Helena

Director - Alain Nauroy (Sex Rally, Africa Love)
Starring - Valerie Boisgel (Cat Dance of Sex, The Blood Rose), Yan Brian (Joan of Arc, 22 Bullets), and Martine Grimaud (Cheating Couples, Everything Goes)
Release Date - 1975
Genre - Drama
Tagline - "A film about a woman's ultimate passion"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     My love for horror is only rivaled for my love for blaxploitation.  I sometimes find it difficult to pick one movie over the other.  With that being said, sometimes I just have to toss in something sleazy.  The last few weeks I've been tossing in sleazy movies to review that way I can split up all the horror flicks I need to check out and don't become burned out.  This last Sunday I did not have as many chores as I normally do so I had more time for movies.  After checking out Dustin Mill's Slaughterhouse Slumber Party I decided to toss in Impulse Pictures Helena.  This was sent to me sometime back but was overlooked after the house fire.  I found it while going through totes and figured now was the best time to check it out.  Thank you Impulse for sending this one my way.  

     The film follows Helena (Boisgel) who is traveling the coast to meet up with her lover.  When she arrives at the home she is told that he is upstairs with another woman.  She believes the man and after some time they start flirting and hook up.  After some small talk she demands to see her lover and searching the home looking for him only to discover he is not really there.  Instead of leaving she continues to have sex with the homeowner and goes for walks around town.  Things then take a darker turn when the home is invaded by a group of goons wanting to have their way with her as well.

     I never expect amazing performances in a sexploitation flick but I always look forward to their sleazy stories and how outlandish they are.  Not all of these films offer fun stories but most do.  Sadly, Helena was one of those films that offer up very little entertainment value while giving the viewer some of the most boring sex scenes ever filmed.  The acting in this one is not bad.  The cast really did their best with what they had to work with but the characters are painfully bland.  I've seen my fair share of porn and sexploitation flicks and I have to say these are some of the most uninteresting characters to ever be filmed in a fuck flick.  The story for this one works for maybe 20 minutes but having it stretch the length of a feature film was way too much.  The story is lacking and the sex scenes are painfully boring.  If my wife and I only did missionary we would have more interesting sex than this film.  Finally, if you want blood you wont find it here.  This sexploitation flick is more focused on character chemistry rather than story and sex.  Overall, Helena is an extremely difficult watch.  I found myself struggling to finish it and I cannot recommend it to others.  

Slaughterhouse Slumber Party

Director - Dustin Mills (Invalid, Her Name Was Torment)
Starring - Erin R. Ryan (Awkward Thanksgiving, Applecart), Haley Madison (Space Babes from Outer Space, The Slit-Mouthed Woman), and Kayla Elizabeth (Night of the Living Dead, Another Average Halloween)
Release Date - 2019
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     A little less than a month ago I made a promise to myself to take my review more seriously.  I was letting way too many movies stack up and I never found the time to check them out.  I set out to review at least one movie a day and if I found the time I would do more here and there.  I work full time and have three little ones that love my attention so finding time to watch and review horror/exploitation was difficult but I was able to do it.  Now, I'm reviewing 2 or 3 movies a day and I actually enjoy getting caught up on my backlog of movies.  However, sometimes I have to stop what I'm doing to review a movie from a filmmaker that I love.  Earlier in the year Dustin Mills announced a new feature length film Slaughterhouse Slumber Party.  I shared exclusive photos for the film on the site but I fucking forgot to pre-order a copy and he was sold out when I remembered I needed to.  A few days ago Dustin announced that he had a few extra copies for sale and I jumped on it.  I'm glad I did because this one was a fun ride.  Thanks Dustin for hooking me up!

     The film follows a group of sexy women who gather once a year for a sleep over with drinking and no judgement.  This year one of them brings socially awkward and backward Gretchen (Lupa) to the party.  Gretchen secretly practices dark magic and spells and has conjured something evil in the attic before she dies from a freak pillow fighting accident.  They panic and when her body comes back to life she shoot her and then dispose of her body in the lake.  This does not contain her and she is soon back in the home thinning the group until only a few of them remain.  The remaining almost nude beauties must then band together to stop Gretchen before she takes all their souls.  

