Gross Movie Reviews #714

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Gross Movie Reviews #714

Venus Die Trap (Tubi) – This independent project attempts to be an intentional B-movie old school style as it mixes old stock film footage with new stuff shot to fill in certain scenes. The story is pretty basic as it centers on a small town in North Carolina where a meteor has fallen to earth in the nearby woods. The residents quickly see weird things happening and blame the meteor out in the woods as venus fly traps have mutated then attack people! The fate of the community rests in the hands of an innocent botanist named Sally. The film has its moments, it doesn’t overstay its welcome on screen, it is a fun homage to movie stuff that if old enough your parents witness these projects at the drive-in as I give is a solid 2 out of 4 stars.

Blood and Rust (Tubi) – In small town Ohio a young man named Lamont believes he is doing the right thing by running his father’s diner and taking care of the transit homeless that wander through from time to time. But Lamont when alone believes he is just a hamster on a hamster wheel running to nowhere especially after he loses his father to a strange animal attack. Enter our other main character Belko the vampire hunter as Lamont learns the hard way vampires are in town to feed and take over. Lamont is all about helping to save this town as long as it helps the homeless and the sheriff doesn’t get involved as the sheriff gives Lamont a hard time. Little that Lamont knows this life changing event can finally help him get off that so-called hamster wheel of life? The concept and how I explain it makes the film sound a lot better than it is… I mean there is a great idea in there I just felt it wasn’t executed well as I give this project 1 ½ out of 2 stars.

Sonny Boy (Blu-ray) – What if I told you there is this bizarre project released in 1989 that stars Paul Smith, David Carradine, and Brad Dourif you would most likely say “I’m in!” To top it off let me just point out David Carradine does the main song and plays a woman in the film. Plus, Paul Smith owns a cannon that he uses to shit people with if they cross him? Those who have seen this understand and respect the bizarre beauty of this film. This oddity of a story begins in 1970 at a remote hotel where Weasel (Brad Dourif) steals a car unknowingly with a baby in back as he brings it to Slue and Pearl as they are a couple criminals who run a desert town with their wheeling and dealing ways. The couple, mostly Slue, raise the child in their bizarre wicked way to help them take down people who don’t agree with their antics. Years go by until the baby is a full grown adult and the small town has had enough of these criminals. This was a film that you would only hear stories of existing for years as I was lucky enough to get my hands on a bootleg tape many moons ago but now has a great cleaned up physical media copy that needs to be seen in order to understand anybody that has described this wild project! If you are a big movie buff and have not witnessed this you need to fix it right now as I give this project 3 ½ stars.

Invisible Shark (DVD-R) – Independent filmmaker Douglas Waltz is at it again with this wild idea that would make you think old school SyFy channel would have made three of these? No they didn’t as Mr. Waltz makes his David “the rock” Nelson picture where a small town sheriff and deputy are forced to believe there is a shark in their waters when a mangled body washes up on the beach. No one sees the attacks but they see the aftermath as this invisible creature attacks residents of Poloniaville! It takes some time but the police figure out because of the killer animal’s invisibility it doesn’t play by the rules of a regular shark which can work to their advantage of saving the residents. This project is truly wild and insane but this rough cut proves Mr. Waltz believes in giving viewers something wildly strange that they might be missing in their movie watching as I give it 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Bone Sickness (Blu-ray) – This somewhat forgotten Indy gem from Brian Paulin in the early 2000s may finally get the credit and kudos it deserves as the movie has found new life in this new special edition. So Alex is a young guy who is terminally ill with a wife Kristen who will do anything to extend Alex’s life or cure him of his terrible disease. Alex’s best friend Thomas comes up with an idea of feeding Alex bone marrow from the recently departed believing this could help him as Kristen is okay with this too. Alex unknowingly is being fed this and begins to go through some sick and gruesome changes that do cause him hunger for blood, nevermind this causing the dead to rise. As Kristen and Thomas believe they were doing what’s best for Alex’s hunger and health, the film slowly turns into this dream-like zombie gorefest that goes way beyond the usual independent zombie stuff we are used to. Paulin’s project is bizarre, gritty, and an absolutely exciting gooey splatterfest that needs to be cherished. Feels like a crazy combo of Meat Market meets Fulci! Rewatching this movie made me appreciate how freakin good it is and many of the filmmakers out there need to watch and rewatch ‘Bone Sickness’ to understand you can do what you do with passion and little money… It can be done! This special edition that is so worth owning has a new commentary with Brian Paulin and Rich George, another commentary from Cult Movie Obsessives, a new location tour segment, and a featurette “The Morbid History of Bone Sickness” along with some of the older extras from the previous DVD from in the early 2000s. 4 out of 4 stars from beginning to end!

Amityville Bloodlines (Blu-ray) – Oh I have tracked more down as we go with entry #83 from the young filmmaker Blaize Tudor as he brings this sequel to his ‘Amityville Bloodbath’. The 34 minute film brings in a few independent vets we all know and love to tell the story of Dr. Trevor and his experiment “Skull Face” who has been let loose in Amityville killing all big and small in the town. Because of the curse or legacy of Amityville this evil experiment cannot be killed. Also after listening to some of the commentary from Blaize Tudor it helped me understand ‘Amityville Bloodbath’ as I see this as more of a ‘Evil Dead/Evil Dead 2’ thing of its not a remake but not a true sequel also? Confusing, I know but I believe the young man Blaize has stumbled onto something that he left a lot that could be done with this idea unknowingly? I saw Skull Face as more of the curse of Amityville that could go full serial killer or supernatural killer as this got away from the Amityville house in general… Skull Face could be a ghostly entity that continues the curse of the town? Maybe to make a little more sense so yinz don’t feel like I am completely insane, think “In a Violent Nature” as I give this project 2 out of 4 stars. Also too would like to point out it was cool to hear Blaize in his commentary be somewhat critical of his past project connecting to this as some independent commentaries try to beat into you they made the perfect project. 

