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Showing posts from March, 2023

COFFINTOOTH (2024) In production

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A madman known as Coffintooth stalks victims on Halloween eve. Sounds wonderful doesn't it. Another indiegogo find, we as a group of horror lovers need to get behind stories like this before the next generation of writers and directors starts doing rom-coms. The swag on this project has something for every budget. From 10 bucks up to $3250 easy peasy break out that card and give. Coffintooth Indiegogo Campaign Lets get this made and in the cinema for 2024.  Coffintooth is a feature length horror film starring Anna Clary (Mutilator 2), Camille Keaton (I Spit on Your Grave), Spencer Madison (Phantom Fun-World), Jim Krut (Dawn of the Dead), Lloyd Kaufman (Troma President), and many more!     Coffintooth is 70% done with shooting and we need your help to complete this film!  The funds raised through this campaign will be used for the last 6 days of filming, editing & post-production work.    Our goal to finish everything the way it was intended is $4,000.00. However, we plan to se

Suspect Zero (2004)

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This is a movie that starts off slow about two agent partners who are tracking murderers and killers when the male partner begins to have occasional momentary visions of crimes through the eyes of a killer (or killers) and/or victims. As the story progresses he comes upon a man who is the last "living(?)", "sane(?)" subject of a prior top-secret government program for "Remote Viewing!". The remote viewing program found the most gifted, naturally talented psychic people and trained and advanced their talents to an almost unbelievable level. These people could psychically view past events in still living people's lives through their eyes/memories. They could also view events as they were occurring. One branch of these remote viewers was used to track down, locate, and arrest vicious murders and serial killers. This young detective starts having insane visions related to his and his partner's cases. They are after what they believe to be the wors

The McPherson Tape aka UFO Abduction (1989)

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An important film for any fan of found footage horror, and great for such a micro-budget. But if you’re not a fan of the subgenre, I doubt you’d enjoy this. On a typical fall evening in 1983, a young man was videotaping his niece's 5th birthday party. As the night's strange occurrences took place, he kept his video camera running, recording the entire event. After witnessing flashes of bright lights in the sky, the brothers search the woods to find a spaceship landing and several extraterrestrials on foot. The very premise of this film smacks of the scene in Signs (2002) when they capture footage of the shadowy alien figure during a children’s birthday party. And it seems Signs (2002) owes more to its predecessor—for example, the scene of the panicked family listening to the aliens on the roof trying to find a way inside the house. The acting largely feels very candid. When the aliens approach the house, the family yells and argues and makes quick erratic decisions. The power g

Bait (2019)

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In a time where breaking through in film often seems to require following the status quo, Bait cuts through it all with bizarre techniques and bravery - all with purpose. It has elements of Memento (although better) and a somewhat Hitchcockian feel at points with incredible use of scenery, perspective, mood music and patience. It's dreamlike throughout, while all of the characters are relatable. Within the dream, you have secrets revealed, sometimes without realising that they are a secret at the time. By the time the film creshendos (as you feel it will throughout), you already know the ending - even if the ending is different for you than it is for someone else. A unique experience. It's not so much a film as a work of art and thus, if you're after at fast paced action film. Steer clear! If you're after something beautiful that requires energy and thought from the viewer, you will find little more satisfying. Don't forget to follow this blog for the latest in h

NOPE (2022)

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Conceptually and visually compelling, the next installment in Jordan Pele's growing Arsenal 'Nope" is both disappointing and unique at the same time. Here's the gist, if you're entering this movie expecting to be mind blown by heavy handed subtle themes that we saw in previous Pele films and new logistics in the Sci-Fi genre then prepare to be dissapointed. Nope changes our cliched perception and superstitions on UFOs and how they always appeared to us as aliens into something abit more realistic and savage. The thematic level of the movie lets the audience brainstorm in order to connect certain things and themes so it is fairly complex, but not as strong or hard hitting. The movie focuses on the grief of our two main characters which I found one of the good things about the movie, but never really takes it to its end or establishes a well-coherent character study like "Get out" or "Us", it's evident that Pele doesn't want to restrict

Annalium 8 Post production (2023)

