Curtains

Director - Richard Ciupka (The Hunger)
Starring - John Vernon (Animal House, Killer Klowns from Outer Space), Samantha Eggar (The Brood, Demonoid: Messenger of Death), and Linda Thorson (Tales from the Darkside, Thriller)
Release Date - 1983
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Behind every curtain, someone is waiting...something is watching"
Format - Blu-Ray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I often wonder if trends from yesteryear were as welcomed at the time as the trends we now see people bitching about. Did most people bitch like they do with the recent supernatural found footage flicks and the generic zombie apocalypse films when they were in the middle of the 80s slasher uprising?  I was born in 86 so I was enjoying this phase during the time Craven was trying to bring it back from the dead in the mid 90s.  I was never really a fan of the slashers of the 90s because they lacked the style and characterization the films of the 80s had.  I would often rent those 80s slashers from good ol' Dewey's Video when I was younger and I always found a different 80s slasher with each visits.  However, one film I never had the privilege of viewing was the 1983 Canadian slasher Curtains.  I had heard of the film in my high school years but never saw it until I was given the chance when Synapse sent me a review copy of the film on glorious blu-ray. 
     The film opens with actress Samantha Sherwood (Eggar) as she rehearses her lines for the upcoming film Audra.  She wants to portray her character perfectly so she has herself committed to an asylum.  Time passes and being locked away starts to work on her mentally and she slowly starts to break down.  Things then look even more bleak for the talented actress once she hears word that her partner and director Jonathan Stryker (Vernon) is holding an open house for the role of Audra while Sherwood is locked away.  She has a friend break her out and she heads to Stryker's home to bust up the auditions.  However, something else is breaking up the auditions and starts killing the lovely ladies trying out for the role.  Is it Samantha Sherwood or someone else that would kill for the role?
     I love slashers that follow a particular formula.  My favorites are those that follow the "you wronged me so now I will kill you while wearing a mask" storyline. These have always been my favorite, as well as, the favorites of millions.  That is why so many of the films that used this storyline has spawned sequel after sequel.  A perfect example of this is the Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm St. series.  In the original Friday the 13th series Jason's mother, Pamela, kills camp counselors because it was the counselors some years before who neglected her son and lead to his death.  After her death at the end of part one Jason picks up her bloody legacy and starts killing everyone that visits Camp Crystal Lake to avenge his mothers death.  This is similar to ANoES.  Freddy Krueger was a child murderer that was burned to death by the parents he had robbed of their children.  He then returned to the nightmares of their remaining children some years later to kill them for revenge.  The point of this is to show just how popular this type of story is.  However, this film kinda has this same story but it falls short due to poor editing and lack of direction.  This film was said to have the original director removed from the project and the producer stepped in to finish.  However, he did not know the direction this film was going and ruined parts of the story.  The film made you think it was a revenge style slasher but it mixes it up towards the end revealing a new killer.  The acting in this one is phenomenal.  The entire cast was perfect for their roles which made this one of the best acted slashers I have seen come out of the 80s.  Finally, the film does have several on screen deaths, as well as, some that take place off camera.  We also get some decent special effects making these kills really fun.  Overall, Curtains is a cool forgotten slasher that has some fun kills and characters but a horrible killer.  Check it out!

Piggy

Director - Kieron Hawkes (Ripper Street)
Starring - Martin Compston (Strippers vs. Werewolves), Neil Maskell (The ABCs of Death), and Paul Anderson (Doctor Who)
Release Date - 2012
Genre - Horror
Tagline's "He stands between us and them" and "A new breed of vigilante"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Lately I have been on a killer pig kick and I reviewed the pig masked slasher Hogmaul which was a rip off of the 2010 slasher Porkchop.  The slasher even went as far as to steal the promotional material for the film.  I had to wash the taste of that film out with something...better.  So I turned to a review copy I received of the film Piggy.  The film looked fun as hell when I initially saw the trailer but from over the years I have learned to never judge a film by it's trailer.  The film's artwork is one thing but the trailer can, and usually, is huge fucking let down.  However, when I tossed this one in I was pleasantly surprised. 
     The film follows shy and withdrawn Joe (Compston) who is grieving over the death of his brother John (Maskell). Joe is having a hard time coping with his brother's death because John is the one that forced him out of his shell and into the real world.  John was murdered by a local drug dealer and his group of friends but the police have failed to put the pieces together.  Soon after his brother's murder Joe meets a friend of Johns named Piggy (Anderson).  Piggy sympathizes with Joe and convinces him that revenge is the best medicine to heal his heart.  The two hatch out a plan to bring street justice to those responsible for his brother's death while wearing pig snouts to hide their identities.  The two set out to kills those responsible but along the way Joe learns that Piggy is not who he says he is.