Critter Collection Volume One (DVD) – Matthew Mark Hunter digs deep to give audiences eight short films of terror that deal with a boy being bitten by a cricket, a man being haunted by a roach in his motel room, a story about a giant centipede or Dinopede, a man collecting bugs and regrets the aftermath, two segments that were made nine years apart about a rat terrorizing a man, puppet bunnies fearing for their lives as one wants to leave the forest. So if you are not a fan of killer animals or bugs this no budget fun may haunt you as I give the project 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Amityville Webcam (Blu-ray) – Welcome to entry #84 that has been floating around for a bit of time but getting to watch it on streaming or physical media form has only been made available recently. Premise of this entry into the series is about demons webcamming in their time off to play a role playing game where they are humans and deal with a possessed webcam. I give it credit for doing something different for sure but I believe it tells its story in 60 minutes and then just repeats for the next 40 minutes after. Again a solid different concept for the series but goes way too long. Don’t get me wrong this isn’t a ‘Mt. Misery Rd.’ mess as I can only give this entry 1 ½ out of 4 stars.

Last + Last After All (DVD) – An animated 16 minute short film broken into two segments of a possible post-apocalyptic Pittsburgh. The first one is about a person who just recently woke up in this new wasteland only to find out they might be the last human alive. The second segment is an odd pair wandering the wasteland. I would love to say I enjoyed it but to me it felt incomplete? But also I am not a huge animation guy so I could be missing something as I give this 1 out of 4 stars.

Amityville Bed & Breakfast (Blu-ray) – Entry #85 literally goes in a direction I am surprised it took this long to get too? This entry into the series has two brothers buying the haunted property cheap because of unpaid taxes. Their challenge for their streaming house flipping show is to fix up the property to make it a bed and breakfast to help the community get rid of the so-called bad PR the house has had since the original murders. As the Beaver brothers progress into the project and weird things begin to happen immediately they learn through some documents that everything might not be supernatural? The Beaver brothers struggle to deal with the so-called fixer upper as the crew keeps disappearing and cash runs low but they get through it all to accomplish their task in this very entertaining entry into the series as I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

Amityville Easter (Blu-ray) – Oh entry #86 into the Amityville series goes in the weird but not totally unexpected direction as a group of influencers head to the Amityville estate at the edge of the Amityville community for an interview with a famous widow that could mean more subscribers and money for them. The property besides being owned by a widow was also the site of a famous murder by a deranged half bunny/half human killer. The influencers were only allowed to be present on the property if they would agree to the widow’s terms and all their equipment was turned over to the butler when they arrived but this group is desperate for content. As they spend the night there things immediately get weird for the influencers from seeing the widow looking very sexual (best way to describe it) and the female influencers made to do an easter egg hunt? All this just for an interview that is believed to be a big pay day unless the half bunny/half human can stop killing them all. This project has its moments and I give it kudos for just being odd from the start so if you need to see a rather weird entry into the series? Look no further as I believe this would be way better to watch with a group as I give it 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Any comments or questions you can send to grossmoviereview@verizon.net 

Next event you can find me at!!!

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Grossfest returns for this fun event where we have seen everything from 8-tracks, board games, betamax machines, VHS, laserdiscs, DVDs, and so much more sell there. A lot of cool vendors you may never see at any other event so worth checking out as you know us we always got something going on as we pull things out of my magical basement!

This will be our “almost everything we are selling is $1”! (there will be a few items for $5 of course or more) We will be bringing some music CDs for only a dollar, a bunch of non-horror movie titles on DVD, Blu-ray, and VHS for a dollar, some comic books for only a dollar, and you never what we will bring to mark down to… $5! Yes folks, it is our one time “almost everything is a dollar sale”, come visit us and many other cool vendors at the famous Monroeville Mall.

Also two other events we will be at:

Gross Movie Reviews #713

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Cold Storage (On Demand) – It’s sometime after 1979 when Skylab is coming back to Earth and believed it has burned up in the atmosphere. A Dr. Martins gets a call about something weird in a small town and takes a couple special individuals to investigate only to find an experiment on Skylab has survived and evolved. The space fungus gets ahold of her and eventually it is contained and taken to a facility in Kansas where eventually the location is decommissoned and turned into a large storage facility bringing us to present day where two employees hear a beeping noise. They seek it out and by accident allow the space fungus to escape which can wipe out humanity. From there it becomes a hilarious gooey blood-soaked monster movie of sorts that has to be contained or else. The movie isn’t trying to out class today’s horror as much as it tried to be a modern day monster movie that will make you giggle and enjoy five years from now while watching it on whatever platform at that time. The point is: does it have flaws, hell yeah but take this for what it is as we don’t get many of these in the mainstream as I give it 3 stars.

Marra (DVD) – An independent animated project that isn’t my cup of tea but truly asks for you to give it the full attention it deserves. What seems to be inspired by a combo of ‘Beavis and Butthead’ series and the ‘Heavy Metal’ film lies a story being told through song by a young woman Marra who is dealing with some heavy shit. This film may hit differently with people because of its content as she tackles the dark places of her mental health trying to navigate it. What may seem bizarre to some will be a godsend to others. It doesn’t fit into one genre but it has beautiful imagery and songs that can suck you into this quite bizarre but possibly all too real world. Again this film is not aiming for my demographic but that doesn’t mean I should pass over it by any means. I even advise those that find this interesting may need to watch several times to catch everything there is to this project for that I give 3 out of 4 stars.

