Gross Movie Reviews #704

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Space Rodent (Tubi) – A hilarious no budget plot of two guys who have watched way too many movies and for their Halloween they are thinking about watching a season of History Channel’s “Ancient Aliens”. They try to keep the trick or treaters away so they won’t be bothered and their girlfriends head to a Halloween party in hopes of fun and a little drug use but that all changes when both the guys and girls are visited that night by space rodents who have crash landed on earth. The space rodents are willing to kill off their own kind in order to go to another planet to survive. After all four have been attacked and eventually find each other they must use their useless movie knowledge of aliens to defeat this rodent menace in a quite funny film I was not prepared to be this good as I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

Camp Blood Christmas (DVD) – Filmmaker Matt Dilts-Williams has been a part of several independent film productions the past few years but decided to jump into directing his first feature that is a part of this low budget horror series that features a killer clown (16 now?).  The plot revolves around ‘Santa’s Snow Camp’ for adult campers who are need of a job and love the holiday all because James L. Edwards character Jackson Pid is the new owner of Camp Blackwood. Jackson doesn’t care about the history as he is trying to cash in? After meeting Santa Claus the new campers become very aware of the clown killer but what seems to be another random bad situation slasher turns into a weird mess as the adult campers are drugged and tied up to drum up business for the “Camp Blood Ghost Tour”. One problem to all of this is the clown killer has risen, is real, and proves in this weird, new twisted tale that just like the “Amityville” series the “Camp Blood” series shows no signs of stopping. Williams feature might seem like it’s all over the place but in the end it fits in with the past entries so Camp Blood fans rejoice as yinz will enjoy this one as well as I give 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Cannibal Hillbillies “Bootleg Cut” (DVD) – Now this is an interesting one I reviewed a few years back from Broaden Torture Productions and after my review we spoke in person. Here is the original review: Broaden Torture Productions is back with their latest project that has a small group of friends testing a theory of an urban legend. The urban legend is a family of cannibals living out in the woods where one of their fathers’ had a campsite. They pay with their lives finding this out of course but the biggest problem is watching this 50 minute feature that is filled up with about 10 to 15 minutes of filler. You know empty woods, credits, even the group babbling in the mini-van which seems like forever. I like the people behind this Indy production company but this film just misses on all cylinders badly as I give it 0 out of 4 stars. Now recently the filmmakers gave me a new cut of the film (Bootleg cut) that was twenty minutes shorter, to the point, felt like a more coherent project something with bite made with no funds. This new cut you may hear the director say “cut” two or three times but to the point the film felt meaner, like the weird cannibal family was now more interesting? It is amazing what editing can do to a project especially used right in an independent project. With the right music I honestly feel this movie now has a “Mother’s Day” vibe and for that I gotta change my view to give this new cut 2 out of 4 stars and kudos to this group for believing they can do better. Sometimes it just takes some work, a different set of eyes, and maybe an opinion from outside of the group? No matter what, I like what Broaden Torture Productions is trying to do just always have the passion in accomplishing your projects?

Amityverse (Blu-ray) – So kids entry #79 is upon on us in the form of a ten story anthology that all are based on the curse of Amityville.  So right out of the gate I believe the first short “Amityville Next Door” was placed there on purpose to set the tone as it is simple, set on Halloween, and does some things to grab even the fans of the original film. The second story “Clownopalooza” doesn’t quite make sense about a killer clown until it runs into the third story (aka narrator in-between) called “Scamityville” that is about an Amityville podcast as the podcaster visits Amityville. The fourth story “Skeleton Cop” might be the most bizarre thing I have seen in any of the Amityville films but a little longer than it should have been but somehow it’s weird enough to fit this anthology. Which as we linger into the fifth story about a mime that gets funny and creepy at the same time. The sixth story had me at the title… “Amityville Lawn Flamingo” where an old priest takes on a cursed lawn ornament. Which of course the only way to follow that would be the reprisal of “Amityville Death Toilet” that should have you laughing throughout? The eighth story “A-Mall-tyville” starts to lose me but is about a possessed mall because it was built on top of the original haunted home. The ninth story “Amityville Killer” takes a simple approach of a man and his daughter’s car breaking down near the Amityville woods. The last story “Amityville Murder Hammer” is there to wrap up everything and keep it scary but also plays like an entry that should have been in the middle of the anthology? Overall the production of the stories and how they were strategically placed gave this anthology an entertaining purpose. Each entry in the anthology isn’t just thrown into a mess but helping the other to be a fun look at the Amityville curse. What definitely could have been your run of the mill below average anthology and Amityville anthology at that is actually a quite surprisingly piece of entertainment if you have watched more than just the first four films in the 80s. For all involved I feel yinz did a great job and was quite happy to watch this as I gotta give it 3 out of 4 stars.

