Her Name Was Torment

Director - Dustin Mills (Kill That Bitch, Night of the Tentacles)
Starring - Brandon Salkil (Easter Casket, Skinless), Allison Fitzgerald (Easter Casket, Theatre of the Deranged II), and Jackie McKown (Night of the Tentacles, Bath Salt Zombies)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Sex. Pain. Torture. Perversion"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Horror can come in many different shapes and sizes.  Horror can be light-hearted and filled with humor while giving the viewer different horror elements or themes.  Horror can also be campy and cliched giving the viewer more of the same with no added value or benefits.  There is also the extreme horror movement that is "plaguing" the underground indie scene.  These extreme films take topics and situations that are usually too taboo and uncomfortable for the typical horror fan and exploits that.  Director Dustin Mills is more known for his visually stunning horror comedies such as Easter Casket, Puppet Monster Massacre, and Night of the Tentacles.  However, Mills recently went the more darker and menacing route with his newest flick Kill That Bitch before focusing all his time on his other production company Crumbleshack Films.  The first film from CF is Her Name Was Torment which is one Mills promised would to be completely different than his other films.  I don't know if that was a brilliant marketing tactic or a fair warning but I had to see it so I ordered a copy.

     The film follows a young man as he walks innocently down the street.  The young man is unaware that a young girl, with a jacked up face, is stalking him as he walks down a quiet suburban neighborhood.  She nabs him and takes him back to her pad where she tortures and slowly kills him.  This is not her first murder, in fact, she has been doing this for a very long time and keep the corpses around to screw as she waits for the new victim to die.  She is eventually caught and the police send in a doctor to examine her.  She then goes on a incoherent ramble about how angels destroyed her face for God and they need the body parts for an unknown reason.

     Dustin Mills is a man I greatly admire and respect regardless of what I think of certain films of his.  Just like with George A. Romero, John Carpenter, and David Cronenberg have made films that did not satisfy all their fans.  Her Name Was Torment, just like Mill's Bath Salt Zombies, is a very solid film but just did not hit the spot like the other Mills films.  This film also makes good on it's promise and gives use a film that assaults our senses and fucks our eye sockets unlike any of his other films.  The acting in this one is hard to judge due to the way the movie is filmed.  Salkil is very convincing as a torture victim and his struggles are very visible.  However, the star of the show and the beautiful Allison Fitzgerald is able to remain incredibly sexy while wearing a vile mask and wielding crude torture devices.  She really needs more speaking roles or at least roles where she stands around nude and we can actually see her face.  The story for this one is very unique and different than any other Mills film to date. Mills takes a stab at extreme horror and more specific the torture porn sub-genre with a dab of necrophilia to really make you question just how fucked up you really are.  The film has some beautifully shot torture scenes that is as beautiful as it is unnerving.  The film also has a very crafty necrophilia scene that will oddly turn you on...at least it did me!  However, the story is not very fluid.  The interrogation scenes do not work very well at helping the story unfold but that was intentional.  Intentional or not, it was not really something I could dig.  Finally, the film has some solid practical effects and I'm sure Dustin Mills was able to throw in some visual effects that went unnoticed due to the way the movie was filmed.  Overall, Her Name Was Torment is another solid film from the indie genius that is Dustin Mills.  The film has beautiful women, insane special effects, and an insane story.  Though I was not a fan of the dialogue and the incoherent ramblings of the deranged psychopath the film was able to draw me in and make me want more.  That also sparks an interest for a sequel to see where this fucked up story can and will go!

    

Pieces Of Talent

PIECES OF TALENT
Writer:David Long, Joe Stauffer
Director:Joe Stauffer
Starring:David Long, Kristi Ray
Availability: DVD Available at piecesoftalent.com
Rating:

    I have loved movies for about as long as I remember.  Certainly, when I was a child, I had far more dubious tastes, but that doesn't change the fact that I've always had a passion for the cinema.  My love affair with horror is a far more complicated issue.  When I was a child, I simply adored this stuff.  I was one of those who frequented the Mom and Pop video stores, renting and buying movies that would end up being life long staples.  I have so many fond memories of this part of my life.  What horror fan doesn't?

