Monkey Farm

Director - Ian Messenger (Fireside Tales, Friday the 13th: Legacy)
Starring - Don Carlos, Justin Celani (Fireside Tales), and Tim Christie (Fireside Tales, Friday the 13th: Legacy)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Some stories should never be told"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     A few years back I befriended Marc Schoenbach on Facebook after several filmmaker friends shared posters he had done for their films.  His work is untouched and easily some of the best posters I have seen.  When I first saw his work I got the impression he drew inspiration from the golden age of VHS and the tapes I would rent at my local ma and pa video stores.  I recently discovered I was wrong.  This summer I started collecting 80s horror paperbacks and realized that he drew inspiration from these classic paperbacks.  This made me love his work even more.  As awesome as his work is the films he sometimes contributes artwork for is not always as good.  This has turned into a game.  I call it the Sadist quality game.  Not long ago director Shawn Burkett (my boo) got me in contact with Tim Fattig who I believe produced Monkey Farm and Fireside Tales.  Tim was kind enough to send both films over to review.  Monkey Farm boasts one of my favorite Sadist Art designs and would be another turn in the Sadist quality game!  Thanks Tim for sending this one my way.
     The film follows a group of documentary filmmakers who are making a film on experimentation on animals.  After several interviews they are made the suggestion to check out a place called the Monkey Farm that was shut down due to pressure from the public. The place is conveniently close so they venture out to it.  While there they uncover paperwork on a chimp supposedly over 6 feet tall that was captured with no paperwork of its death or release.  They leave and enlist the help of a skunk ape hunter to explore the area more in hopes of finding the chimp but what they find is something far worse than a large primate.
     I tossed this one in knowing it was a found footage flick and how I usually react to them.  I mostly hate found footage flicks for their annoying characters and extremely awkward dialogue.  After 40 minutes I was ready to flick the switch and write a bad review for this one.  I forced myself through the remainder of the film and actually enjoyed it once the ending took hold.  The acting in this one wasn't that entertaining.  I try to keep my reviews positive especially when I review an indie no budget flick but this one was rough at times to watch but I don't want to blame the cast.  The film tries to capture that "real" look that so many found footage films strive for.  Their natural conversations and off topic dialogue may be realistic but makes for a boring watch.  The cast's small talk doesn't feel genuine or authentic which makes several of the scenes feel forced.  The story for this one is a great idea on paper and would have been a phenomenal short but was not that effective after it was stretched to feature length.  The first 40 or so minutes of the film is rough to sit through.  The dialogue is painful and the scenes are bland.  However, once they enter the old facility with the skunk ape hunter the film takes a different turn.  The momentum picks up and the horror element shines.  The ending saves the film.  I also liked the skunk ape House of 1000 Corpses nod.  Was unexpected but fit nicely.  Finally, the film has a great looking creature that is very underutilized.  I loved the way the chimp looks and acted.  Sadly, the film isn't as bloody as I would have liked.  The carnage takes place off camera with the viewer just getting a glimpse of the red stuff.  The effects are minimal with the exception of the chimp mask which was fantastic.  Overall, Monkey Farm has a lot of potential but struggles with the pacing and length.  If the beginning is heavily edited this would make a fantastic short but as a feature film it is a bit of a chore to finish.  However, if you stick with it you will surely enjoy yourself.  Check it out.

Tag

Director - Sion Sono (Suicide Club, Tokyo Vampire Hotel)
Starring - Reina Triedl (Tokyo Alice, Ju-On: The Beginning of the End), Mariko Shinoda (The Suicide Song, Re: Born), and Yuki Sakurai (Yakuza Apocalypse, Evil Hospital)
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "A high school splatter film"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

    