     I was not expecting Slaughterhouse Slumber Party to be the type of film it was.  I've been a fans of Dustin for years now and this film did throw me off at first.  I obviously liked the film but it did take some getting used to at first.  This made the movie stand out but was this unique approach to the story helpful or detrimental?  The acting in this one is great.  The entire cast was funny to watch and nice to look at.   Each character in the film has their own personality with the cast doing a fantastic job bringing those to life.  Some characters are funny and carry the scenes while others are more grounded which helps the story move along.  I can't take all day to credit each and every member of the cast but they truly deserve some praise.  The story for this one is amazing and distracting at the same time.  The film borrows the reality tv show premise in a way the show The Office does where random interviews breaking up the segment.  The film tosses that in with the story which was funny the first few times but 20 minutes in and the joke has ran it's course.  I found myself on the fence with this one until roughly the 40 minute mark and then Mills pulled me back in.  The story picks up at that point and we are thrust even deeper into the chaos of the ghost story that unfolds in similar fashion to Evil Dead meets Poltergeist.  We get nods to several horror classics and they all work.  Finally, the film is a return to Mills' superb blend of computer generated effects and practical effects.  In some scenes the visual effects are silly but that is intentional and then in others they look great.  They work with the practical effects to make the scenes even more fun.  The practical effects we get are great as well but the visuals are what draws the viewer in.  Overall, Slaughterhouse Slumber Party brings director Dustin Mills from his Crumpleshack Films back to his classic look.  I enjoy Crumpleshack Films from Dustin but his unique combination of visual and practical effects create unforgettable movie experiences.  I highly recommend this one so check it out if you can!

Daybreakers

Directors(s) - Michael Spierig (Winchester, Jigsaw) and Peter Spierig (Winchester Jigsaw)

Starring - Ethan Hawke (The Purge, Sinister), Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire, Spider-Man), and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Event Horizon)

Release Date - 2009

Genre - Horror/Sci-FI

Tagline - "The battle between immortality and humanity is on"

Format - 4K Ultra HD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was in college I would often go to the theater to check out whatever caught my eye that weekend.  I went with my ex, my wife when we started dating, my friends, and I even went alone a few times.  There is something special about watching a movie in a theatrical setting when compared to a home viewing.  I watched mostly horror but there was other genres that I would venture into if I thought the movie was interesting.  It was one of my many trips to the theater that I watch the 2009 sci-fi horror flick Daybreakers.  The Twilight Saga was still a popular thing at the time so vampires, much like zombies now, was a guaranteed profit.  I liked the movie and I purchased it sometime after the release for my collection.  Recently, it was announced that the film was getting a new 4K Ultra HD release and I was lucky enough to get a review copy.
     The world has succumbed to vampires when most of the world's population was infected by a bat carrying the disease.  Now they are struggling to feed the masses with humans in hiding and the ones they do find are farmed for their blood.  An epidemic is now gripping the vampires.  The blood shortage is resulting in starved vampires mutating into more batlike creatures that feed on each other.  A synthetic blood is in development but Dr. Edward Dalton (Hawke) finds a cure for vampirism.  A human, who was once a vampire, has learned of a way to jump start the heart ending vampirism.
     I liked Daybreakers and watched it several times since my first viewing but it has been several years since I gave it another spin.  I was curious how it would hold up.  The acting in this one is fantastic.  We have an amazing cast with actors one would not expect to see in a vampire sci-fi horror film. Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Sam Niell are all fantastic.  This would be the first in a string of horror movies starring Hawke.  He is a strong lead and very versatile in his roles.  His approach to the vampire is unusual but works for the sake of the story.  Dafoe is another amazing actor that brings an unforgettable character from the film to life.  In fact, his performance is my favorite in the film.  The story for this one is a little goofy but it works for what it is.  A world ruled by vampires is about to crumble due to lack of blood.  This is a solid baseline for a vampire flick.  We then get these add ons that works as well like the fully mutated vampires, the forests on fire due to vampiric animals getting exposed to sunlight, and the race for a cure work as well.  Sure, a few moments make you roll your eyes but the overall film has solid pacing and a story that does play with your imagination.  Finally, this is a real bloody films  The practical effects are what you would expect from a film with this kind of budget but the visual effects did not age well.  The green screen shots look like shit and the CGI is very laughable.  Overall, Daybreakers was a solid film when it was released and still a fun watch.  It did not age as well as some classic horror titles but it still deserves a watch.  Check it out on 4K now.  