     I did not know what to expect from Piggy when I first started watching it.  I assumed it was a slasher but boy was I way off.  The film was not a slasher at all but a stylish revenge film with great character depth that reminded me a lot of several amazing British films.  The acting in this one is phenomenal.  The entire cast did an amazing job but Paul Anderson's portrayal of Piggy stands out in every scene.  This is a character that could have easily went on to star in a series of films.  He is so methodical, cool, collected, and brutal.  The story for this one is a more brutal twist on the typical revenge style flick.  We have seen countless revenge flicks over the years but very few actually offer a twist at the end.  However, those that do offer a twist ending rarely are able to pull it off like this film did.  The twist was simple and very effective.  Finally, the film has several beautifully filmed death scenes.  In fact, the deaths scenes we did get were rather surprising at how gory they were.  The special effects for these were great as well making this film very well rounded.  Overall, Piggy is a horror film for horror fans.  Tired of bitching about the current state the horror community is in with so many remakes and sequels?  Then check this film out because you will not be disappointed. 

Hogmaul: The Legend of Abrams County

Director - Nap Bishop
Starring - Chris Beck, Tina Berry, and Gabrielle Bodroghy
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "There's a fine line between man and swine"
Format - DVD (Borrowed)

Rating (out of 5):

      Before 2010 the world of horror lacked films where the killer wore a pig mask.  We had the classic Motel Hell and the Troma distributed film Pigs but other than that we had nothing.  Cue in the indie filmmaker Eamon Hardiman and his slasher comedy Porkchop.  Since then we have more pig masked killers than we know what to do with.  Aside from the Porkchop trilogy and spin-off Pig Girl, we now have Squeal, Madison County, Piggy, and now the 2013 flick Hogmaul.  Most modern flicks I review are either requests or films I just recently discovered, however, Hogmaul is one I have heard about through friends.  This is a film that several indie horror fans have told me about and warned me to stay away.  Not because the film sucked horse cock (cause it doesn't) but because the film blatantly ripped off Porkchop in more way than one.  This is something I want to address before I get to the actual movie so I can at least discuss it in a respectful manner.  Hogmaul clearly stole the film's artwork and marketing material from Hardiman's Porkchop film.  The swine head with weapons underneath resembling a skull and crossbones is something Hardiman had done three years prior, as well as, the films actual DVD cover featuring a pig masked killer standing menacingly wielding a weapon.  To be a thief they sure did go about it as if that had nothing a hide!
     Hogmaul follows the mis-adventures of a small town who is plagued with a series of murders and disappearances. The town chalks it up to an urban legend called Hogmaul.  Hogmaul is more of a cryptozoological creature and even has a few weirdos that is obsessed with him.  We then meet our local sheriff and his new deputy that is from the big city.  The two get called on a missing person case and head out into the woods to investigate.  We are also introduced to a group of twenty-somethings as they plan to steal some pot plants out in the woods.  Finally, we also meet a Hogmaul fanatic who is out in the woods searching for evidence of Hogmaul's existence.  They all eventually cross paths with the killer pig.
     I went into this film highly fucking pissed when I realized they did steal all the hard work Eamon Hardiman had put into his film.  I find this to be a cowards tactic and I hope someone does the same to Nap as he did to Eamon if he ever has ideas of his own instead of stealing others.  With that being said, I kinda liked this film even though it was one I already liked before. The acting in this one is bad but not horrible.  This is the kind of acting I like to call "indie rich."  The cast tried but lacked the experience or directing needed to make their roles believable.  The story for this one is the exact same as Porkchop except we are missing the the fucking awesome Burt Flemming.  Flemming is one of the many highlights of Porkchop but this film lacked a similar character but kept the rest of the film the same.  Finally, the film has several death scenes but most took place off camera resulting in a lot of disappoint for the slasher fans.  Overall, Hogmaul is a film that could have been fun if they would have tried to be original instead of thieving cowards.  Avoid this and go grab a copy of Hardiman's Porkchop trilogy instead!