    Once I entered junior high, things changed, though.  I found myself drifting away from horror.  I started studying movies.  I wanted to know all the classics.  I started seeking out more foreign films, silent movies, art house flicks...I became a bit of a movie snob.  The older I got, the more I started feeling as if horror was beneath me.  These films had no artistic substance.  They were cheap, badly acted rubbish.  Okay, I wasn't that harsh.  I still dug a good horror flick every now and then.  Still, though, it was no longer a passion.  

    Once I hit twenty, though, I was watching some special on Bravo and they were discussing all these classic horror movies.  It was then that it hit me...Horror movies are an essential part of anyone's film education.  There is so much heart, passion, and creativity in this genre, and here I was too focused on movies having to be "perfect," that I had almost turned my back on this beautiful, unpredictable cinematic landscape.  It was then that I started seeking out a lot of indie titles.  I suppose my first foray into indie horror was Brian Paulin's Bone Sickness.  Needless to say, there was a hunger there, and I've spent the last decade doing everything I can to make sure that hunger has been satisfied.

    That brings us to tonight's little ditty...Joe Stauffer's Pieces of Talent.  This is a movie that was the product of immense amounts of hype.  Everyone I knew in the indie horror community was talking about it, but few had actually seen it.  When a movie is built up like this, the results can be disastrous.  What if this movie we've all been dying to see secretly turned out to be a piece of shit?  It's happened before, and there's no reason to think it couldn't happen again.  Luckily, that's not the case here.  Pieces of Talent is one of the best, most inventive indie horror flicks I've seen this year.  I'd say only Lord of Tears has surprised me this warmly.  

    This movie is a modern horror masterpiece.  It's a thing of real beauty.  I'm not sure what sort of budget these guys had to work with, but they definitely made the most of it.  This is that rare beast in modern horror.  It's actually, *gasp*, something original.  It essentially tells the story of David, a director who is out to make the perfect movie.  If that means he has to kill to accomplish this goal, so be it.  After meeting Charlotte, an aspiring actress, the two form a strong friendship.  Charlotte sees this as her big opportunity, and David sees in Charlotte the perfect woman to be the star in his opus.

    To tell you more would spoil the fun, but suffice to say, this is a movie that refuses to play by the rules.  You may think you know where it's going, but you'd only be fooling yourself.  This isn't a by the numbers body count slasher movie.  Don't get me wrong.  There are some profoundly disturbing and gory moments that will please those who love their arthouse with a delicate hint of depravity.  David Long is absolutely astounding in the role of David.  He may be a psychopath, but there's something very relatable about him.  In the quieter moments between David and Charlotte, you see a real humanity in him.  It's a wonderfully complex portrayal of a beautifully written character.

    The underground has been cluttered lately with movies that develop an almost rabid level of worship.  Some are definitely more deserving than others.  Pieces of Talent is the sort of movie that deserves a passionate fan base.  The shot compositions are extraordinary.  Joe Stauffer has a wicked sense of style, and it oozes in every frame, especially a brilliant dream sequence that you will have a hard time shaking from your subconscious.  Sometimes, as someone who loves writing about movies, I will take great pleasure in tearing apart a bad movie.  Nothing beats the feeling, though, of being able to sing the praises of a film this great.  I even came in to this movie a bit skeptical.  This film has set a new standard in the world of indie horror.

    Now, you may be wondering why I felt compelled to start this review with a mundane bit of backstory about me and my love affair with horror.  The reason for this is quite simple.  Movies like this remind me why horror will always play an important part of my life.  This is real art, ladies and gentlemen.  This is a movie that truly stunned me in the best possible sense of the word.  Buy this immediately.  If you have to sell the kids to slavery in order to afford it, believe me when I tell you it will be worth it.

    Until next time, my fellow freaks and weirdos...