Itsy Bitsy

 



Director - Micah Gallo (Wick, Massacre Lake)
Starring - Bruce Davison (X-Men, The Exorcist), Elizabeth Roberts (Black Knight, Heroes), and Denise Crosby (Pet Sematary, Dolly Dearest)
Release Date - 2019
Genre - Horror/Fantasy
Tagline - "Always check under the bed"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

    I know so many people who are afraid of spiders.  When I mean they are afraid of spider I mean they become hysterical when they see them.  I know a lot of people scream and make a scene just trying to get attention but there are so many out there that just completely shut down when they see one.  I am not one of those people.  I typically pick them up and carry them outside if I find one in my home.  Spiders don't scare me but I do usually have fun with horror films centered around spiders.  Movies like Eight Legged Freaks and Arachnophobia are two films I often revisit.  Sometime back I got the announcement that Shout Studios was releasing the new spider horror flick Itsy Bitsy.  I was curious about the film and was lucky enough to get a copy of it for review before it was released.  Thanks Shout Factory for sending this one my way. 

     The film follows a single mother with her two children who move from the city to a country home.  She has a job taking care of an older gentleman who collects different antiques and ancient relics.  Among his possessions is a cursed egg.  When the single mother's son Jesse (Arman Darbo) visits the man's home he steals something from him which unleashes an ancient spider that will stop at nothing to kill them all. 

      I really wanted to like Itsy Bitsy.   I absolutely hate getting a movie in for review only to write a negative review for it.  It happens and it typically makes me feel like an ass but I refuse to lie in my reviews.  The movie did have some cool parts but the overall film just did not go over well with me.  The acting in this one is extremely uneven.  When I typically say this I'm referring to some of the cast members upstaging others but that is not the case with this film.  Instead, the cast just doesn't care in several scenes and in others they are delivering the best performances they can.  I don't know if the cast were exhausted when certain scenes were shot or if the director was more laid back but there is a definite inconsistency with the film.  The story for this one is goofy at times while struggling to find its footing but does deliver a few moments that I enjoyed.  The ancient egg hiding an evil spider that finds itself in the home of an old man deep in the country is pretty fucking lame.  However, if you let that slide you find yourself almost enjoying the anti-climatic game of cat and mouse inside of a the old house.  The movie is predictable and the tension and suspense is missing from all the dramatic scenes.  Finally, the film does have a few scenes with great practical effects but we don't get the blood and gore we would like to see from a giant spider movie.  The practical effects we do get are great but they are overshadowed by the cheap CGI spider as the film draws to a close.  Overall, Itsy Bitsy would have worked if it was made in the 80s along with the other campy monster movies but for a horror film in 2019 it falls short.  I would recommend this one if you have a fear of spiders but normal horror fans will not enjoy themselves with this one. 

 



The Banana Splits Movie



Director - Danishka Esterhazy (Level 16, The Trails of Rasputin)
Starring - Dani Kind (The Night Before Halloween, Good Witch), Finlay Wojtak-Hissong (The Kindness of Strangers), Romeo Carere (Pyewacket, Don't Talk to Irene)
Release Date - 2019
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "Tra la la terror"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

 

 

     I'm a huge fan of television shows from yesteryear.  I was born in the 80s and grew up through the 90s so I have a soft spot for shows that was aired during that timeframe but I've always been open minded to shows released prior.  When I was younger, like early elementary school age, there was a reboot of the classic series Land of the Lost that aired on Nickelodeon.  I fucking loved this show.  This lead me to check out the original series which I also really enjoyed.  That took me down the Sid and Marty Krofft path where I uncovered so much about them and their crazy television shows.  In the late 60s the brothers built the sets and produced the Hanna-Barbera live action/animated show The Banana Splits.  I never watched the show but I knew some about it.  Recently, the show was adapted into a horror film which is fucking genius.  It was a known property collecting dust and the writers and producers opted to bring it to life with a horror spin.  This sounded amazing and I had to check it out.
     The film follows Harley (Wojtak-Hissong) who is obsessed with The Banana Splits.  His mother surprises him with tickets to a live taping of the show and the whole family goes.  This just happens to be the night that the VP announces that the show is cancelled.  One of the animatronic Banana Splits overhears about the cancellation and the four go on a killing spree killing all the adults and imprisoning the children so their show can continue. 
     I was extremely excited when I tossed this one in.  I couldn't wait to check it out but within minutes I realized that this film was not as fun as I was hoping for.  The movie had a few fun moments but I found most of the film to be extremely boring and forgettable.  The acting in this one is decent.  The cast is not bad but the performances are flat and unenthused.  With that being said, I really disliked the characters.  There is not one that I was hoping would survive.  They all got under my skin and I was hoping they all met their demise at the hands of these costumed animatronics.   The story for this one is simple but just doesn't work like I was hoping.  A group of children's television characters going on a murder spree is something horror fans dream of but the film doesn't deliver them to the viewer in an appealing manner.  First, we get characters that you can't stand before moving to the set of the show where the movie focuses more on the behind the scenes more than the cast of the show.  Then we jump to the horror portion which is very underwhelming.  This makes me wonder if this was a Five Nights at Freddy's that was rewritten to fit The Banana Splits?  I don't know but I do know that this film missed it's mark.  Finally, the film does not shy away from the blood and gore which really surprised me.  I figured because it was a Hanna-Barbera and a Sid and Marty Krofft property it would take the PG-13 path.  Instead, we are given some great gore and fun kills.  These are the only enjoyable aspect of the film.  Overall, The Banana Splits Movie is one of those movies that sounds like a fantastic idea but is poorly executed.  I can see some of the pop horror fans enjoying this once but I cannot recommend it.  Skip it.  