Death O’Lantern: The Remake (Blu-ray) – In 2016 Indy legend Chris Seaver decided to remake his own 2011 feature with this 62 minute madness starring Stingy Jack! Stingy Jack returns as he is part of a ritual to return and kill for someone who hates their little town and the people celebrating Halloween there. While the kids there get ready for some Halloween fun they soon learn from a friend from the past they are potential victims of Stingy Jack. Mr. Seaver does what he does with remaking his own project but what makes the film worth owning is how he ends this remake which is just a thing of bizarre beauty. This is yet another project of Chris Seaver that will make his fans beyond happy or disappointed as over the years I find myself on the outside of understanding but have grown to respect some of his projects that might not have been well liked, as known as Mulva, etc. again this film needs to be watched for the ending as I give it 2 ½ out of 4 stars.      

Demon in the Bottle (DVD-R) – First off for anybody that might look for this movie after this review I do believe it is available on YouTube. Now imagine Charles Band in a distant world made a Disney film? Well this actually happened during the 90s as Charles Band was trying to expand his Full Moon Empire several times into the kid’s movie genre. Band and his father produced several but none ever caught on or got talked about until after the fact. But there was this project that involved a pirate who hid his treasure during the 1800s and it became a Disney Channel film (not sure if it played more than once but all sources point to it premiering on the channel but never had a U.S. physical release?) Now present time (1996) a few teenagers find the treasure and accidentally unleash a demon that chases them through a maze of caves and mansion rooms. While on the run the teenagers try to figure out how to return the creature to where it belongs so they may leave the place. Simple, effective, and once you see the creature there was no doubt Charles and Albert Band had their hands in this. Honestly do you blame them as if you got in the door of Disney at the time it was very lucrative. If you never heard of it and a fan of Charles Band believe me the adventure film is worth a watch and afterward let your mind wander on what could have been as I give the film 2 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 guests and vendors

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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!

Movie room schedule will come closer to event and of course we have a tattoo room

www.grossfest.com

Comfort Inn Conference Center

699 Rodi Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15235

(412) 244-1600

Hotel reservation code (remember you edit how long your stay is also) :

Grossfest 2026 guests

Todd Sheets

Jenn Nangle

Morrigan Milam

Brad Twigg

Melissa Sapienza-Garrett

Carly Sonafelt

Steve Rudzinski

Aleen Isley

James L. Edwards

Angel Bradford

And of course the super talented Angel O’Connor as our tattoo artist! (She is working on a new picture)

Special Guest for Friday (July 31st) only!

Christine M. Soltis

Grossfest 2026 vendor list

Chanda Rawlings

Ty Cheman

Dazed N Disorderly (Samantha Prinkley)

Steve Livengood

Cheevies Films

Daryl Hook

Andrew Chambers (Hojbob Productions)

Ginn Griedel

Jonathan A. Moody

Samuel Hice

Chase Will

Daniel Boyd

Art Ettinger (Ultra Violent Magazine)

Phil Herman

Michelle Bowser

Jess Weary

James Balsamo

Loretta Lynn Chambers

Ben Banks

Tabatha Rader

MMH Productions (Matthew Mark Hunter)

Jason Burke (greatest all-purpose man ever)

Chris Rhydings (Hit List Video)

Addison Binek (JAB productions)

Shawn Wright

Ashley Englund (Secondhand Spooky)

Kiss of Death Productions (David F. Silvio and Cassandra Blue aka Diana)

And least but not least the two guys from Wasteland that my brother forgot their names… (Broaden Torture Productions)

See yinz July 31st-August 1st, 2026

Second Stop on the Grossfest 2026 tour

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Second stop on the Grossfest 2026 tour is Cinema Wasteland.

www.cinemawasteland.com

We will have DVD, Blu-ray, and Indie titles all $5 of course. Then we are bringing some cool slipcase movies and such for $10. Plus a couple best offer things. Come visit us!

See yinz April 10-12, 2026— with Tom Gross in Strongsville, OH.

Gross Movie Reviews #703

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Ticks (4K/Ultra HD) – This glorious creature feature came out in 1993 which also known as “Infested” had a young cast that would become household names in the industry since then but always will be known for the role that Clint Howard played. The gooey feature has some misfit teens that are forced to attend a camp to get out of the city and learn about nature. As the teens adjust to their new surroundings we are introduce to Clint Howard who is a war vet growing weed with illegal chemicals that of course mutates regular deer ticks. These things make quick work of Clint Howard as he also does self-harm trying to escape causing the mutant ticks to infest the woods. These sick bad ass looking giant bugs attack the camp and try to feed on the young campers who are forced to fight back if they wanna get back to the city.  For many years the no thrills DVD, which for the most part was a VHS rip was the only thing horror fans had. Even though this horror flick didn’t get its due even with all the cool names involved and the wonderful special effects has finally got its chance with this 4K clean up and extras for horror fans to drool over: Two commentary tracks including one of them being moderated by Joe Begos and a really cool three part making-of documentary that will make you love this film that much more! Giant bugs, slime, gore, and Clint Howard being the cause of the problem makes this a fun package for horror fans as I give it 3 ½ stars.