Hellfire (YouTube) – To put it simply this Stephen Lang’s ‘Pale Rider’ set in small town Texas 1988. Lang’s character walks into town and immediately is told to leave as they do not like strangers as the town and its people are used as one big drug connection. Dolph Lundgren shows up in a small role as the sheriff and Harvey Keitel shows up as the boss who oversees the operation throughout town. Lang’s character chooses to stay and try to change the outcome for people there? Even though I compare it to Eastwood’s ‘Pale Rider’ this one gets a bit bloody and bleaker as you watch and with that I give it 3 stars.

Monsterland (Tubi) – This 2015 anthology project sort of interested me from the outside when reading about it so I gave it a try. It is short films that are cobbled together from all over that deal with an underwater monster, a parasite, crazy goo, an old woman monster, an animated monster being killed by a walker, vampires, bizarre puppet show, experimental breast feeding gone wrong, and killer jellyfish. What this anthology lacks is cohesion! It feels more like a festival of short films just thrown together instead of an anthology that you could follow. There is a sequel but by the end of this project I had a bitter taste in my mouth which suggests to me that I do not pursue the sequel for a bit of time as I give this 1 ½ stars.

Blitz (Tubi) – An older UK action flick starring Jason Statham where he is a hard nose detective that must take on a cop killing serial killer. They know who it is but to have proof to bring him in is harder than it seems as the killer is killing cops who have arrested him in the past. You may have seen something similar in the past but with Statham it never gets old to watch him in action as I give the film 2 ½ stars.

Betsy (Blu-ray) – This Shawn Burkett film gives the independent werewolf genre a different spin as it deals with the aftermath of a young lady who is attacked in the big city. Shortly after Betsy goes to stay with a friend in a small quiet community to recover from the attack. As she tries to move on she is bombarded by nightmarish dreams as she notices some changes to herself. Not thinking one thing has to do with the other, bodies begin to pile up in the community as she tries dating among other things again. Doing an independent werewolf film is going to always be an uphill battle, especially trying to please horror fans because we all want a bad ass practical werewolf! So Mr. Burkett may have been screwed from scene one going in the direction he did as it doesn’t focus on the wolf as much as Betsy’s changes into said monster as the film progresses. There are a couple pacing issues in this story, yes, but no matter how I feel independent horror people may want to give this overlooked project a second chance as in the end it is a very solid entry into the werewolf genre as I give it 2 ½ out of 4 stars. 

Any comments please send to grossmoviereview@verizon.net or http://www.facebook.com/grossmoviereviews .

Plus you can always go to the greatest T-shirt place online or if you are in Texas visit the store of “Fast Custom Shirts” where T-shirt Joe is the only place you should purchase your horror T-shirts: Go to http://www.fastcustomshirts.com and support! 

Gross Movie Reviews #712

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Nightmare (Ultra HD/4K) – This film is also known to many as “Nightmares in a Damaged Brain” as this sadistic horror film had such an edge about it it kept getting pulled, recut R-rated versions, etc. during the late 80s just for it to be released in the VHS market. This newer 3-disc version is everything you could hope for as a fan and then some with this notorious 1981 horror film. Young kid George comes home early to witness something he shouldn’t have as the film announces quickly you are about to get something a little sleazy as it may look like a slasher but doesn’t play exactly like one. Many years later we see adult George receiving experimental treatment for his childhood trauma. Haunted by flashbacks George slowly loses his sanity and bolts to Florida to find his ex-wife and kids. His doctors are worried for not just their sake of their treatment but what is about to come with George’s breakdown. George finds his former family, stalks them, and kills anyone else that seems to get in the way of what he is doing there. This horror film still packs a punch and it is wonderful to see it all cleaned up and unrated as I was one of many horror fans who read about or tried to track down an uncut version many years ago. Plus bonus here kids, Savini sets the record straight on whether he worked on it or not as this was something Tom not often would talk publicly about. If you are an old horror nerd like myself you are going to want this version in your collection as I give this piece of fun sleaze 4 stars.

Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies (Blu-ray) – (This review is from ten years ago when I first found this glorious gem) Let me just say this any horror film that begins with Suicidal Tendencies “I Saw Your Mommy and Your Mommy is Dead” gets 4 stars no matter what comes next. But that just isn’t enough for this fun gem of unknown goodness! Karen Black stars as Auntie Lee, Pat Morita as the local small town sheriff, Michael Berryman as the weird dude (Larry) who takes care of the nieces’ cars after deliveries, and the very beautiful Teri Weigel. Teri may have done a lot of porn but always found a way into a stray horror film which I always enjoy finding. Teri is one of the best. But after jamming out to Suicidal Tendencies we are introduced to some lunatic who tries to carjack a young lady and becomes a victim himself for Auntie Lee. Auntie Lee for years has sold her famous meat pies to the local town folk of Penance. And these days now her nieces are all grown up they go out and lure men in for the taking. Usually if there is car trouble or car cleaning needing to be done it’s up to Larry until he is caught one day with a trunk full of bones! Pat Morita decides then with the bootleg David Bowie as a private investigator to try to bring down Auntie Lee. But the real question is will the sheriff bring her in or will he become the next meat pie? Everyone is awesome in this light-hearted “Motel Hell” horror film. This movie deserves to be seen by all horror movie fans as I give this fun meaty morsel 4 stars. (More to the review as a new special edition has finally put this film in print again). Already written the review, I didn’t know what else could lure you into this lesser known classic horror munchie with the great cast other than its now cleaned up, has a great interview with Michael Berryman telling stories about everyone on set. With this special edition this horror film truly gets a second chance in finding a bigger audience? 