 



Rolls Royce Baby

 



Director - Erwin C. Dietrich (Caged Women, She Devils of the SS)
Starring - Lina Romay (Revenge in the House of Usher, Oasis of the Zombies), Eric Falk (Six Swedish Girls in a Boarding School, Barbed Wire Dolls), and Ursula Maria Schaefer (Girls Who Play Alone, Varsity Playthings)
Release Date - 1975
Genre - Comedy
Tagline - "...a girl who knows what she wants"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

 

     I've been burning through movies trying to get caught up on reviews.  I'm watching almost three to four movies a day and reviewing them immediately after watching them.  That is a lot of horror movies in a week.  I love horror but sometimes you find yourself getting a little burned out when you watch that much of it so I started doing something.  Every Sunday I toss in a sexploitation or exploitation flick give myself a break from the blood and gore.  Last Sunday I decided to check out the 1975 Lina Romay film Rolls Royce Baby that was sent my way from Full Moon Features.  I had never seen this one before but I am very familiar with her body...of work.  Thank you Full Moon for sending this one my way. 

     The film follows erotic model (Romay) who is known for her captivating photos.  However, she is bored with life and travels around in her Rolls Royce looking for someone to give her some sexual satisfaction. 

     I was actually looking forward to checking this one out but I found myself just not liking it.  I have nothing against a sleazy movie being sleazy just for the point of being sleazy but Rolls Royce Baby bored the ever loving fuck out of me.  The acting in this one is not bad but you don't really get to enjoy the cast.  Because the film lacks a plot we don't get the most in depth character interactions.  Instead we get light dialogue before the dry humping begins.  The story for this one is non-existent.  We get scenes that are tied together by the character only with nothing happening aside from nudity and light acting.  The film was clearly put together on the fly and to take advantage of Lina Romay and her connect to Franco.  Finally, no blood or gore in this one.  If you are after nudity then you will be in luck.  Overall, Rolls Royce Baby was not that appealing to me.  It was a movie that succeeded in turning nudity into a boring concept.  Skip this one.  

 



High on the Hog

 



Director - Tony Wash (Skeletons in the Closet, It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To)
Starring - Sid Haig (House of 1000 Corpses, Spider Baby), Joe Estevez (Horrorween, Max Hell in Frogtown), Robert Z'Dar (Easter Sunday, Maniac Cop)
Release Date - 2019
Genre - Action/Crime
Tagline - "Pack it tight"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

 

 