      I've been in love with Japanese horror films for sometime now.  I had seen a few when I was younger and they never clicked with me.  That changed about a decade ago when I first signed up for Netflix on my Xbox 360.  I watched Machine Girl and I was hooked.  Anytime Netflix updated to include a Japanese title I had to see it.  These films are ultraviolent, bloody, and goofy.  I think this is the perfect combination.  I've collected a fair amount of these films over the years including the 2015 flick Tag.  When I first saw the trailer for this film I immediately went to Amazon to order a copy and was bummed I only found it on DVD.  Lucky for me, the film was recently released on blu by Eureka in the U.K. and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.  Thanks guys!
     The film follows a young girl who is on a school bus with several of her friends when she witnesses a bloody accident.  And unknown force sweeps through the bus cutting it in half along with everyone in it except her.  She runs away from the accident and finds people but they soon suffer the same fate.  She eventually finds her way to school and the children are unaffected by the accident.  She tries to tell her friends what happened and they assure her it was a dream.  They decide that the best course of action is to skip school and go to the lake.  The have their fun and return to school and the teachers open fires on the students forcing the young girl to run out of the school.  She runs to the nearby town and is picked up by a female cop who is know referring to her by a different name.  She picks her up in a car and takes her to her wedding where she is set to marry a man wearing a hog head.  Her friend from before is there and helps her kills her way through the crowd before running down the street.  While running she once again changes and is a track athlete running a marathon.  Her friends encourage her and she rushes for the finish line when the teachers from earlier arrive and start killing the other athletes.  She is then confronted by the dead girls and her best friend who reveals her life is a lie and something else is at play.
     I first heard of this film when someone shared a trailer for it on Facebook.  The video was not titled correctly.  I spent the next couple months searching for the film before someone in a horror group was able to give me the correct name.  After that I soon read that the film was a feminist horror film that could possibly be insulting to men.  This really intrigued me and when Eureka finally released the blu I was able to finally enjoy what I was sure to be a classic Japanese splatter flick.  The acting in this one is great.  The film pulls the cast from many different angles.  The cast has to go through a wide range of emotions.  They get pulled from being scared and hurt, to being angry, and back to being happy in a pinch.  The story is very demanding for this young cast but they are able to pull it together when the time is needed resulting in a fantastically acted flick.  The story for this one is great and keeps the viewers on their toes.  The changing of the characters through different scenarios and changes works great with the ending of the film.  The film has a message that rings very loud once you finish the film.  My biggest complaint is once the actual ending is revealed the first set of gruesome deaths doesn't really make sense.  The film is action packed and the scenes hold the viewer's attention unlike no other.  Finally, the film is a visual feast of blood.  The film has numerous on screen kills.  Some makes great use of practical effects while others rely a little more on visual effects that are not that great.  Luckily, the visual effects is not that widespread.  Overall, Tag is a fucking fantastic flick.  Fans of blood and gore will have their fill and those wanting movies with a bigger message will find it interesting as well.  Check it out.

The Search for Weng Weng

Director - Andrew Leavold (The Last Pinoy Action King, Birds of Destruction)
Starring - Tikoy Aguiluz (Boatman, Triangle), Roy Arabejo, and Tilman Baumgaertel
Release Date - 2007
Genre - Documentary
Tagline - "He's tough.  He's tender.  He's three feet tall"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I watched a few good horror flicks recently.  After working through a few classic films recently released by Synapse Films I decided to step away from my beloved genre for something a little different.  I first settled for a sleazy good time with Vinegar Syndrome but changed my mind when I spotted a released from Wild Eye in my collection.  Sometime ago Wild Eye Releasing sent me the documentary The Search for Weng Weng.  This documentary was wrapped in 2007 but just recently got a release from Wild Eye.  Weng Weng was a myth among exploitation and b-movie cinema fans for years until recently with this documentary shedding light on several aspects of Weng Weng's life that went unknown until now.  I want to thank Wild Eye for sending this one over for Horror Society and myself to check out.
     This documentary follows an Australian filmmaker and Weng Weng fan as he travels to the Philippines to uncover the truth around the mystery that is Weng Weng.  Weng Weng is a small actor who portrayed Agent 00 in several James Bond rip offs, as well as, several western comedies.  They discover that Weng Weng passed in the early 90s, was unofficially adopted and exploited by the filmmaker, and died with nothing.  During their investigation they learn a great deal about filmmaking in the region at the time and how the political powers at be lead to several of his films never being released.
       