Cracula (DVD) – A recent release from Indy filmmaker Brad Twigg which takes no prisoners in his version of Dracula waking up in present times. A couple degenerates unknowingly find Dracula in his coffin at a storage unit in West Virginia where of course they open it looking for shit to steal. Meanwhile, Rick Sloan is a normal dude just trying to get past his parents’ death and clean up their affairs as he gets nothing in inheritance except this storage unit. Only to learn when seeing if there is anything for him to sell the unit is a crime scene! But that is only the beginning for Rick and Dracula as Old Drac has developed a taste for drug addicts as he reigns hilarious terror on the small West Virginia town. Rick on the other hand learns he is a descendant of Van Helsing as he teams up with an odd duo of vampire hunters who have arrived to put an end once and for all to Dracula’s blood thirst. Sounds simple and straight forward but Dracula isn’t just a menace he is gathering a small army of degenerates along with coming to grips he must go to “AA” meetings? Brad and company don’t skip out on handing you gore and nudity as they give viewers a disgustingly, slightly sleazy funny take on the Dracula story as I give it 3 ½ out of 4 stars.

Vietnam: Kill Zone (YouTube) – Another new release from Mark Polonia that deals with 1970 Vietnam where Tim Hatch who plays Fitzpatrick, a combat photographer who is placed with a small platoon to record the ‘The Two Step Platoon’. Not the usual Mark Polonia project as fans will be surprised as Fitzpatrick tries to capture the story of this platoon as they find a random priest in the jungle. This priest is someone of importance as the platoon is now told of a new mission of getting this dude to the rescue point to be airlifted out of the action. For me it’s hard to gauge if Polonia fans will get behind this project as this isn’t aliens, sasquatch, amityville, etc., but Tim Hatch does do a great job as a combat photographer for this project. Mr. Hatch has come a long way from ‘Mummy Shark’ as I give this project 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Alien Swamp Beast (Tubi) – A 2019 film from Robert Elkins that I missed so I needed to correct that as a meteor falls from the sky into a swamp near a farm. A boy from the farm heads on over and tracks the green rock down only to be confronted by a group of criminals who just robbed the bank in town. On the run these baddies waste no time killing the boy only for the green rock to bring him back to life as this large ass swamp creature! The alien swamp creature looks pretty bad ass and tracks down everyone to kill them. The creature was cool but the film itself drags and felt it lacked some heart as it comes off as a bad homage to ‘Swamp Thing’ instead of doing something else cool since you got the cool creature thing as I can only give the project 1 ½ out of 4 stars.

Backrooms Bigfoot (YouTube) – I cannot blame the filmmaker for making something like this but also I am just not into the whole ‘Backrooms’ thing but that didn’t stop me from watching another Sasquatch film. Anyhow this contains info on why maybe Sasquatch is so elusive as a man goes searching for the creature only to find himself being transported to endless hallways out in the middle of the woods. As more people disappear being curious about Sasquatch, it hits social media the backrooms might not be the best idea for people? This project has two good things going for it that makes it watchable: first Phil Herman as a survivor of so-called backrooms and Sasquatch gives the movie some depth. It is an interesting character that stands out. Second, pretty much Sasquatch just bashes all the victims into a bloody pulp. Its weird but it is a thing as I give the movie 2 out of 4 stars.

Faces of Death (Shudder) – This remake had me on the fence of if I wanted to see this or not? But after a few trusted people told me a few things about it since its theater release I was actually kind of excited to watch it. Well so glad I did as it was a thrill ride for me. The story focuses on a young woman Margo who has had trauma in her life as she works for a content company called ‘Kino Moderation’. An app just like a YouTube, etc., where she works behind a computer viewing all videos helps review what videos are allowed or not on the app to be watched. One regular day she finds an execution video that is somewhat disturbing but believes is fake? Then not too long after comes across another that is posted that now makes her question if it is truly fake? The other end of this is a killer that has a fetish or condition or two but likes using the original ‘Faces of Death’ for inspiration. The killer is creating content as Margo continues to let this affect her as she takes the work home to investigate further of these videos. The more she investigates and gets fired unbeknownst to her she has possibly become the next victim of the killer. I quite enjoyed the recent ‘Silent Night Deadly Night’ remake. And this knew you gotta do something different as this project knew how to incorporate some present day commentary on content and how it is consumed. This was definitely a 4 star flick for myself and so happy how the original was incorporated into the story. 

Die Die Delta Pi 2: The Burnt One (Blu-ray) – Sean Donohue is back writing and directing this sequel as it deals with a couple young ladies get the idea of reopening the Delta Pi sorority because they cannot afford the rent. Their thinking is why not? They have heard about the murderous history but this would be a great way for the school to pay for the housing and plus Jesse and Riley can run the sorority. In order to restart they first have a car wash but what really gets it going of course is having a toga party and a couple cute guys there for their party. Sounds great until a new killer has arrived to haunt Jesse and Riley as the underfunded cops cannot stop the bodies piling up in this quick nostalgic slasher. Sean Donohue’s style, tight script, and just enough little nods gives this quick moving slasher sequel enough to keep independent cinema fans more than excited as I give the entertaining sequel 3 out of 4 stars.

