Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast

Director - Sam Qualiana (The Legend of Six Fingers)
Starring - Sam Qualiana, Michael O'Hear (Killer Rack), and Jackey Hall (Bigfoot Wars)
Release Date - 2011
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline(s) - "Everyone else is just CHUM!" "Frozen in the ice for thousands of years... the beast has finally awoken" "Ancient snow beast. Modern killing machine." and "Legend or legendary beast?"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I was born in 1986 at the height of what I like to refer to as the greatest decade for horror.  So many fans of horror talk about how amazing the 1980s were when it came to horror flicks.  This was the decade we got Evil Dead II, Hellraiser, Night of the Creeps, Day of the Dead, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and the list could go on and on.  However, I wish I was alive during the drive-in cinema boom of the late 50s and 60s that carried well into the 1970s. The films from this time in cinema were bad but in a good way.  You could go to the drive-in, grab some candy and popcorn, and let giant beasts, martians, and doomsday machines take you on a cheesy and cliched adventure that had been told hundreds, if not thousands, of times before.  Recently, I watched Sam Qualiana's newest film The Legend of Six Fingers and really enjoyed myself.  I knew of Qualiana before seeing that film because I am a huge fan of Razor Sharp films and he has starred in numerous films of theirs.  I also knew that he directed the absurd flick Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast.  I had seen trailers and it reminded me of the drive-in era monster flicks and I loved the idea so I reached out to Alternative Cinema and they were kind enough to shoot me a review copy.  Thanks guys!
     The film follows a trio of scientists as they head out into the woods in the dead of winter to do some scientific research to see what has caused all the wildlife in the area to disappear.  While there they discover the carcass of a deer and soon find a giant crater in the snow.  While they are investigating they soon discover what has been causing the disappearance of all the wildlife in the area...the ancient snow shark.  The team is attacked and all are thought to be dead.  We then jump forward some years and the snow shark is now a legend, a cryptozoological tale told to kinds but one man, Mike Evans (Qualiana), believes in it's existence.  Mike is a hunter and bagged the snow shark once before but the town's shady mayor burned it to cover it up.  Now, a new series of murders has sprout up forcing Mike to come out of seclusion to hunt down the fierce beast.  The mayor also puts together a team of scientists, cryptozoologists, and hunters to track it down.  However, once in the snowy woods all hell breaks loose and the snow shark turns them into chum.
     I have seen so many monster movies in my short life and very few have blew my socks off so to speak. However, they do tend to have a charm all their own.  Some are campy and cheesy while others are dark and disturbing with most stink of stale shit and no originality.  When you do get a great creature feature that is original they usually don't have the funds needed to make it as good as can be.  That is what happened to Snow Shark.  You get a fun and slightly original idea but funds, among other technical problems, prevent it from being a hit.  The acting in this one is riding the line between great and amateurish.  Most of the cast showed real talent and charisma in front of the camera but lacked the experience.  This also goes for Sam Qualiana as well.  This film showed how much he has grown as an actor from this film to his more recent bodies of work.  The story for this one is a fucking classic.  A monstrous shark that travels through snow and devours anything that moves.  This story would have been one hell of a drive-in flick.  Finally, the film has a lot of practical and visual effects that are not as impressive as the story itself.  The visual effects are laughable at best.  Some of them made me shake my head a few times while other just didn't make sense to have in the film.  The practical effects and gore is fun at times but I was a little bummed I didn't get a real clear shot as the snow shark even if it was for just a few more seconds than what we actually got.  Overall, Snow Shark is a great premise by real fans of the genre but the special effects failed to make this one the creature feature it could have been.  It deserves at least one watch if you are fans of cheesy monster movies. 

The Life After Death Project 2: Personal Encounters

Director - Paul Davids (The Life After Death Project, The Sci-Fi Boys)
Starring - John B. Alexander (Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura), John Lerma, Lynne Kitei (Raising Arizona)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "If you're out there...give us a sign"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Supernatural documentaries seem to focus on one specific instance with other "experts" chipping in to give the viewer their two cents. In most cases it may give you something you have never heard of before which can be slightly entertaining, or at the least informative.  Sadly, a lot of the supernatural documentaries that I have seen lately seem to be recycled garbage from other documentaries or cases that has been run into the ground.  Recently, I reviewed the documentary The Life After Death Project.  Though the documentary was boring it was still able to hit you with a lot of info on horror and sci-fi collector Forrest J. Ackerman.  The documentary was sent to my by MVD along with a second film, the sequel.  After watching the first I decided it was time to watch the follow documentary.
     This documentary, much like the first one, has various believers who discusses the different instances that turned them into believers.  This documentary does not go in depth on the topic but just has different people talking about their personal encounters...hence the title.