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Another gift from indiegogo this short film is in post production and should be released this year. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/annalium-8-sssss--2/x/33052818#/ Shot entirely in Wales tells the story a pandemic that has wiped out most of humanity. While out taking samples a scientist in full hazmat gear and life support machine fnds a girl that is healthy and not wearing and type of protective gear.  Is she immune or is it something else. She may be mankind's savior or a curse to our scientist You really need to get behind this project. I'm sure it's going to do well in the festival circuit.  CAST   Director Andrew Griffin Writer Robert Lancey Stars Francesca Louise White   Minaii Baelfire   With perks ranging from $6 to $1200 US there is one for every budget. Instead of that second Starbucks send that cash to get this film done  Don't forget to follow this blog for the latest in horror news and reviews

Scream VI (2023) A Review By Erick Z

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Scream VI (2023) A Review By Erick Zamora Scream VI proves that while we all love Neve Campbell’s character of Sidney Prescott, the franchise itself can survive without her and the 6th installment in the series proves just that. While for me, the opening kill was good it wasn’t as iconic as the OG and even Scream 2. However this movie is one hundred times better than Scream (2022) and setting the action in NYC adds so much more on a visual perspective. The storyline is great. The “Core Four” are amazing and provide wit and charm and Chad is the heart of this new quartet. The new friend group is well-balanced as are the red herrings and potential suspects. The kills- yikes ! Brutal, in your face, mean-spirited and I was on the edge of my seat. It’s been maybe since scream and scream 2 that the tension has been this high. The ladder scene was beyond intense. The legacy characters, returning from Scream 4 - Kirby, who is now an FBI agent and Gale provides weight and propels the

There's Something Wrong with the Children (2023) By Jess T

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There's Something Wrong with the Children (2023) By Jess T Psychological drama horror. Good film. Amazed at some of the negative reviews on the kids. They were frightening and scary. They were mostly in the background and used as pons to move storyline along, even though the title suggests differently. We don’t see any murderous acts or malevolent behavior. The dialogue (uh….which they did not write) has them come off as annoying, much younger than they appear, children, hence the premise of the movie and debate to have kids or not. Either use creepy younger kids to pull this off or use these kids and show some damage. They didn’t direct themselves people. If you watch closely, the gaze of Lucy’s eyes how she can switch back and forth you can see how much potential this kid has to “go there” but filmmakers held back and were not sure what to do with the them. They were just placed here and there, no real character development so you don’t care either way what happens to them. Bu

M3GAN (2023)

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M3GAN went viral MONTHS before her film was even released, thanks to a widely imitated dance sequence curated for TikTok fame and her instant emergence as the next possible face of horror paved the way for record breaking box office success! As soon as the first trailer dropped, it was already clear that M3GAN was destined to become an internet sensation, quickly spawning dozens of tweets, memes and completely dominating TikTok… With a shocking Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%, M3GAN already has a higher RT score than pretty much any best picture contender for the Oscars 2023! What is going on?! Originally shot as a rated R, but that was until the producers noticed that while editing it was already close enough to PG-13, realising that they had made a mistake and wanting to appeal to teenagers and a more mainstream audience, they then re-shot certain scenes to tone down the violence. With piercing blue eyes and a syrupy sweet voice, M3GAN is a new iconic villain for a whole new generati

My first Blog from 2014

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Might As Well Start At The Begining As I sat here staring at my monitor wondering what would be our first true blog post should we talk about a 5 star film the new Salem tv show maybe a truly creepypasta or just a fun campy Indie movie. and then it hits me like a jump scare lets start off where it all began. In 1896 a short 3 min silent film was made by   Georges Méliès    Le Manoir du diable  or as it was released in the U.S.  The Haunted Castle . Lets take a look..... Isn't  that  GREAT.  It has everything you could ever want in the   genre. We got the Devil, Ghost, and Vampires. Now I'm sure someone out there will bring up Edison's 1895 short   The Execution of Mary Stuart  but I consider this more of a historical film then a true horror film and at only 17 seconds it a really short short. Well there you have it the root of our family horror tree.