Hippo’s Revenge (YouTube) – A dad trying to reconnect with his daughter as they have drifted apart because of a death in the family try to save a mother hippo and its offspring by bringing them to their rescue preserve. But Mama Hippo is feisty and very protective of her young but goes missing off the preserve because of an evil animal kidnapper’s (Marx) minions trying to steal the animals because dad didn’t want to sell the hippo. It’s mainly bad CGI chaos with a very thin plot that has you wanting something else to happen other than what you watch as I give it 1 star.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Shark (Tubi) – Henry Jekyll becomes super protective of his dead wife as depression drives him to take an experimental drug called “Sharcopine” as he confides in a friend to tell the story of the changes in him? Henry goes insane as the drug turns him into a horny man-shark but the film gets bogged down with subplots that don’t go anywhere. He’s horny, he’s crazy, but the dude that gave us the glorious ‘Abomination’ instead gave us something nowhere as memorable with too much filler. My friend you should have taken notes from ‘Graveyard Shark’ before you had ventured into the “shark film genre” as I can only give this feature 1 ½ out of 4 stars.

Lost Faith (Blu-ray) – The great label “Saturn’s Core” has released an underground fan favorite that was released in 1992 from Joel D. Wynkoop who did his best John “Zombie Deathhouse” Saxon impression (write, direct, starred, produced, even sang a song) to bring his no budget Chuck Norris feature to life… and succeeded! Steve Nekoda is a good looking martial arts dude whose wife heads to a modeling agency for a possible part but when Steve returns to pick her up for their date he finds police and his girl missing. Some bad dudes used the model agency thing as a front to kidnap good looking women, hold them captive on a jungle island, and sell them into slave porn or something. Along the way Steve denouncing God: steals a car, gets in a bunch of fights, gets arrested, gets railroaded by the police, then scolded for losing his faith. A week after the disappearance the wife’s best friend shows up at the door to lead Steve to rescue his wife as this begins to restore his faith in finding her. This is the ultimate special edition SOV action package for Joel Wynkoop fans as there is a new extended cut of the film, an intro from Joel explaining how some of the film was shot in 1988, 1989 then released in 1992, a Joel Wynkoop commentary, an old making of documentary, alternate flashback film opening and ending, and a 2018 short film sequel called “Nekoda”. Through pure determination you got to respect what Mr. Wynkoop accomplished which also makes for an interesting deep dive into the early career of Joel D. Wynkoop and his impact on independent filmmaking as I give this package 3 out of 4 stars.

Blood on the Bleachers (Blu-ray) – A west coast filmmaker named Chase Dudley is starting to make waves in the independent film community as he is driven to make a difference with his projects that are well produced, in different genres, and with not much money. This slasher film centers on a masked killer who killed two years before at a high school with no witnesses. Now, a professor, Mr. Reynolds, challenges his senior students to group together for their class assignment to investigate. Not just rehash what happened but do a deep dive to see if they can come up with new theories or clues that the police have failed to find. As the students get serious about the project the masked killer returns to claim more victims in this great production that also sports a great cast. But as a viewer with it’s just over two hour running time it wore me down more than entice me to invest who the killer is? Again I know there is a few recent two hour plus horror films out there but I am telling you filmmakers and future filmmakers, people like a Roger Corman or Charles Band were not wrong about running times for your picture as I give the movie 2 out of 4 stars. Edited to 95 minutes I truly believe this film would have been a much meaner spirited slasher than it comes off.

Frankenshark (Blu-ray) – Every once in a while you watch a film that you question if it is an actual film or just something completely else hiding as a film? This Bill Zebub project is just that as the other title for this flick is “Dickshark”. The whole plot of this film is a so-called scientist has misplaced his experimental ‘penis enlargement cream’. When the cream is used somehow there becomes a shark dildo creation that gets loose in the water system then attacks naked women. With each attack the monstrosity becomes larger with no way of being stopped as said so-called scientist aka Bill Zebub goes on a weird political tirade with another character as different metal songs are played over lots of slow motion scenes throughout the movie. Bill Zebub has his detractors and also has his fans but this project left me asking “is this an actual movie?” as I cannot even give it a rating.

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!