     When I watch a documentary I do so with the hopes of learning something new on a topic I knew nothing or very little about. Sadly, supernatural and cryptozoology documentaries are always full of the same "fact" and eye witness reports.  When it comes to The Life After Death Project 2 we get nothing the first film gave us.  In fact, the film just gives us scenes that were cut from the first film.  The reason I know this is because most of the people being interviewed are wearing the same damn thing they were wearing in the first film.  This gives us nothing new but some scenes that were unfit for the first film.  The info, facts, and interviews are also thrown at the viewer in an unorganized manner which is almost confusing at times.  A little more organization and editing would have made the flow of the documentary so much better.  Finally, the visual effects and look of the documentary is far from perfect.  Most of the interviews is done with different cameras making the aspect ratios different from scene to scene.  Also, the visual effects are very weak even for a low-budget documentary.  Sometimes a little spit and polish goes far.  Overall, The Life After Death Project 2  is a boring documentary that just rehashes deleted scenes from the first film to pass off as a sequel.  Nothing worth seeing here. 

The Life After Death Project

Director - Paul Davids (The Sci-Fi Boys)
Starring - Paul Davids, Richard Matheson (Somewhere in Time), and Whitley Strieber (Race to Witch Mountain)
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Sci-Fi/Horror
Tagline - "If you're out there, give us a sign"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I started writing for Horror Society I never expected that I would be asked to review people's films.  I love when a filmmaker, actor, actress, producer, and so forth ask me to check out their work.  Nothing is more humbling. By this point most of you may have noticed that I can appreciate all types of horror and horror documentary for what it is, however, when it comes to documentaries and the proof of the supernatural I typically call bullshit way before I give the film a watch.  I, personally, do not believe in life after death and the existence of ghosts and other beings but I am friends with many people that do so I am open minded towards the idea.  Sometime ago the fine folks over at MVD sent me the Life After Death Project double feature to review but I avoided it on purpose because it is a subject I don't really care for.  However, after letting it gather dust for several months I decided I owed it to them to check these documentaries out.

     This documentary begins with director Paul Davids and an unexplained incident that happened to him in his apartment when a schedule he had printed out became wet and the ink smeared hours after printing it thus inspiring him to make this documentary.  The documentary then follows his irrational accusations about how the ink blot was a result of the spirit of horror auteur Forrest J. Ackerman who passed away in 2008.  The film then goes in depth on how Ack was dedicated to horror and the unknown, along with other occurrences in which it is suspected he is trying to communicate from beyond the grave.  He then takes a scientific turn when Paul takes his document to a lab to have tests run on it and they are unable to duplicate the ink smear.  It then finishes with Paul calling in various mediums who use the "Penn and Teller" approach to discover the supernatural causes and to speak with Ack.
     When I watch a documentary on a topic that is debatable I expect to see two sides of an argument; the pros and the cons.    What truly pisses me off about documentaries around the supernatural is that they never interview people who say they can disprove the topic.  That is something this documentary suffers from.  It would have been so more effective if we would have heard people from both sides of the topic.  The film goes above and beyond to gather scientific data and personal accounts to prove that there is life after death and that shows how much dedication the film crew had for this film and topic.  Sadly, it was a little one sided.  The information is also distributed at a good, slow pace and that makes it easier for the skeptic to swallow.  Finally, the documentary is decently put together.  The film has no visual effects, some footage showed is rough, and not all scenes are in the same aspect ratios.  This is one of the few documentaries that is no that visually appealing.  This films one saving grace is all the info and retrospective on the life of Forrest J. Ackerman.  If Paul Davids was smart he would have made a good documentary on Ack instead of ghosts.  Overall, The Life After Death Project is a boring, one sided documentary about ghosts.  Fans of the supernatural might like it but this documentary has a lot of info pertaining to Forrest J. Ackerman that is worth seeing.  Check it out!