Any comments please send to grossmoviereview@verizon.net or www.facebook.com/grossmoviereviews .

Plus you can always go to the greatest T-shirt place online or if you are in Texas visit the store of “Fast Custom Shirts” where T-shirt Joe is the only place you should purchase your horror T-shirts: Go to www.fastcustomshirts.com and support!  

Gross Movie Reviews #711

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Gross Movie Reviews #711

Fearless Dragons (Blu-ray) – Severin Films brings a 1980 kung fu classic to new life with this special edition of an unlikely duo of con men who are accused of a robbery they did not commit. Now the two find themselves in a pickle and must work together to find who actually did commit the robbery to clear their names. The story has been used many times since but works on so many different levels in this film. The film might be an Abbott and Costello meet Lethal Weapon routine but the final fight between the unlikely duo and the real villain is pure magic choreography-wise and cinematography-wise! Raid: Redemption owes something to this martial arts project. The blu-ray also features a commentary, an interview with the director, but most importantly an interview with one of the leads in Phillip Ko looking back and speaking fondly of this project as I give it 3 stars.

Blood Sisters (DVD) – Alicia seems like a normal thirty-something woman enjoying a great time with her boyfriend Adam and looking to the future with him. But two old friends come knocking at her door as they bash her for changing as these girls want the old Alicia as they are vampires and as you know vampires are not supposed to change but Alicia has. Martin their master was killed during the 80s and since then the three drifted apart until now that there is a chance they could bring back their master. Alicia sees it as a bad idea of course especially after she has to tell her boyfriend the truth who seems to be cool with everything. They bring Martin back to the life of the undead again only to be disappointed in his assery they didn’t see the first time around. This independent vamp film is not terrible by any means and a fun premise but really lacked any punch to get you excited about the project as I could only give it 2 out of 4 stars.

The Deep Dark (Tubi) – A French creature feature of a mine where some weird stuff happened several decades ago with no answers. The mine is still open but it takes extra money to get a select group of coal miners to take a professor down a shaft to get samples from the so-called “hellhole”! The miners requested to blow a hole in the floor of the cave to go beyond the 1000 meters for the professor to get these samples. The deeper the group goes into this cave the weirder things get as they are surrounded by complete darkness but find some clues of what happened years ago. After a cave-in and the men scrambling to find a way out, that is when the hidden creature goes hunting. The film feels a bit clunky but maybe a better version of ‘The Boogens’ for some horror fans as I give it 2 ½ stars.

Sharks vs. Mermaids (Tubi) – A guy named Derek is committed to an asylum and has come home after several months as he has this strange feeling of returning to the beach his girlfriend disappeared from. When the moon goes full Derek turns full manshark and murders people on the beach aka puts on a shark mask as he runs around like a lunatic while some mermaid sings or yells in the distance. Confused Derek is saved one night by one of these mermaids from other mermaids as there really isn’t any fighting between the two which again if that is the title of your movie “WTF” are you doing but anyway… The biggest mistake from scene one of this film is it going full seriousness not even trying to give it a few laughs as it just ends up as a large boring mess I give 1 out of 4 stars too.

Horror House on Highway Five (DVD) – A super weird 1983 independent flick that has students sent out in the field to do research on scientist Fredrick Bartholomew and his hand in the work of the V2 rocket for the Nazis. What goes along with weirdness is two brothers who lay claim to Bartholomew as they say he lives in their basement and should not be disturbed. Lets not even talk about the bizarre habits of the brothers as bodies are piling up because an individual wearing a Richard Nixon mask is killing people. The movie is either gonna be seen as brilliant or one of the most incoherent things you ever watched as I just go for meh giving it 2 out of 4 stars.

Shot By Night: The Byron C. Miller Collection (Blu-ray) – This collection is eight SOV shorts from Mr. Miller’s middle and high school days he shot with friends. The short films are introduced by a guy trying to scare kids with stories about werewolves, a mummy, zombies, creatures, slashers, etc. Never heard of the dude but it is a fun look into the innocent times of an aspiring filmmaker that should be passed to others in the future to understand this can be done and for fun as I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

Demon Squad: Tooth and Claw (Tubi) – Nick Moon aka bootleg Michael Madsen is a locally known paranormal investigator with a great assistant in Daisy who has stumbled across a monster, more specifically a werewolf or Dogman. The duo is known among the humans and supernatural entities and trusted. Think of a generic Dylan Dog (which I loved). Nick gives into a fake psychic to help him track down this dogman and maybe find a relationship as I give this project 2 out of 4 stars.

Creatures of the Night (Tubi) – No not the Kiss album many of yinz don’t remember but many debate on who actually played on it? This is more of a simple film where a hitman named “Goose” is paid handsomely to show up to a mansion to protect an old man for the evening until 3 am. The crazy old man, excited by the presence of Goose, convinces him to tell stories of monsters, zombies, demons, etc., or read between the lines of the newspapers. An anthology done with a little flare than usual comes off as an old school British sequel to Tales from the Crypt of sorts. Maybe not the cream of the crop anthology but something I wouldn’t sleep on as I enjoyed the wraparound as I give this 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Broken Innocence (DVD) – Another project from filmmaker Chase Dudley who crafts some interesting big budget ideas on a small budget with great cinematography and talented casts. This project isn’t my usual cup of tea about a teenage girl who has been sexually abused over the years by her father who still wants her to be ‘his little girl’. It’s a slow burn of the girl Lilly just not interested in her father touching her or watching her constantly but most importantly she may have broken as she practices manipulation and killing to get what she wants as it all leads up to her losing her shit on her father. Again not my usual viewing choice but impressed with Chase Dudley as he doesn’t stick to one genre, my only concern of his projects is the running time as this goes 110 minutes and in my opinion just like other projects I have watched could use editing down as I give this 2 out of 4 stars.