     I knew nothing about Weng Weng prior to receiving this DVD.  I had seen images of him on different horror and exploitation forums over the years but never actually sought out who he was.  Hell, I still wouldn't if I would have never received this documentary.  Now that I know I want to find his films.  They look absolutely amazing.  The interviews in this one are great.  They are extremely informative and detailed.  The people being interviewed give off a vibe that they were aware of what they was going to be asked ahead of time and was able to actually prepare for it.  These interviews take the viewer from not knowing a damn thing about Ernesto, aka Weng Weng, to knowing everything about his upbringing, film career, unofficial adoption, and death.  The film also does a great job at showcasing how the Philippines and political powers affected the films and repressing Weng Weng as to not tarnish their look.  The film does not use any sort of computer images or "polish" to make it look better or better looking.  This documentary is barebones in the way it looks.  We have the subjects on screen and the investigation on Weng Weng which is something I really like.  The documentary is not over produced or made to look bigger than it actually was.  Finally, the editing and transitioning in this is smooth.  We casually stroll from one topic to the other.  This was great and made the documentary even more effective.  Overall, The Search for Weng Weng is a must for b-movie fanatics and exploitation aficionados.  Check out this superb documentary as soon as possible.

Phenomena

Director - Dario Argento (Suspiria, The Card Player)
Starring - Jennifer Connelly (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Labyrinth), Donald Pleasance (Halloween, Escape from New York), and Daria Nicolodi (Inferno, The Mother of Tears)
Release Date - 1985
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Jennifer has a few million close friends.  She's going to need them all"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):



     I've really became a fan of Dario Argento over the last few years.  Way back when I first started collecting movies I watched Suspiria and fucking loved it.  I was hooked and watched countless times that summer.  That was our go to flick when we would drink way back before we were actually old enough to buy the stuff.  Over the years my viewing of his films was limited to just that film but recently several amazing companies has been releasing his films on blu.  He is one hell of a filmmaker and when compared to the names of Craven and Hooper I stand by the statement that he is underrated.  Not too long ago Synapse Films released the Argento flick Phenomena aka Creepers on blu.  This was one I had never seen even though I had a copy of it in one of those discount horror sets you find at Walmart every Christmas.  I reached out for a review copy and Synapse was kind enough to send one my way.  Thanks guys.
     The film follows American Jennifer who is sent to a Swiss boarding school.  Jennifer suffers from long bouts of sleepwalking.  When she first arrives she found herself away from the school and befriends forensic entomologist John McGregor.  After a few sleepwalking episodes she discovers that she has a special power and can control insects.  At this time there is a murderer killing people nearby and students suspect she is the cause.  She leaves journal entries of her new powers and a snoopy roommate finds it and shares it with the headmistress and other students.  They taunt her which forces her to demonstrate her new abilities.  The headmistress tries to have her committed to a mental ward but she flees and soon finds herself in the hands of the butcher.  She must use her powers to flee the home of the killer or find herself among the others dead.
     Argento's style is unmatched in the world of horror.  His films are often gruesome but there is a beauty that you just can't find in many other films.  His giallos are beautiful with each and every scene carefully thought out and executed.  Phenomena was not a giallo.  Instead, it was an Americanized Italian horror flick that I absolutely loved.  The acting in this one is great.  Labyrinth was one of my first obsessions.  Her character is great but she does struggle to show certain emotions.  Weird to see how much a year makes in growth.  I also enjoyed seeing Donald Pleasance.  He will always be Dr. Loomis or the president trapped in New York to me but he still delivered one hell of a performance.  The story for this one is not the typical giallo that we expect from Argento.  Instead, the movie flows like a traditional horror film that we see here in the states.  The killer is a mystery like most Argento films but you can clearly tell there was many hands on this project outside of Argento's.  What we get is a more linear story that follows an extraordinary girl who is put in peril.  The story has great flow and the scenes hold the viewer's attention very well.  Sadly, the trademark beauty seen in most Argento's films is absent in this one.  Finally, the film has several on screen deaths.  Some are great while a few are laugh worthy.  One is a nod to The Omen that was not that effective.  The effects are solid for what they are but the kills are not that gruesome.  Overall, Phenomena is no Suspiria but it is easily one of my favorite Argento flicks.  The story is fantastic and different than what we are accustomed to.  Check this one out if you haven't!