 

The Perfect House

Director(s) - Kris Hulbert (First Timers) and Randy Kent (Wizard)
Starring - Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Jonathan Tiersten (Sleepaway Camp), and John Philbin (Tombstone)
Release Date - 2012
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Every house has a past"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Some movies seem to speak for themselves and beg to be seen.  I typically shy away from the films that everyone recommends because they tend to let me down. However, once in a blue moon I will see people recommending a film and it actually looks fun.  Sometime ago, when I was first brought on to Horror Society, someone mentioned the movie The Perfect House.  The film starred Sleepaway Camp stars Felissa Rose and Jonathan Tiersten so I was curious to see how the film played out.  I did a little searching and was unable to find the film and over time I completely forgot about the damned thing.  Then, one day a few weeks back, I received word that Wild Eye would be handling the release. My love for Wild Eye and my curiosity to see this film had me as excited as a virgin on prom night.  I reached out to WE and they were kind enough to send me a review copy and for that I thank you guys so much!
     The film is a clever anthology of sorts that follows a young couple as they attempt to buy the "perfect house." The realtor shows the couple the house and as we move from room to room we see flashbacks of the horrendous crimes that have taken place there over the years.  The first crime took place decades ago when a tornado was about to touch down and a family sought safety in the basement.  The mother is a bit of a bitch and hates her husband because she suspects him of sleeping with her daughter.  Her son is jealous of the attention his sister gets from his father and in moment the two children react killing both their parents.  Realizing the other child killed a parent, the sister reacts first and kills her brother before cleaning up her mess as the storm passes over. The second story follows a serial killer who locks his helpless victims in a cage in the basement of the home.  He has a tight schedule that he has to keep to.  He abducts, tortures, and kills according to which day of the week it is.  He has also been keeping another girl in a cage where he rapes her regularly and uses her as a muse.  That is until one day she is able to trick the serial killer and stabs him with a finger bone in the neck.  The third, more modern tale, follows an older man who is sick of his stuck up neighbor, his unfaithful wife, slutty daughter, and spoiled kids so he invites them over to his home for dinner with a more sinister motive.  He invites them in, knocks the husband unconscious, and drags them all to his basement.  He forces the two young boys to fight til the death before killing the victor and tricking their mother into thinking one is alive before ultimately killing her.  He then takes the slutty daughter upstairs to the bathroom to clean herself up but she tries to fight back with scissors forcing him to killer her as well.  He then handles the father with a weedeater which is what sparked this whole affair. 

     I have seen so many anthologies in my short life and reviewed a good majority as well.  Some have a hard time keeping them together while others do such an amazing job that you praise the writers ability to tie them all together.  With that being said, this film was the perfect anthology film.  It was able to tie all the films together flawlessly and made it feel like it was not an anthology film altogether.  I have not, and never will, see an anthology that well written again.  The acting is solid by the entire cast.  Everyone brought their all and that helped the film out tremendously.  I did learn two things after watching this film.  You can't understand a word Felissa Rose is saying when she's screaming and Jonathan Tiersten is an amazing actor.  No joke.  His segment was filled to the brim with pure talent and if I don't see him returning to film with more roles like this then I may give up hope in horror cinema.  The stories for this one is nothing new but they are fun and well written and acted.  Sadly, they all do suffer from pacing issues and that ruins some of the scenes.  A little editing could save that tremendously.  Finally, the film does have several on screen kills and special effects that are all solid.  The kills are nothing original but they are brutal and depraved making this one a well rounded horror flick.  Overall, The Perfect House is a great film that has some great deaths, lots of blood, and an amazing performance from Sleepaway Camp's Jonathan Tiersten.   Another great film from Wild Eye so check it out!

MrParka Reviews: Mutantis

The Hornet's Sting and the Hell It Caused (2014)

(out of 5)



The Hornet's Sting and the Hell It Caused (2014)

directed by:  Dustin Mills
starring:  Joni Durian, Allison Egan, Minnie Grey, Dave Parker
Format:  Personal Collection NTSC:  Region 1 Client List Edition

         Dustin Mills is on top of his game.  He is probably the most creative and imaginative independent filmmaker out right now for many reasons but it's his style  of shooting and writing that grab me the most.  Yes he's a great innovative fx artist but the further he goes in this business the more and more I just love seeing his camera work and finding out what new story he has in store for his viewers.  Nothing Dustin does is ever boring or mundane or even repetitive.  From the titles of his films all the way through the dialogue his writing is just off the wall and never predictable.  Dustin takes ideas that have been done over and over and adds a twist of lime to make everything that much better. 
     Here we have the "A" typical torture porn movie which is a term I hate to use but it paints the picture pretty well so there you go.  I myself have waded through the many indie films of this kind and grew tired and bored of it long ago.  For some putting naked women up on screen getting tortured becomes boner footage for most of their viewers no matter how those viewers try and rationalize it and it makes a quick buck. I may be in the minority but you need much, much more than that to impress me when it comes to making movies of any kind.  And well here comes Dustin Mills to do just that.  When I found out the small details I did of Hornet's Sting I was on the fence waiting.  I mean Her Name Was Torment was definitely similar but in my opinion it was far more of an art film and this is definitely a torture and humiliation film.  I'd use the words "and nothing else" after that last sentence but with Dustin there is never "nothing else". 