 

    

Torment

Director - Jordan Barker (The Marsh)
Starring - Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, American Mary), Robin Dunne (Teenage Space Vampires), and Peter DaCunha (The Strange and Eerie Memoirs of Billy Wuthergloom)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Welcome to the family"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I don't mind if movies borrow from other movies.  Sure, people bitch and complain when the same idea is used over and over again but in the right hands it can feel new.  However, not very many filmmakers can turn the same elements from other horror films and make them feel new again.  I don't know how many films I have reviewed in my short time reviewing films that felt like I was watching a retelling of some of my favorite horror films.  Several weeks ago I was sent news that the upcoming slasher flick, Torment, was hitting DVD very soon.  The poster artwork (seen above) looked fucking fantastic so I had to see it.  I reached out to the fine folks releasing the film and they were nice enough to hook me up with a review copy and for that I thank you very much!
      The film follows Cory (Dunne), his young son Liam (DaCunha), and his new wife Sarah (Isabelle) as they travel to Cory's summer home. Sarah is having a hard time bonding with Liam.  This leads to several instances where Liam becomes distraught and runs off and eventually runs away from the couple.  After their home is burglarized the newlyweds call the local police to investigate.  Things then turn sour from there when the sheriff is murdered by a bloodthirsty "family" who take Liam as one of their own and they slaughter everyone in their path.

     I stated earlier that, if done right, I tend to enjoy horror films that borrow from other horror flicks.  That still stands, however, I really enjoy when a film becomes a melting pot of multiple ideas from multiple movies.  These movies are easy to pick out because they are horror films for fans of the genre by fans of the genre.  I really enjoyed the poster and that is what intrigued me the most about the film.  However, after looking at the poster a few times it reminded me a lot of the film Mask Maker.  However, the film itself borrows from several others.  The acting in this one is pretty solid.  I was surprised to see Katharine Isabelle in this film after her success with American Mary.  She was a pleasant surprise but sadly her talent and experience was not used to it's fullest.  A little more screen time and a little stronger character for her would have helped the film out a lot.  The story for this one is one consisting of several elements took from various other flicks like Mask Maker, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Next Generation, and any slasher that takes place in the woods.  Though this film used elements from other films it still offers a very unique movie experience.  I really have to take my hat off to the crew behind this one for pulling the story off.  Finally, the film has several deaths but the darkness of the film makes it almost impossible to enjoy them.  This may be the press of the review copy I was sent but the film was way too dark to really get a feel for the kills and special effects.  Overall, Torment is a solid film that borrows from the past to make one hell of a future for slashers.  If you dig brooding atmosphere and brutal kills then Torment is for you!

   
    