Buddy Hutchins

Director - Jared Cohn (Jailbait, Atlantic Rim)
Starring - Jamie Kennedy (Scream, Bongwater), Sally Kirkland (Bruce Almighty), and Sara Malakul Lane (Jailbait, Sharktopus)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "His bad day is now your bad day"
Format - Streaming (online screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Writing for Horror Society has been something that I will be forever thankful for.  I know this sounds cliche but Horror Society has changed my life in so many ways.  I have met a lot of wonderful people during my short time here at the site and one of those people is director Jared Cohn.  Last year, September to be exact, I attended a horror and sci-fi con called Shockacon.  It was here I met Jared along with Eugene Clark who is known for playing Big Daddy in George A. Romero's Land of the Dead.  Jared is the man who brought us the mockbuster Atlantic Rim along with his women in prison comedy Jailbait.  I befriended him on Facebook and learned he was working with Jamie Kennedy on a new film called Buddy Hutchins.   I reached out to him and he was kind enough to shoot me an online screener.  Thanks Jared!
     The film follows Buddy (Kennedy).  Buddy is down on his luck but he goes on because he has the support of his family.  He was once a guitarist for a rock band and a major alcoholic but has turned his back on that life to focus on his family.  His son resents him but he fine with that because he still has his beautiful daughter, whom he is very proud of, and his wife...until he learns she is cheating on him.  His life goes from rough to fucking impossible.  He loses his dry cleaning business and is forced out of his home.  He resorts to drinking again and this results in an arrest, as well as, a bounty hunter after him for the bonds.  His life then goes even darker when he learns that his father was actually his uncle, his mother dies, and then his ex-wife starts hounding him for alimony.  This sends poor Buddy over the deep end and he kills his uncle father guy, his gay brother and his life partner, his ex-wife and black boyfriend, and his wife's new boyfriend before going up in a hail of gunfire and explosions...but is he really dead?
     When I meet a filmmaker that is new to me I never know what to expect.  Jared was extremely nice to me when we met at Shockacon and has continued to show great kindness through our interactions on Facebook.  With that being said, I had no idea what to expect from Buddy Hutchins.  The film looked fun and once I started watching I realized that this will be one not many people will forget. The acting in this one is solid by the entire cast but some concerns did arise when I was watching this.  Several scenes showed Jamie Kennedy on top of his game while others just felt like he didn't care.  This was very disheartening for me because I loved Kennedy in Scream. 
This was consistent throughout the film which kind of hurt it in some aspects.  The remainder of the cast was great and definitely brought their "A" games.  The story for this one is not something new but something new to the horror genre.  So many films have the storyline where someone is wrongerd or cheated on and plot their revenge.  However, not all of them take the revenge down the dark path of murder with a chainsaw.  I really liked that and it made me want to see what the stories are like for Jared's other films.  Finally, the film has some pretty nice kills with just as good special effects.  The chainsaw scene is by far my favorite and will stick out to me for years to come.  Overall, Buddy Hutchins is a bloody good film that packs some great kills into a great story.  I highly recommend this one!

Scumbag Hustler

Director(s) - Sean Weathers (They All Must Die!) and Aswad Issa (Ace Jackson is a Dead Man)
Starring - Sean Weathers, Sybelle Silverphoenix (Monsters of Mulberry St.), and Chrystal Claire (Melody Set Me Free)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Comedy/Drama
Tagline - "How ya like me now?"
Format - Streaming (online screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     The indie film world has it's fair share of filmmakers that tend to stick to certain genres.  These filmmakers tend to grow as a filmmaker and a person within these genres where they grow a fan base over time.  Sadly, not many filmmakers try to tackle the exploitation and blaxploitation genres and sub-genres. I personally love both of those but I rarely get the chance to see either of those.  However, guerrilla filmmaker and podcast host Sean Weathers is one man that braves the odds to deliver some solid blaxploitation and exploitation films.  Sadly, I have never seen any of his films until he reached out to me to review his newest flick Scumbag Hustler.  This was the first time I had heard about it but I really wanted to see it so I agreed.  He then asked if I wanted to see the softcore or the clean (no nude scene) edits of his film.  I knew I would like it after that.  