     I hate giving a negative review for an indie movie.  Making a movie is a daunting task to take on and it's an even bigger task for indie filmmakers that have to secure funding on their own along with any other problems that surface when you are not being backed by a big production company.  A few months back I came across the trailer for High on the Hog after I was preparing to buy the horror anthology Skeletons in the Closet.  This exploitation action film stars Sid Haig, Joe Estevez, and the late Robert Z'Dar.  While I was ordering Skeletons I decided to go ahead and pick up a copy of High on the Hog as well to check out. 
     The film follows farmer Big Daddy (Haig) who owns a farm where he has several young ladies and a mute working for him.  They secretly grow and sell pot in order to survive but when a bad batch of pot makes its rounds killing people the FEDs get involved.  A young agent trying to make a name for herself goes undercover and is caught by Big Daddy.  He kills her and feeds her to the hogs.  Her disappearance prompts her partner, Agent Dick (Estevez), goes to their small town to bust them.  The mayor (Z'Dar) refuses to give him a warrant so he goes over his head and lies in order to obtain one.  The FEDs decide to seize the property the night Big Daddy is having his annual pig roast and a shootout ensues.
     I love exploitation.  If I had to pick I would choose Blaxploitation all day but I really enjoy all exploitation cinema.  I love the old look, the damaged film, the pointless nudity, and the cheap action.  There has been a trend the last decade or so where modern movies try to capture that look and film of old grindhouse films.  Some accomplish the task while others fail miserably.  High on the Hog tries and shoves the look down your throat.  The visuals of bad film, missing scenes, and so forth run the entire length of the film and only ruin the flow of the story.  They look horrible and not authentic which makes it even worse that we see it so often.  The acting in this one is top notch.  Sid Haig shows that he has not lost a step and delivers a fantastic performance.  Also, Joe Estevez delivers a solid performance as well.  The viewer really hates his character which means he is doing a job well done.  It was also cool to see Robert Z'Dar who passed away in 2015.  This makes me wonder when this film was actually filmed.  Haig has changed his looks since filming of this as well which makes me wonder why it was shelved for a handful of years.  The story for this one has so much going on but fails to put it all together.  This grindhouse inspired action film centered around a gentle marijuana farmer and a crooked federal agent could have worked but the over use of visual effects to make the film feel authentic mixed with scenes that feel repetitive made the film miss it's mark.  Finally, those of you wanting blood and gore will not find it here.  We do get one cool death that is worth mentioning involving Sid Haig but other than that the blood is lacking.  The film is also full of horrible looking visual effects.  Mostly gun shots and horrible grindhouse effects.  Overall, High on the Hog is a film that has big shoes to fill and can't pull it off.  The movie makes use of it's great cast but the story can't go the distance.  I do not recommend this one. 



Skeletons in the Closet

 



Director(s) - B.A. Lewandowski (Ashley Film II: The Side of Sunset, Starts Friday), Tony Wash (The Rake, It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To), and Robert Patrick Stern (Morning Different)
Starring - Ellie Church (Space Babes from Outer Space, Headless), Alaina Karner (Gags the Clown, Margaret in the Moon), and Elizabeth Stenholt (#Hashtag: The Series, Broken)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Be kind, rewind...or die"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

 

 

     I often find myself getting pumped to watch a movie only to be let down.  Some directors are masters at marketing.  They draw up some of the best posters or trailers for movies that will leave a bitter taste in your mouth.  More often than not a movie that is on the bad side stirs up a lot of buzz by releasing a phenomenal trailer that is leagues better than the film.  Several months back I came across the trailer for the 2019 anthology Skeletons in the Closet.  The trailer had me hooked and I had to see it.
     The film follows 11 year old Jamie (Karner) that is about to watch her favorite show Skeletons in the Closet when her annoying babysitter arrives.  The show follows the Widow (Church) and her deceased husband as they watch movies together.  The first movie they watch follows a young woman and her daughter that visit's her mother in hopes of reconnecting with her after the death of her father.  Sadly, this short does not have a happy ending when the grandmother reveals her sinister side.  The second story follows a young women who has a grudge against her husband and secretly wants to murder him.  The third movie they watch follows a bank heist that goes wrong and two of the petty robbers find themselves in junkyard that was once home to a hitman with the mob.  Legend has it that at a certain time at night his spirit walks the junkyard murdering anyone that is intruding.
     I finally got Skeletons in the Closet in a few weeks ago and have been eagerly awaiting to check it out.  The trailer painted a dedicated throwback to VHS era horror that really excited me but the film fizzled out after the intro and really let me down.  The acting in this one is inconsistent.  The opening segment centered around the Skeletons in the Closet show was the best of the entire film.  Ellie Church, Alaina Karner, and Elizabeth Stenholt were great.  The characters are fun and the viewer wants to see more of them but don't.  I also enjoyed Leigh Rose's performance.  She was fantastic as the hateful grandma harboring a dark secret.  Sadly, the rest of the cast was not as entertaining and the shorts suffered because of it.  The stories for this one have potential but miss their mark.  The story that bookends the show, Skeletons in the Closet, is the highlight of the film and should have been a bigger part of the anthology than what it was.  It was fun and had an amazing look about it.  The first story about the grandmother was solid as well and was very enjoyable.  The remainder of the film could have been cut out and would have saved the film.  Finally, the effects in this one are hit as miss much like everything else.  We get some solid effects in most the shorts.  In fact, the shorts have solid effects while the wraparound segment was the miss.  Charlie, the zombie that the Widow watches movies with, looks horrible and its even worse when he talks with the mask on.  It doesn't work for the movement of his mouth and makes the best part of the film look cheap.  Overall, Skeletons of the Closet is the biggest disappoint of the year.  The movie has the perfect premise but failed to pull it all together like the trailer suggested.  This is one I cannot recommend. 