The Hills Run Red (2009)

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The Hills Run Red (2009) A good little movie that lost it's way 5 out of 10 Stars If I would have watched just the first 50 or 60 minutes of this film I think it would be rated in the 8,9 star range. They had me hook,line, and sinker. Then something more terrible then the creepy monster Babyface happened. They forgot WTH they were doing. The filmmakers were doing everything right and then it seems they said "well then, lets wrap this up fast I got a thing to get to" *** This review may contain spoilers *** The Hills Run Red is a solid example of the trouble with slasher films today. We have decent special effects, solid production values, and some nudity, but it's ultimately squandered on a slasher/torture plot that loses it's novelty two thirds of the way in. We've seen this all before (particularly the "film within a film" plot).  The movie begins promisingly, with a craftily edited (and BRUTAL) prologue in which someone cuts off their face and rep

Chasing The Devil (2014)

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Chasing The Devil (2014) A New Classic ......Maybe 9/10 Stars Where to start on this little gem of a movie I found.  Of all the "found footage" films being released now days it's nice to find a director and writer that gets it. The filming was done with a lot of handheld and gopro's they wore on their chest which I thought was a welcome relief to see how the perspective was being shot. Some critics have complained about the sound track or lack thereof but for me it helped immerse me into the story.   Another great plus for me is they didn't fall into the let's use lots of CGI we don't have the budget for. They also have a great script and didn't have to use the "Hey lets show T&A so the audience won't notice the plot holes".   While you may not recognize the cast as "BIG" names in the genre but all have great resumes on TV and short films. The movie revolves around the 5 main characters played by   Challen Cates  ,  Cory Kna

Haunter (2013)

Haunter (2013) A Family Friendly Ghost Movie That Isn't Casper 6/10 Stars Rated NR for no particular reason Well one things for sure the spirit of old Nickelodeon shows Are You Afraid Of The Dark and Goosebumps are alive and well in this movie . And thats not a bad thing, finding a family friendly horror movie today is like finding a ten dollar bill in the jacket you haven't worn in a year. While I believe the the writers started out with a good concept, they let so many other films influence them it took away from the what could have been a very good movie. The movie is certainly is carried by the two leads Abigail Breslin and Stephen McHattie. Directed by my home town boy Vincenzo Natali known for 1997's Cube among others. I get what he was trying to do he just took to long to get there.  Running at 97 minutes it seemed it could have been trimmed down to 80 and would have told a better story. ****May Contain Spoilers**** The Good:    Great concept a view through the eyes

Kids And Horror

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Kids And Horror When was your first horror movie you remember watching. For me it was Night Of The Living Dead, I remember being with my parents at the Gratiot Drive-In when I was 4 and on that night an obsession was born. Truthfully I don't remember to much of that night. But I do remember being there. And that brings us to what I wanted to talk about today. How old is to young to introduce your child to horror movies. For me I think at about 5 or 6 is old enough to start watching some of the scarier films now I'm not talking about letting them watch Saw or Hostel but some of the milder movies. Because let's be honest most of the Xbox generation won't find the classic movie monsters appealing. Each parent needs to make this decision on their own. I base my decision on swearing and nudity/sex, a little swearing is fine my 9 year old knows what "bad words" are and a few GD's and hells aren't going to turn him into Jason I do draw the line at the the big

A Note To Horror Movie Producers......

A Note To Horror Movie Producers...... An Open Letter To Horror Movie Producers To Whom It May Concern,   Thank You so much for all the great things you all do to make us jump and leave a light on at night while we sleep. However for the love Bella Lugosi's ghost and Bud's decaying body, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stop with the "making movies counting on a sequel" nonsense. One of the major complaints I hear about horror movies today is "good movie but the ending kinda sucked though". Let that sink in you had the audience right where you wanted them only to let them slip away in the final act. Don't misinterpret this as me hating on squeals there are plenty of movie series that the second or third movie is way better than the original. But let the quality of your craft dictate what gets remade. I do understand the draw of playing for a sequel has but in doing so you short change yourself and us. This especially true of inde movies we do understand the hardship

The Sacrament (2013) Review

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The Sacrament (2013) Review The Sacrament: Ti West's coming of age as a director. 8 out of 10 stars The latest from Ti West is not your father's horror movie or maybe it is. Instead of his trademark slow burn leading up to a shock and awe moment we are treated to a movie that slow burns to a rolling boil and stays there much like Hitchcock use to do. If you're under 35 you may not realize this is based on the Jonestown massacre in 1978 where 900 people committed "revolutionary suicide" at their compound in Guyana. I truly believe that this will be considered his "coming of age movie", as he lets the story unwind in front of you without the usual horror movie hooks. There has been a lot of things said about Ti being the next great horror maker with this movie he cements his place with the likes of Carpenter, Craven, and the lot. What he gets so right in this film is he keeps leaving just enough creepy hints along the way to make you pay attention waiting