     The film follows junkie Solomon Crow (Weathers) as he cons people on the street for money so he can get his next fix.  It doesn't matter to him what it is as long as it fucks him up or leads to him getting pussy.  One thing Solomon can count on is always finding a girl whose knees hate each other. Solomon lives in the gutter but his religious brother and smoking hot wife invite him in to live with them.  He immediately burns them, multiple times, but his brother refuses to turn his back on Solomon.  Over time Solomon is able to work his pecker magic on his brother's wife and she becomes infatuated with him to the point she wants to kill her husband to be with him.  This backfires and a Mexican stand off ensues.

      I have seen so many blaxploitation films over the years year.  Most of them from the 70s and 80s but I have not seen that many blaxploitation films released in the last few years other than the amazing Black Dynamite and Black Devil Doll.  However, these are hilarious over exaggerations of the black community of the late 60s and early 70s while Scumbag Hustler is a blaxploitation flick with a modern look.  I really like that approach.  The acting in this one is on the bad side with Sean Weathers being the real exception.  Most of the cast gave it their all and show they have the desire and drive to be amazing actors just lacked experience.  Weathers, however, shined in his role playing the very animated Solomon.  Solomon really made the film and Weathers' performance could have ruined the film if he did not deliver on the personality for his character.  The story for this one is not that deep nor is it that detailed.  It is clever and that is why it is so effective because it is so simple and clever.  Finally, the film is not a horror flick so it lacks the special effects and death scenes that we know and love but it does have several sexy scenes and funny moments.  Overall, Scumbag Hustler is a funny and sleazy flick that shows just how far a pair of breasts can go in the indie world.  If you like raunchy flicks then I strongly suggest this one.  Check it out!

What Price Gory?

Author - Terry M. West (A Psycho's Medley) 

Release Date - 2014

Genre - Horror

Format - E-Book (Review Copy)

Rating (out of 5):

     Last year, during my first full year at Horror Society, I switched it up and started reviewing video games and books.  What pushed me into books was befriending author Terry M. West on Facebook.  West is known for his indie films and horror literature but in recent years he has put his main focus toward his writing.  He was kind enough to send me review copies of his anthology novel A Psycho's Medley and the short Car Nex.  I loved reading both of these but my main focus has always been films so that drew all my attention and I let his more recent releases slip by me and for that I apologize.  I wanted to get back on track with West and his novels so I went ahead and checked out one of his newer releases while my wife is in the hospital waiting on a surgery.  I turned on the ol' iPad and gave West's What Price Gory? some of my undivided attention. 
     This anthology consists of eight shorts.  The shorts are as followed (and out of order); Car Nex which was reviewed in full before, What Price Gory? which follows a horror author who is trying to climb the best selling charts after an author known as the master of horror dies.  However, before he can do that he has to win a battle with the deceased author's spirit.  The third tale, The Hairy Ones, follows an elderly couple who sacrifices the young to hairy creatures that roam their farm at night.  After they have their fill the elderly couple strips down and lets them bareback them.  The Hermit's Creepy Pet follows an aspiring author who teams up with the local hermit.  The hermit has caught a legendary beast in one is his bear traps but the beast is far from death.  Cecil and Bubba Meet a Succubus follows two good ol' boys who piss off a gypsy who then lays a curse down on the two.  The two then enter a haunted house as part of a paranormal investigation where an evil succubus is accidentally awaken. Put on a Happy Face follows a little girl, Susie, who lives with her brother Billy.  Billy was once an amazing scientist but a horrible lab explosion forever changed him.  The final story, Midnight Snack, follows a business man who is not satisfied with the way his life has turned out.  One night he takes the wrong exit during a traffic jam and ends up in the worst part of town. 
     West is an amazing author.  He knows I feel that way about him and his literary gifts because I consistently tell him that.  Every thing of his I have read I absolutely loved.  With all that said, my favorite horror book to date is Brian Keene's The Rising.  This book is fucking vile, disgusting, and brutal.  However, after reading What Price Gory? I have to say that I have a new favorite and that is WPG.  I absolutely love how each tale took a different path than the one before it.  This is something that you rarely see in anthology films and novels.  Most of the time they are all linked together by something.  Don't get me wrong, it is crucial that they are all linked but sometimes you do get one that isn't but it still works.  The stories are all bold and very imaginative.  They all could easily be expanded upon which is something I strongly urge West to do.  The breakout story from this short story collection is Cecil and Bubba but I really liked Midnight Snack and Car Nex as well.  I could see all three of these spawning an entire series.  I also like West's writing style.  He doesn't try to over do and show off his intelligence.  He writes the story and keeps it simple for us dumb-asses to enjoy.  That is why he is one of my favorite authors.  He keeps it smooth and simple which is something I really enjoy.  My biggest, and only, problem I have with this collection of shorts is the fact it is a collection of shorts.  Each story has so much potential and could easily be turned into something even more amazing.  So many of these stories end leaving the reader feeling let down like the first time they had sex and barely hit the 60 second mark.  This really bums me out thinking about all the what ifs.  Overall, What Price Gory? is one hardcore fucking read.  It is fun, bloody, ghoulish, and very original.  Please check this one out immediately. 