Red Velvet

Director - Bruce Dickson (Artbound)
Starring - Henry Thomas (E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Gangs of New York), Kelli Garner (The Aviator, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Forrest J. Ackerman (Curse of the Queerwolf, Dead Alive)
Release Date - 2008
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "It's all about the stains"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     As a reviewer I always look to the future for films to review.  When I see a film is set to be released in the near future I often try to review it before the release date so those of you that give a damn about my opinion can have it before hand. However, that was not my intention when I started writing reviews almost three years ago now.  My intentions, at that time, was to review films people forgot about.  The low budgeted and obscure films of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.  Once I was brought on to Horror Society that changed and I was lucky enough to get films way before their respected release dates.  Recently, a lot of people were talking about the 2008 horror comedy Red Velvet on various Facebook horror collecting groups.  This was the first time I had heard of the film and reached out to the producer who was nice enough to hook me up with a review copy and for that I thank you so very much!
     The film follows artist and writer Aaron (Thomas) who just happens to run into his neighbor while washing clothes.  This is the first time he has talked to his neighbor, Linda (Garner), but that does not stop her from sparking up a conversation with him. During the conversation he informs her that he is a writer and she asks him to tell her a story.  He agrees and makes up a yarn about a trip to a cabin she was supposed to go on that very day with her boyfriend.  He then tells a bloody and gruesome tell involving the deaths of all her friends.  As their conversation draws to a close they part ways and head back to their apartments.  After some time Linda visits Aaron at his apartment and the two venture off to the cabin to party with her friends but things aren't going to go as smooth as she had hoped.
     Slashers hardly step outside the box and typically follow the same formula we all know and love.  Though it sounds like I am complaining I have to say I am not.  There is a reason we love that tried and true slasher formula and that is because it works with no budget.  However, several slashers step outside the mold and try to re-invent the sub-genre only to fall short and create forgettable films.  Sometimes these films are so bad they become comparison films and we compare other films we see to it and just how shitty they are.  The 2008 slasher comedy Red Velvet is not one of those films.  This film does step out of the traditional slasher setting to only pop it's head in to get the slasher look but completely switches it up.  The acting in this one is great.  The entire cast did a superb job but stars Henry Thomas and Kelli Garner shine like no other in their performances. These two have real chemistry and it made the film so much more enjoyable.  The story for this one is fun and very imaginative.  The team behind this one knew exactly what horror fans, and more importantly fans of slashers, liked about the sub-genre and was able to give them all of it in a non-traditional way.  I honestly wished more filmmakers thought the way the team behind this one did because we would see a lot more original flicks.  The film has a cool story, characters you can love and hate, and a killer that is...well, different.  Finally, the film has some very unique kills to go along with the rather unique movie.  The kills are very bloody, gory, and they all have great special effects to pull them off.  Overall, Red Velvet is a fearsome force among slasher flicks.  It has great kills, amazing special effects, some cheap laughs, and a well written story.  Do yourself a huge favor and buy this film now!

Babysitter Massacre

Director - Henrique Couto (Haunted House on Sorority Row)Starring - Erin R. Ryan (Bludgeon, Easter Casket), Marylee Osborne (A Bulldog for Christmas), and Haley Madison (Hunters)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Stalked. Tortured. Killed. Can you escape?"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

      The babysitter slasher is one I typically don't give a damn about.  The claustrophobic setting and lack of characters just bore the fuck out of me.  However, there is always an exception to any rule including this one.  Several months back I saw that Ohio based directed Henrique Couto was working on a babysitter slasher simply titled Babysitter Massacre.  The poster looked great so I wanted to see the film.  I was a little gun shy after watching Bleeding Through but I decided to have a double feature with another Couto flick, Haunted House on Sorority Row, which was amazing.  After watching HHoSR I had very high hopes for Babysitter Massacre. 

     Babysitter Massacre follows a group of childhood friends, former babysitters, as they try to recover from the lose of one of their former friends who was abducted and murdered. As the years dragged on the girls have went their separate ways.  One of the young girls wants to put together a little party to get the girls together one last time.  Everyone is down but only two others arrive arousing the suspicion of Bianca (Osborne).  Bianca was the last one to see the murdered girl alive when she saw a man in the white mask abduct her.  This weighs on her the most.  She investigates the missing babysitters but the trail turns cold until pictures of the missing girls are sent via text to the remaining women.  The girls are mutilated and this causes great concerns for the entire group.  This forces Bianca to search desperately for the man in the white mask before her remaining friends are slaughtered.
     Babysitter slashers typically take place inside of a home and rarely venture outside of it.  These types of slashers feel very constraining.   The rooms usually feel small due to the camera crew taking up most of the free space and this results in a very cramped scene.  I, personally, find these scenes hard to watch. Babysitter slashers also have the same storyline that sometimes spills over to other slashers.  These slasher usually involve someone, or something, inside the home stalking the teenage babysitter as she tried to make a few dollars.  However, just like any other visionary director, Henrique wanted to make something different and made that a reality.  The acting in this one is solid by most of the cast.  Erin R. Ryan is amazing as always.  She can play any role and make that role believable.  The role of Bianca, portrayed by Marylee Osborne, is also another actress that sticks out.  This young lady has some spunk and stands out as well.  However, her bad ass angle did seem forced at times.  A little more real and a little less fake psycho would have went a long way.  The story for this one is not your typical babysitter slasher flick.  This story is a little more complex, fun, and very thought filled.  Henrique was able to take a slasher sub-genre and make it his own with a film that goes against the conventional and borders with torture porn.  The down side is the killer.  A slasher is known for it's killer so if the killer fails then the film has to pick up slack in other departments to stop from failing.  The killer, a man wearing a skin tight white mask, just lacks everything slasher fans love about slashers.  He's not menacing nor is her scary.  Finally, the film does have a few on screen kills but the special effects are minimalistic and does not quite satisfy my bloodlust that I expect to be met from a normal slasher.  However, some of this kills are brutal and makes the viewer feel very uncomfortable in their own skin.  Overall, Babysitter Massacre is a fun slasher that goes against the grain to deliver something very fun.  If you like beautiful women who hate their clothes and fun slashers then this one is for you!