Popcorn

Director(s) -  Mark Herrier (I Like Mike, X-Treme Weekend) and Alan Ormsby (The Great Masquerade, Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile)
Starring - Jill Schoelen (The Stepfather, Cutting Class), Tom Villard (My Girl, Grease 2), and Dee Wallace (Critters, Cujo)
Release Date - 1991
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "Buy a bag, go home in a box"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I started collecting movies I hit up the only video store my area had when it was closing.  I was able to grab Frankenhooker, Uncle Sam, Bones, a couple Godzilla tapes, and Popcorn.  These were all movies I had never seen before and I was pretty pumped to be adding them to my collection for a quarter a pop.  I was bummed my only video store was going out but the excitement of cheap tapes quickly healed my heartbreak.  When I got home I started a movie marathon that weekend with Popcorn being the final flick.  Sadly, Popcorn had been replaced inside the rental clam with The Santa Claus.  I was pissed I never took a look at the tapes to make sure they were correct and now the video store was gone.  A few years had passed and I grabbed the movie at a used record store fairly cheap and learned that it was a boot that did not work.  I gave up owning the film until recently when Synapse films released the movie on blu.  I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.  Thanks Synapse!
     The film follows a young girl who suffers from bizarre and unusual nightmares that has inspired her to make a movie based on them.  She is a part of a film group in school and to raise money they decide to host an all night horror marathon featuring classic films that offer theatrical gimmicks in true William Castle style.  When she is shown an experimental film based on a man who went mad and tried to kill people she quickly realizes that the film is the nightmares she has been having.  She tries to learn more about him but finds a dead end when she discovers he is dead.  The event goes off and is plagued with murder when members of the film club go missing and she discovers that someone did survive and is killing everyone there and the filmmaker of the strange film is actually her father.  Now she must fight to survive the night.
     I never really knew what Popcorn was about.  All I knew was that it had some awesome fucking cover out that looked like it was made for my heart.  When Synapse released their blu the artwork was even better than the original poster but still did very little to share what the story was about.  After watching it I can safely say I'm glad I went into this one blind.  The acting in this one is solid.  The cast puts on a great performance but they are lost in their clichéd characters.  The characters, with the exception of a few, are all easily forgettable with no backstory.  Their performance is not bad but their characters are easily forgettable.  The story for this one is heavily inspired by the works of William Castle and the classic Phantom of the Opera tale.  This well thought out mash up actually works and is a love letter to any horror fan.  I'm a huge fan of the gimmicks of William Castle wish I could attend an event that recreated this original feel.  What we have is a very well thought out story that does toss the viewer for a few loops and keeps them guessing until the very end.  Very few slashers from the 80s could pull that off but this early 90s film could.  Finally, the film has several on screen death scenes that makes good use of the story.  Slashers often lost themselves in the body count and lost sight of the gimmicks and themes when it came to the murders.  Popcorn did not and used some of the gimmicks used on the audience to actually kill.  One particular gag was used twice.  It doesn't take away from the film but you can tell they were either running low on funds or time.  The practical effects are solid for what we get but there isn't any gore for you sick fucks out there.  Overall, Popcorn was well worth the wait.  The film has a fun atmosphere and a story plucked straight out of the ass of horror history.  This will be one I watch regularly.  I suggest you do yourself a favor and grab the Synapse release.  Well worth it.

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight

Director - Sam Liu (Batman vs. Dracula, Godzilla the Series)
Starring - Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek, Super 8), Jennifer Carpenter (Brawl in Cellblock 99, Dexter), and Chris Cox (Ted, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Action/Crime
Tagline - "Catching a legendary killer takes a legendary hero"
Format - 4K Ultra HD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been a comic fan for years now.  I started out mostly reading horror comics like The Walking Dead, Hack/Slash, Evil Ernie, and so on.  I eventually made the jump to superhero.  I fell in love with Marvel but my favorite series belonged to DC with Green Lantern and Flash.  Most DC fans would bitch because I didn't like Batman or Superman but I like what I like.  Batman and Superman was just like Spider-Man to me.  You see them everywhere and honestly I was fuckin sick of seeing them.  However, I can't lie.  I do enjoy the movies based on them.  For Christmas my wife surprised me with Justice League Dark on blu.  I never watched the animated DC films but Constantine had me hooked.  I tossed it in and was immediately a fan.  I now have to have them all.  Recently Batman: Gotham by Gaslight was released and when I heard that it involved Jack the Ripper I knew this was another film I had to have.  I was able to secure a review copy and I'm so glad I did.