Popeye Returns (Tubi) – What is this? Number five, six Popeye films out in the past year or so but doesn’t matter as this tries to be a sequel? Anyhow, this time around apparently Popeye is actually a British government experiment that isn’t dead like in the last film that the experimental formula ‘SPN-X’ was used on the man to make him a mutant killer. Five years have passed since he went on a rampage and now he has escaped the black ops facility to go murder the shit out of a summer camp! The first time around was sort of fun, the second time around feels forced and eventful but don’t worry kids they did leave it open for another entry soon as I give this 1 ½ out of 4 stars.

Any comments please send to grossmoviereview@verizon.net or www.facebook.com/grossmoviereviews .

Plus you can always go to the greatest T-shirt place online or if you are in Texas visit the store of “Fast Custom Shirts” where T-shirt Joe is the only place you should purchase your horror T-shirts: Go to www.fastcustomshirts.com and support!  

Grossfest 2026 Movie Schedule is here!

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http://www.grossfest.com

Grossfest 2026 – July 31st-August 1st

Friday 4-10pm

Saturday 11-7pm

Tickets: $15 for one day or $20 for both days

Vendor tables are SOLD OUT!

And of course we have a tattoo room

13occult will be playing on the patio at 8pm

Comfort Inn Conference Center

699 Rodi Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15235

(412) 244-1600

2026 Grossfest Movie Schedule for Friday July 31st

3:15pm-4:45pm: Phil Herman’s The Actor’s Curse

4:45pm-5:50pm: Spiritboard (premiere) 

5:50pm-6:05pm: The Monsters Among Us (premiere)

6:05pm-7:35pm: Nightmares Unleashed (premiere) also MMH Productions is doing a giveaway before or after the film

7:35pm-8:45pm: Caroushell 4 (premiere) Intro from Steve and Aleen

8:45pm-10:10pm: Wolf Moon Rising

10:10pm-11:15pm: Orgy of the Dead 2

11:15pm-12:20am: Die Die Delta Pie 2 (premiere) Intro from Sean Donohue

12:20am-2:00: Special Screening of Ssssssstoner Snake

Grossfest 2026 Movie Schedule for Saturday August 1st

Special Hangover Screening

10:15am-10:45am: Hexercise

10:45am-12:35pm: Transylvania Tapes

12:35pm-12:55pm: Grossfest Lifetime Achievement Award and Maddie Deering movie fund award

12:55pm-2:05pm: I:Scream Intro from Aleen and Steve

2:05pm-3:55pm: Tromasterpiece Theatre: Poultrygeist (Blu-ray premiere)

3:55pm-5:05pm: Camp Blood Christmas

5:05pm-6:45pm: Cracula

6:45pm-8:25pm: Phil Herman’s Amityville Descendents of Darkness

(Of course movie schedule is subject to change, but we try to keep it close)

Gross Movie Reviews #710

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The Time of Their Lives (DVD) – A fun Abbott and Costello film from 1946 where they don’t play as the duo like they did in most films and also one I never had the pleasure of watching. For the duo this is an odd but interesting ghost flick as Costello plays a character who dies during the Revolutionary War who was trying to help a woman tell people about Benedict Arnold, others, and their plans. The two are shot then thrown into a well at a mansion only to be believed as traitors so their spirits won’t rest. Abbott actually plays the real traitor during the war then his great great grandson shows up again in 1946 at said mansion. The ghosts haunt and will always be considered traitors until they can prove otherwise. Wonderful paranormal film to introduce young viewers too but also the fun of Abbott and Costello as I give this piece of entertainment from yesteryear 3 stars.

On the Edge (YouTube) – Mr. Brocklehurst from across the pond is back at it again with another short film that deals with a man on the edge of sanity. As usual this short film will make you think as this kind gentleman has the ability to churn out great stuff that is outside of the box of usual short films as I give it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.

The Monsters Among Us (DVD) – A super underrated filmmaker Jason Burke is back at it again with his latest effort taking place at Halloween and horror fans this project is quite a treat! Actually a very simple premise of a couple exchanging traditions of Halloween and the repercussions of what happens when you don’t follow them. Again this project is simple, well shot, but most importantly the chemistry between the couple makes this excellent scare work as I give this short film 4 out of 4 stars.

Lifeform Phase One (Tubi) – Yes folks I was giving another Dustin Ferguson project a chance but as usual I came away disappointed. The film is set in 2030 where scientists have discovered an organism deep in space but it escapes to earth to kill people in the woods of L.A. I would be down for the creature called Violentus and all the AI if it didn’t only fill about 12 minutes of the 46 minute running time. But when most of the other time is used for credits and a beginning roll of story that tells you exactly what happens you do find yourself asking “why did I watch this?” I could be mean and I am sure many critics have been but I feel the best thing to say here is I am just disappointed in Mr. Ferguson as he claims to have all these resources to make movies now as I give it 0 stars.

Sting of Death (Tubi) – Who knew? A killer jellyfish movie made in Florida from 1966… kind of. A marine biologist is working hard on his research in Florida on jellyfish only to have his daughter showing up to have a college party at his resort. Time that with missing fishermen and an assistant who is scared but hellbent on proving everyone wrong you get a weird mix of beach party bingo meeting a creature… sort of with a wild Scooby-Doo style ending! This was a wonderful find as this feels like one those flicks that were just made for the drive-in as I give this 2 stars.

