favorite kind of films.  

     The film opens with a young man named Ben (Lewis) who is standing in a room that is covered in plastic.  Ben makes a phone call and tells the person on the other end that he needs help and is in over his head.  A few moments later an older man arrives and the two access the situation.  The young man claims that he went out drinking the previous night and brought her back with him and when he woke she was dead.  The older man, Mr. Clean (Seager), lays down three rules that he always follows.  The first is do not question his leadership or decisions.  The second rule is he does not dismember the corpse himself.  The person who hires him does that.  Third, he always has a glass of tea before doing a job because it is the "fuel for the English worker."  All this is taking place in Ben's parent's home and they will be returning at 7.  This gives Mr. Clean an hour to do his job.  He has never done a job that quickly and this agitates him.  Before Ben called Mr. Clean he tried calling his friend Barry to help.  Barry is a little sick in the head and Ben figured he could help.  Barry returns his call after Mr. Clean has arrived and Ben tells him he no longer needs his help.  Barry, being curious, comes over any way and discovers the body.  The three now need supplies to dispose of the corpse and they all set out to procure them.  However, once Ben and Mr. Clean has left, Barry returns to have a little fun with the corpse.  after having a photo session and screwing her with a candy bar, Ben and Mr. Clean return and the three try to finish what they had started.  Mr. Clean tells Ben to start cutting the corpse but Ben chickens out.   Barry volunteers to cut the corpse into sections that will be easy to dispose of.  Before Barry starts cutting, Ben and Mr. Clean leave the room.  Barry once again starts fooling around with the body.  However, this time before he is able to get another edible item wet, she springs up and bites him on the neck.  After Barry dies the female lays back down.  Ben and Mr. Clean return and Mr. Clean is suspicious of the entire situation.  Ben then explains to Mr. Clean that Barry was unstable and just committed suicide.  Once again, Ben leaves the room and when Mr. Clean kneels down to examine Barry the girl jumps back up and bites him on the neck killing him.  Ben then returns to the room and sits down to have a smoke.  The female then gets up, fills a glass with Mr. Cleans blood, and sits down beside Ben.  After giving Ben a sip of the blood, the two start making out.

     Nik Box definitely learned a thing or two after completing his previous films.  He did not waste the viewers time with this one.  The acting was on a whole new level when compared to his previous films.  Everyone did an amazing job portraying their characters.  I really enjoyed watching the character of Barry when he would interact with the corpse.  It was pretty damn funny.  The story is pretty damn clever and I did not see the twist coming at all.  Definately a big improvement on delivering the story.  Every scene and every word of dialogue had something to do with the plot.  This movie flowed perfectly which made the twist work extremely well.  I also saw a few nods to Tarantino.  I do not know if they were intentional or coincidental but I did see two that reminded me him.  The first was with Mr. Clean and Ben.  Ben calls Mr. Clean to clean up his mess very similar to when Vega and Winnfield call The Wolf to dispose of a body in Pulp Fiction.  The second instance was when Barry was first introduced.  Barry referred to Mr. Clean as Mr. White and Mr. Pink before being corrected.  These are the two code names given to Harvey Keitel and Steve Buscemi in Reservoir Dogs.  I may just be over thinking that but either way I like it.  The movie does do a lot of things right, however, it also has  some room to grow.  I understand the movie's premise takes place in one room but the space, to me, seems way to small.  The movie almost has a claustrophobic feel and I do not care too much for that.  Also, in some of the scenes, when two characters are talking, the camera is not focused on both of them at once.  I like to see who is talking when I watch a movie.  With a movie that is character interaction based like this one is it would have made sense to show them both when they are carrying on a conversation.  Overall, this one should be watched at least once because it is the kind of film that does not have a replay value.