     The film follows Gotham in the Victorian era with playboy Bruce Wayne is putting together a world's fair but a string of murders plagues the town.  A skilled hand is killing working women and Batman is trying to catch him before the body count rises.  As he tries to crack the case he befriends Selena Kyle, an actress who has Harvey Dent's eye.  When they become lovers one night Bruce Wayne finds himself in jail with the Ripper setting him up.  Now Bruce must escape prison and stop the ripper while trying to figure out who he really is.

     Much like Justice League Dark, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is not meant for children and delivers a fun film that most avid comic fans are begging for.  I had watched a few of the Marvel animated movies in the past.  These movies were fun but easily forgettable but these two DC animated flicks are fantastic.  Batman: GbG is fantastic and one that I will be revisiting soon.  The voice acting in this one is solid.  There was a few scenes where the cast was unable to draw the excitement of the scene or the right emotion.  Bruce Greenwood has the perfect Bruce Wayne/Batman voice which is something I never even considered before now.  He may not have the look but his voice is great.  I also liked Jennifer Carpenter as Selena Kyle.  I recently reviewed Brawl in Cellblock 99 and noticed how her performance was lacking.  I can't say that about her voice work here.  She did a great job.  The story for this one is great.  Combining Batman and Gotham with Victorian England and Jack the Ripper.  It does take a minute to get behind the changing of a known character like Batman but once the film starts rolling and the setting is fully explored you quickly fall in love with the meshing of the two and the liberties the story takes with these characters.  The scenes have great pacing and there is a lot of character development due to the fact that a lot of the characters are now rewritten to fit the story.  Finally, the film does have a few death scenes.  They are not graphic but they do rely on your imagination to make them work.  They are violent in context but the kills themselves are subtle.  Overall, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is fucking awesome.  Fans of Batman and awesome movies in general need to check this one out.  You will not be disappointed.

Cannibal Messiah

Director(s) - Crippler Criss (The Secret of the Magic Mushrooms) and Master W. (The Secret of the Magic Mushroom)
Starring - Crippler Criss and Master W
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I had one hell of a time with a Vinegar Syndrome triple feature recently.  Watched one fantastic horror flick before diving deep into exploitation cinema.  The second flick in my triple feature was a late 60s sexploitation flick before moving in the golden age of exploitation with the 1974 biker flick Trip with the Teacher. After checking out the sleazy flick of Vin Syn I wanted something in my beloved genre.  I started going through my review stack and found several that I really wanted to see but one really caught my eye.  Honestly, I forgot I had it.  Sometime ago SRS Cinema released the no budget German splatter flick Cannibal Messiah from Crippler Criss and Master W.  The artwork was fucking amazing and I had to see it right away.  Thank you SRS Cinema and MVD for sending this one my way.

     The film follows two filmmakers who are kidnapped by the brother of one of their former stars because he was killed on film.  He takes them to the woods in search of a cannibal cult and answers as to why his brother had to die.  What they don't know is that one of them is impressionable and turns on his captor and friend where he becomes a cannibal.  Now, they must fight to leave the very woods they went into.
    

     When I first saw the artwork for Cannibal Messiah I was fell in love with it.  The artwork is fucking fantastic but the film is anything but.  The film had a lot of things I really liked but was unable to put them in place properly to create an unforgettable movie.  Instead, we get something that was a struggle to watch.  The acting in this one is funny at times.  Crippler Criss and Master W are the perfect mixture of goofy and melodramatic.  I liked their performance but it clashed with the other characters in the film.  It's difficult to enjoy the goofy characters when other cast members are trying to deliver serious performances. The cast needs to be consistent.  The story for this one drags on like a bad date.  The movie is full of scenes that does nothing but put the viewer to sleep.  They are dialogue rich and do very little to tie them to the actual story.  The story itself has several things I liked.  The cannibal cult, the last supper parody, and so on was fun but they were so deep in the film that it almost felt irrelevant.  The film needs to be heavily edited to spare the viewer from the torture of almost 2 hours of nonsense.  Finally, the film does have a lot of the blood and gore.  The effects show the budget but doesn't take away from the fun.  I wouldn't compare this to the classic German splatter flicks of the 80s and 90s but the film tries hard to capture that.  Overall, Cannibal Messiah is one that just doesn't entertain.  The film had a fun idea but lost sight of the final product somewhere along the way.