The Bad Man

Director - Scott Schirmer (Found, Harvest Lake)
Starring - Ellie Church (Space Babes from Outer Space, Headless), Arthur Cullipher (The Legend of Wasco, A Christmas Scream), and Jason Crowe (Hooker with a Chainsaw, Cannibal Cop)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "How long can you hold on to your humanity"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

 

 

     After taking a trip down Vinegar Syndrome's catalogue I decided it was time to finish the Ellie Church movies I've collected them over the years.  I started this by checking out Harvest Lake, Plank Face, and Space Babes from Outer Space.  They were all solid films but had room for improvement.  The next up was The Bad Man from 2018 and directed by Scott Schirmer.  I'll be honest with you here.  This is the one film I was not looking forward to.  The trailer was this one painted a boring experience that teetered on psychological torture which is something I tend to avoid.  I bought a copy because I support Ellie and Brian along with wanting it for my collection but I did not expect much from it.  I was wrong...
     The film follows young couple Mary (Church) and PJ (Crowe) who are staying her grandmother's home that had recently passed away.  Before her death she had turned the home into a bed and breakfast.  A polite gentleman arrives to stay in one of the rooms and they allow him because he is extremely charming.  However, that night things take a bizarre turn when they are relaxing in the bath.  Mary sees a clown in the door but PJ comforts her and warns her that she has been drinking.  The next morning She is confronted by her house guest now donning clown paint and he has PJ unconscious.  She panics and quickly finds herself in a similar situation as PJ.  When she awakens she discovers that the clown, Lawrence (Cullipher), is a flesh peddler that kidnaps people and breaks them into being obedient slaves each with a different task and service.  His plans are to turn PJ into a loyal dog and Mary a living doll.  He breaks them mentally and physically before taking them to auction where they are sold with Lawrence buying Mary after falling in love with her.  Lawrence lets his guard down and Mary is able to strangle him with her legs and his man servant (Dave Parker) injects him with a drug to render him unconscious so they can escape.  They rescue PJ but the servant is shot soon after by Lawrence.  PJ is able to stop him from killing Mary and Mary kills him. 
      I was expecting this one to be the worst movie out of the stack that I was reviewing and I was way off.  This is a movie that I'm still thinking about days later.  I started out disliking the film and the way the story progressed but as we approached the middle of the film I found myself really enjoying it.  The trailer for this one does not do it justice.  The acting in this one is god damn fantastic.  Ellie Church, Jason Crowe, and Dave Parker are all great in their roles.  They each go above and beyond in their performances to deliver something truly unforgettable.  However, fucking Arthur Cullipher is the fucking star of the show.  That's right, the director of Headless delivers an unforgettable performance.  There was a few times you could hear him channel his inner Heath Ledger but for the most part he was absolutely brilliant.  When it was all said and done I was fucking shocked by how fantastic he was in his role.  The story for this one starts out on the wrong foot for me.  When the clown is trying to break the two mentally and physically I found myself becoming extremely bored with the film.  It fits with the story but it was just not as appealing on screen to watch.  Blame years of torture porn for desensitizing me. That changes once the movie changes settings and we move to the auction and so forth.  The movie really opened up from there and I was pulled in.  When I posted on Instagram that I was watching this film I was met with similar opinions.   Finally, this is not a gory one but it doesn't shy away from blood.  We get some solid practical effects but the movie is more story driven rather than gore focused.  It works for what it is.  Overall, The Bad Man may not be for everyone but this is one of the few indie horror flicks that I've watched recently that left me thinking about it days later.  The film tries to be something it's not but in the end brings it around to something memorable.  Check it out.