     I will not get into a lot of spoilers here as I try and never do but let's just say the characters get tortured and photographed by a very cruel and merciless person donning a red skull mask forcing people to do a variety of things for a book of "clients".  Is there much to the story here?  Nope and neither does there need to be.  Mills brings us to the very brink of modern independent filmmaking and goes a step further by creating a pink madness I will never forget.  I watched this three times the weekend I received it.  It was that impressive.  The acting was on point in every case most especially with Joni Durian and Allison Egan.  In a lot of the torture films I have seen the case is the director did not care at all about the acting abilities of his performers just whether or not they had nice bodies for the viewers to look at amongst the blood.  Well in this case we have both which is what I always prefer.  Art isn't art in my opinion when it has no soul, no intelligence, and Dustin whether he realizes it or not always provides intelligent cinematic creativity. 

     So without babbling on too much more and ruining the whole thing my recommendation is to snatch this puppy up.  Dustin really has raised the bar with independent filmmaking, no one and I mean no one works as hard as this man.  Proof is in not just the quantity of his productions but for me the quality at which they are produced.  And to add to that no one is like him, the only filmmaker I can think of that is would be Frank Henenlotter.  If anyone deserves more credit and recognition in the indie business it's Dustin Mills.   So go get stung and enjoy it.

Birth of the Living Dead

Director - Rob Kuhns (This Is a Game, Ladies)
Starring - George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Martin), Mark Harris (Moyers and Company), and Larry Fessenden (Stake Land, The Strain)
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "1968: Peace, love, and the undead"
Format - Streaming (Netflix)

Rating (out of 5):

     In 2012 I started writing reviews and almost every review I write I am able to work in my love of slasher films. However, one of my favorite films of all time just happens to not be a slasher.  In fact, it is a member of a sub-genre that I have learned to hate in recent years with all the post-Walking Dead pieces of shit.  The zombie films before The Walking Dead had style and most tried to set themselves apart and not fit in the same mold as the others unlike the modern zombie movement we have today.  The first film to take zombies and turn them away from their voodoo back stories and make them flesh eaters was George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead.  This film forever changed the zombie sub-genre and the way the zombie would be seen in future films.  The last few months I have been buying up everything NotLD related to add to my collection.  After receiving a few documentaries about NotLD in the mail I ventured to Netflix for a few movies when I found this documentary here.  It looked fantastic so I had to give it a go.
     This documentary starts out with a little insight on George A. Romero and his film career prior to filming NotLD. It discusses his work with Mr. Rogers and the special with Mr. Rogers where he has his tonsils removed.  It then jumps to the filming of NotLD.  It goes into great detail on how many members of the cast and crew had to take on multiple roles and work long hours to get the film done.  We then finish the film up with a look back at the world in 1968 with the Vietnam Conflict, the race riots, and films of the time.  It then changes gears and shows how progressive and before it's time the film actually was and the cultural impact the film left behind that can be seen even today.

     Documentaries have the power to be informative and give the viewer an inside look at something they know nothing about or expand your knowledge on a topic that you know and love. When it comes to horror and horror films a documentary about the sub-genre has to really deliver or the fans of the genre will turn ravenous.  Well, it looks like the folks behind Birth of the Living Dead knew that and really fucking delivered.  Before I watched this documentary I thought I knew everything there was to know about the career of George A. Romero and the film Night of the Living Dead.  Instead, BotLD gave me more fun facts about the film than I know what to really do with all while giving me a great look at the time period in which the film was made. This is very insightful for those, like myself, that was not around during that time.  The film also flows very well and shows a lot of time and thought placed in the order in which the documentary flows. That is a tremendous help to the viewer so they can properly pull in the knowledge and in the correct order.  Finally, this documentary looks amazing.  The visual effects, editing, and animation is fantastic making it one of the best documentaries I have seen in recent years.  Overall, Birth of the Living Dead is an insightful documentary about one of the most influential horror films of all times that forever shaped the way we see zombies.  Check it out!