Pieces of Talent

Director - Joe Stauffer (Dream)
Starring - David Long, Kristi Ray (Celebrity Ghost Stories), and Nate Panning (Piranha 3DD)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Comedy/Horror
Tagline - "Beautiful horror"
Format - Streaming (online screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Horror has always been a genre full of trends that suddenly pop up.  These trends usually last a few years and then die off when the masses start to realize they have been duped and go off for the next fad.  Recently we have seen an over abundance in torture porn underground horror flicks along with countless zombie flicks riding on the coattails of AMC's The Walking Dead.   On top of all that we are now plagued with film after film stealing the plot from Paranormal Activity.  We now have Paranormal Whacktivity, Haunted House and it's sequel, Paranormal Entity, Paranormal Haunting, and so on and so on.  However, in a time of copycats and duplicates one filmmaker usually rises up and gives us something new and breathtaking.  Que in director Joe Stauffer and his indie masterpiece Pieces of Talent.  Fellow reviewer Denver Johnson reviewed this film and his review intrigued me but once horror friend and reviewer Jason Limberg mentioned it to me I had to fucking see it.  I reached out to star David Long and he was nice enough to hook me up with a screener. Thank you for forever changing my life David!

     The film follows the beautiful Charlotte (Ray).  She works as a waitress at a strip club while she tries to land roles as an actress.  One night while having a smoke she catches the club's bouncer beating the shit out of a man holding a camera.  She intervenes but he is beat up pretty bad.  She puts him in his car and drives him around until he regains consciousness.  When he awakes he tells her he is a filmmaker himself and the two exchange numbers before he takes her home and drops her off.  He then returns back to his home to work more on a film he is working on.  It turns out that David Long (playing himself) is not your typical filmmaker.  In fact, he is a snuff peddler making his on snuff film.  David takes a liking to Charlotte and wants to make her the center of his work in progress.  Things take a gruesome turn when Charlotte discovers this very plot and is now faced with fighting for her life.
     When I first saw the poster work (shown above) I assumed this film was a blood soaked underground film that surely had more scenes involving torture porn than I cared to see and probably crude sex acts that left me feeling disgusted rather than entertained.  However, after I started watching it I quickly realized that this film was far from that.  In fact, this was a beautiful stylized horror film.  The acting in this one is phenomenal.  Kristi Ray is a powerful lead actress that has just as much beauty as she does talent.  If I don't see her beautiful smile grace more films in the future I will be highly pissed.  David Long also has an extreme amount of talent and his presence really made the film as powerful as it is.  He has crafted one of the greatest indie horror icons to come out in recent years.  The story for this one is fun and slightly original.  The film has a little bit of romance which is unusual for an indie or underground film.  It's not enough to ruin it for the testosterone filled viewer but just enough to really get a feel for the characters and fall in love with them.  The film is also able to throw in a lot of laughs while still keeping the horror elements.  Not a lot of horror comedies are able to balance the two resulting in one genre over-powering the other.  I also love how the characters were written.  Charlotte is a very strong and innocent woman who keeps finding herself in sleazy and uncomfortable situations.  David is a charismatic character that truly deserves more films.  I could tell this character of David was written for David Long because no one else could pull him off like he did.  Finally, the film has some very impressive kills.  I knew the film would be bloody but I had no idea it would have so many fun and inventive kills as it did.  The film also has some decent practical effects as well.  None Savini quality but "A" grade in comparison to most other indie flicks I have seen.  Overall, Pieces of Talent is a fucking work of art.  David Long is a character that will join the ranks of some of the greatest horror icons of all time.  I can not recommend this movie enough or say enough good things about it.  Fucking watch it instead of reading my incoherent ramblings!