Gone with the Witch (DVD) – This Indy chaos comes from the mind of Damon Foster who has a history of making offbeat horror films if that makes sense. Twenty minutes of this would have been just fine, but 90 minutes makes you wonder if it is time to try shrooms while watching this long lost episode of Saturday morning television from the early 90s that is literally a mish mash of everything. The story is somewhat about bootleg Joan Jett aka Siouxsie Nikki Jett who is looking for a roommate. But between her getting a magical wand and her love for Turkish rip-offs it sets up for a headache of flying monkeys, bad fights in front of a green screen, random knowledge of Turkish movies, telepathic abilities, as nothing is off limits. The movie feels it beats you over the head with weirdness instead of allowing you to be invited in for the adventure as I can only give this 1 out of 4 stars.

Any comments please send to grossmoviereview@verizon.net or www.facebook.com/grossmoviereviews .

Plus you can always go to the greatest T-shirt place online or if you are in Texas visit the store of “Fast Custom Shirts” where T-shirt Joe is the only place you should purchase your horror T-shirts: Go to www.fastcustomshirts.com and support!  

Sharksquatch review

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So independent filmmaker Robert Boles dares to answer the question “what is missing from the horror/comedy creature feature genre?” And his answer was “Sharksquatch”… Half shark, half sasquatch, Mr. Boles writes and directs this feature that also features some talent behind the camera in Greg DeLiso (Hectic Knife and Psycho Ape fame) but also a small but perfect cast in front of the camera. Why do I bring this up because if anyone else was casted in these roles for the  film I feel it would be totally different and not as good of a picture. Our story is about a hybrid beast that stalks the hills of Hollywood decapitating people at a fast rate. This monster seems to be hunting not for food but possibly sport as one of its victims happens to be a mutual friend of three individuals who want to combine forces to put a stop to this massacre! Of course not understanding Sharksquatch is a massive beast that has a thirst for blood their first confrontation does not go well. But with the help of a random old dude who explains to them the creator ‘Jeff’ is who they need answers from in order to stop this genetic freak of a creature? From the first scene shot the cast, crew, and even Sharksquatch doesn’t fear the slim budget as it literally goes all in on the completely absurd and flourishes in it. To me the cast felt just as passionate as Mr. Boles did in bringing this off the wall independent creature feature to life and all should be proud of the finished product. You may have had me at the title before I watched but to actually pull this hilarious project off about half shark, half squatch has my utmost respect as this will be a film the independent community will enjoy for quite a long time as I give it 4 out of 4 stars

Gross Movie Reviews #709

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Frankenstein Island (DVD) – An oddity of a film from 1981 that have some random dudes getting lost and stranded on an island by hot air balloon. Of course the island just happens to be filled with a bunch of glorious movie troupe of Amazon women and Dr. Sheila Frankenstein. Yes, yinz heard that right! After lots of filler of these ugly dudes trying to get dates the stranded crew meets Dr. Frankenstein who has continued the experiment, to perfect it you might say? Again lots of filler, a weird ghostly image of John Carradine laughing, and the actual Frankenstein monster not showing up till the end of the movie. Literally you would say this film was made for the mere reason to exist on MST3K as I give it 1 star.

Ghostkeeper (Plex) – This little 80s slow burn disguised as a slasher film has three lost travelers on snow mobiles on New Year’s Eve getting stuck at an abandoned mountain side hotel. Getting snowed in the three decide to make the best of it but quickly feel like they are not alone and they are correct. An old caretaker of the place and her offspring decided to stay and live away from the booming cities (old lady’s words). Besides the fact they elude immediately that they are cannibals this movie suffers from pacing and has you asking what is truly going on? But doing some research the film was troubled from the beginning to disappearing budgets to many rewrites to a completely different film being made than what the actors brought there did… There was a good reason horror fans haven’t heard much about this film as I give it 1 star.

Aliens Expanded (Shudder) – Holy nerdy ballsack kids as this over 4 1/2 hour documentary of the 1986 sci-fi sequel has been unleashed on the public. Just when you thought you were such a nerd (like a lot of us) about this wonderful film that graced our presence 40 years ago they decided to tell everyone “hold my beer or in this case hold my facehugger” and just bombard the viewer with stories, discussions, interviews, and everything ‘Aliens’ including James Cameron. I loved this movie and thought I knew a lot? But wow kids this documentary goes above, beyond, and in-depth into a film that is considered maybe the most perfect sci-fi film to be released as I give this 4 stars all the way as I swear you will not get bored with this.

Spiritboard: Doorway to Death (DVD) – A newer independent filmmaker to the scene has just completed his third project that begins in 1926 where William, an evil man is ripped from his home to be lynched. William knowing what was coming performs some black magic of sorts before he is hung. Now fast forward a hundred years and his Spiritboard is found then used during a small girlfriend get together while watching ‘Revenge of the Lobster People 2’ (which by the way I wanna see that flick). The three young ladies using it believe they are all just playing around until the evil William has been conjured and possess the roommate who is literally just trying to get sleep. A small get together quickly turns into a ghastly bloody time with no escape as William wants vengeance or more than anything just fun with his new ghostly powers. Shawn Wright’s feature has a few flaws but its small cast, mostly one location, bare bones filmmaking with gory possessions, and a wonderful ending intentional or not gives a very small company 1990-1991 direct-to-video vibe that only the original ‘Witchboard’ and ‘Witchcraft’ films were able to accomplish in this genre as Shawn Wright’s career should be on the rise as I give his latest 3 out of 4 stars.