  

    

Die Die Delta Pi

Director(s) - Sean Donohue (Joe Vampire) and Christopher Leto (The Housewife Slasher)
Starring - Bianca Allaine Barnett (Albino Farm), Andrea Alfonso (...And a Bag of Chips), and Kristin Avery (Hi-8)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "It's pledge week and all the girls of Delta Pi are just rushing to die"
Format - Streaming (online screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Lately I have been writing more reviews for slashers than any other horror sub-genre. Slashers are cheap and a crowd favorite so that leads to more and more indie filmmakers taking a stab at them.  That has also lead to a huge influx of 80s inspired slashers.  I personally love this huge movement of 80s throwbacks but I have seen a lot of other reviewers bitching and complaining.  Though a majority of them do suck I greet every one with eagerness and enthusiasm.  Recently, director Sean Donohue reached out to me to check out his new sorority house slasher beautiful titled Die Die Delta Pi.  This is not the first time I had heard of this film.  Several months back I was able to check out the amazing poster (seen above) designed by the super fucking talented Sadist Art.
     The film follows a sorority in 1986 the night of initiations when a hazing ritual went too damn far and severely burns one of the pledges.  To make matters even worse there is a killer stalking the sorority girls and their dates.  After almost everyone is murdered we then jump to present day where that same sorority is now starting another chapter at the same college.  It just happens to be the year that the daughter of one of the survivors is heading off to college and chose to attend her mother's alma mater.  However, just like with any good slasher, once the sorority starts up the stories of what happened in 1986 start to circulate and so does a fresh batch of murders.  It is now up to the legacy, her mother, and her sorority sisters to find out who the killer (or killers) really are before it is too late!
      Slashers of the 80s comes in many different flavors and all have had the modern slasher throwback treatment.  Sadly, some have been done more than others. The slasher in the woods is the most common of these but one that I have a soft spot for is the girls in college/high school slashers like Slumber Party Massacre and Student Bodies. I really enjoy the whole campus setting and how the kills usually are associated with those.  When I first saw the posters for Die Die Delta Pi it was obvious which path this film went down but I was concerned.  Very few modern slashers have trekked down this path before and did not fair well.  However, after watching the film I have to say that this film succeeded!  The acting in this one is hit or miss.  The entire cast tried their hardest and it shows but some just lacked experience.  It was also cool to see scream queen Bianca Barnett.  I was lucky enough to meet her at Shockacon last year and purchased a few of her films but due to work I have yet to watch any of her films until now.  The story for this one is one told so many times in the 80s and that is the purpose of a throwback.  To bring something from yesteryear back to our attention.  This film was effectively able to do so.  Sadly, the story, though one told before, was extremely slow to get rolling after one action packed opening. The opening did not set the pace for the film which really threw the flow of the film off.  Finally, the film does have more deaths than your typical slasher.  In fact, this flick boasts a rather impressive body count.  Also, the special effects are decent and worked just enough to pull off the kill gags.  Overall, Die Die Delta Pi is a modern slasher that has style and bloodshed.  This is a slow burner but the great gore and beautiful women more than make up for it.  I highly recommend this one.