CarousHell 4 (Blu-ray) – So the talented independent filmmaker Steve Rudzinski returns to his most absurd but entertaining as hell (I say this in a good way) horror series that centers around a killer merry-go-round horse, a unicorn, whatever you or Steve’s universe considers Duke. Anyhow things seem to be going great for Duke and his offspring Robbie (by the way Robbie is magical if you haven’t watched the other films) but it has been brought to the attention of Duke that Robbie may never want to grow up? So Duke facing a challenge decides it will be good for him and Robbie to head out to the “Raimi” cabin to help sort out with Robbie that it is okay to get older, that it is a natural part of order. The duo are warned about the cabin as evil lurks there and wants released! Calmly Duke isn’t worried about it as he is a lucky guy until Robbie happens to trip over the “Nekkomeowicon” and say out loud the words inside. This causes some super terrible things to be released, mainly victims Duke has murdered in his past as Duke is faced with fighting the past in order to help save the future for Robbie. Without going into much detail Steve uses this sequel to feature all of the influences in his life to make this passion project come true. It has a bit of everything from comedic aspects to some wonderful make-up and gore to a perfect running time for the film to a magical unicorn bitching about zombie demons to an ending that only could come from the amazing mind of Steve Rudzinski (oh, you will know when you see it) to possibly having the greatest cameo and not overdone by the way of any independent horror film I have had the pleasure of watching. This project, this sequel in a series of films for over ten years is not just a work of art but a work of passion that whether you care or not or will even admit Steve Rudzinski needs to be mentioned with the others of the genre like the Polonias, Farmer, Bookwalter, Sheets, do I need to go on? Anyhow 4 out of 4 stars kids if you miss this one shame on you for claiming to be an independent horror movie fan.

The Inglorious Bastards (DVD) – No we are not talking about the one with Brad Pitt that a lot of mainstream movie viewers love, we are talking the original that starred Fred Williamson, Peter Hooten, and Bo Svenson. The original I believe gets lost among the movie going public since we got that other fun project. This one takes place in 1944 France where American misfit prisoners under the leadership of Lt. Yeager volunteer for a mission to trade for their freedom. In reality they know this is probably a death sentence but this is the first time their talents have been really used and can make a difference against the Nazis as they try to steal parts of the V2 rocket. Beyond action-packed this film literally only has a region 2 blu-ray edition but this three-disc the from Severin is wonderful that includes a documentary and the soundtrack which is 4 stars all the way.

My Life with the Living Dead: The Story of John A. Russo (Blu-ray) – Talented filmmaker James Lockhart documents John Russo telling stories of the early days of filmmaking in Pittsburgh, early days hanging with George A. Romero, Night of the Living Dead, and what his friends were doing at that time. But this isn’t all about ‘NOTLD’ as Russo speaks about navigating all his projects over his 60 year career that includes the controversial mistake (my opinion, not Russo’s) 30th anniversary with the extra footage to one of the worst films ever made (my opinion not Mr. Russo’s) in ‘Children of the Living Dead’. Take out my opinion of how I feel this documentary was done with class by James Lockhart and will make ‘Living Dead’ fans happy to watch as I give the film 3 out of 4 stars. Believe me there is some actual interesting stuff that Russo did outside of the original zombie film but most will watch this for ‘NOTLD’

Any comments please send to grossmoviereview@verizon.net or www.facebook.com/grossmoviereviews .

Plus you can always go to the greatest T-shirt place online or if you are in Texas visit the store of “Fast Custom Shirts” where T-shirt Joe is the only place you should purchase your horror T-shirts: Go to www.fastcustomshirts.com and support!  

CarousHELL 4 review

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So the talented independent filmmaker Steve Rudzinski returns to his most absurd but entertaining as hell (I say this in a good way) horror series that centers around a killer merry-go-round horse, a unicorn, whatever you or Steve’s universe considers Duke. Anyhow things seem to be going great for Duke and his offspring Robbie (by the way Robbie is magical if you haven’t watched the other films) but it has been brought to the attention of Duke that Robbie may never want to grow up? So Duke facing a challenge decides it will be good for him and Robbie to head out to the “Raimi” cabin to help sort out with Robbie that it is okay to get older, that it is a natural part of order. The duo are warned about the cabin as evil lurks there and wants released! Calmly Duke isn’t worried about it as he is a lucky guy until Robbie happens to trip over the “Nekkomeowicon” and say out loud the words inside. This causes some super terrible things to be released, mainly victims Duke has murdered in his past as Duke is faced with fighting the past in order to help save the future for Robbie. Without going into much detail Steve uses this sequel to feature all of the influences in his life to make this passion project come true. It has a bit of everything from comedic aspects to some wonderful make-up and gore to a perfect running time for the film to a magical unicorn bitching about zombie demons to an ending that only could come from the amazing mind of Steve Rudzinski (oh, you will know when you see it) to possibly having the greatest cameo and not overdone by the way of any independent horror film I have had the pleasure of watching. This project, this sequel in a series of films for over ten years is not just a work of art but a work of passion that whether you care or not or will even admit Steve Rudzinski needs to be mentioned with the others of the genre like the Polonias, Farmer, Bookwalter, Sheets, do I need to go on? Anyhow 4 out of 4 stars kids if you miss this one shame on you for claiming to be an independent horror movie fan.