This website is dedicated to horror movies (independent and mainstream), beer, Full Moon, Spookies, Graveyard Shift, Leprechaun sequels, massacre films and watching every god damn horror film ever made or die trying!
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.
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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
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’
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!
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.
Payday (DVD) – A Chase Dudley production which means an Indie film that looks great with usually a great cast also and this one was no different as this is more of an Action/Drama Heist film that goes sideways. A restaurant manager has been doing some illegal business with some of the restaurant’s money. As Adie is being called on it she already has in play a set up of her unlikely criminal element boyfriend who believes he is helping her out of love for them to runaway together. As Ben enters the restaurant and both believe they are in the clear, the police show up with Ben not running away but staying with Adie back at the restaurant that then turns into a no win hostage problem. From the beginning Adie is manipulating everything so she comes out smelling like roses! Chase plays up the tension with the one location and with Adie clearly the villain playing everyone inside against each other just builds the tension and gives the film bite. One major flaw is running time as I believe they linger all too long in the dialogue. All the actors were great but this thing runs at a long 106 minutes. With an edit especially in some of the long drawn out dialogue scenes, you get this at 76 minutes I think this Indie project has one hell of an impact as I give the film 2 out of 4 stars.
Die You Zombie Bastards! (DVD) – One of the most bizarre low budget productions that we have been blessed with in the 2000s! This project dares to mash up several movie plots together and comes up with a wild story about a serial killer’s wife being kidnapped by an evil Baron. Red is a lovable serial killer who just killed off a bunch of hippies as this evil dude kidnaps his wife which transforms Red into a superhero who goes on a journey. This journey is to help Red fend off the zombies the Evil Baron keeps sending Red’s way so the Baron can have his way with Red’s wife. Boobs, blood, chaos, absurdity, and scenes of some of the wildest things in a horror movie are what best describes this adventure as this 2005 film deserves to be rediscovered by film fans as I give it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.
SpookT (Blu-ray) – One of the few paranormal films that I found interesting as Rachel and Claire show up in small town, Pa., for different reasons to investigate a haunted house called ‘The Gibson House’. This house has been considered off limits because of Dr. Byler and his odd behavior several years ago but also the girl that went missing on a dare to go in the haunted house. One looking to debunk the legend, the other trying to prove the legend and possibly find the real reason the little girl disappeared. The investigators team up as they do not play this supernatural thriller for laughs as it dials up the creepy factor with its old school style of scares. Again not a huge fan of this genre but I do believe fans of 70s old school scares but get a nice kick out of what they did with this movie as I give it 2 1/2 out 4 stars.
Blown (Blu-ray) – This forgotten wild gem from 2005 reminds you immediately you are in for a treat when it begins with something called “Mastercrap Theater”. Right out of the gate there are three friends hitting the porn store to “find things to throw around during a bachelor party”. The trio finds the ultimate party favor for Bobby’s party… the blow up doll! Unbeknownst to the boys this ultimate sex doll isn’t your ordinary blow up doll. Once the stripper shows up that is when the fun begins as she is strangled by the blow up doll as the doll has a bloody rampage through the party. Is it disgusting, raunchy, and way beyond good taste… yes! But I laughed my ass throughout the film especially when its revealed its all because of voodoo as I give this project 3 out of 4 stars.
Blood Orgy of the Damned (Blu-ray) – This is a 2001 project from Abnormal Entertainment that I truly thought they may have kept to themselves as it is supposedly a lost film with no soundtrack? So the cast of the film do a riff track about a couple vampires brought back to life looking for a virgin. There are a few laughs at the beginning but for me this got old quick as there was some inside jokes and sometimes when you think a project is a great idea? Sometimes it is not in my opinion and should not put out there for public consumption as I give this project 1 out of 4 stars.
UFO: The Otis Files (Blu-ray) – A more recent project from Abnormal Entertainment that is a mockumentary about a man named Otis who has seen aliens in his small town Michigan. But locals are not so keen when Otis is getting the spotlight treatment talking up aliens even though they are actually trying to cover the whole thing up. A weird little project that may interest Indie alien project fans as some of these can test your patients on what you consider is an actual movie as I give this 2 out of 4 stars.
The Beast of Yucca Flats (Blu-ray) – A bad public domain film from 1961 that deals with a Soviet scientist on U.S. soil who is exploded to to a nuclear explosion that changes him into a beast that roams the desert. When the beast isn’t attacking random victims the movie moves at a snail’s pace to fill time as I give it 1 out of 4 stars.
Return to Yucca Flats: Desert Man-Beast (Blu-ray) – So in 2010 there was an Indie sequel to the horrible early 60s film where the beast survives? But which film is worse is entirely up to you? Not a whole lot going in this sequel as the man-beast continues his terror of roaming around ripping body parts off. Its meh to say at best as I give it 1 out of 4 stars.
Undone (Blu-Ray) – This 2008 twenty minutes short deals with a serious matter of a man in a very drunken state because of family tragedy asking for some alone time with a criminal. So an officer makes Travis’ wish come true by dropping off said prisoner to him as he has 24 hours to do whatever he wants just don’t kill him. Travis slowly tortures him but the criminal claims innocence as he laughs at Travis’ attempt to torture him. Then that’s when it gets a little intense with an ending that forces you to think ” How far would you go if put into this?” The short film project builds and builds into something quite disturbing and interesting as I give it 3 out of 4 stars.
Evil Flows Within (DVD) – This was Lisa Neeld’s first project as a director after working the Indie scene as an actor for the past several years. She goes the way of the silent film to tell the story of a vampire visiting her one evening. Using just music and actions of your cast to tell the story is always a tough and interesting choice for your first directorial project. Lisa also plays Marian in the film as everything is hunky dory in her life until a mysterious vampire visits her and changes her. Marian struggles with the concept of being a part of the undead but is it a horrific dream she had or did it all already happen as she dreams of being in a different world. Kudos to Lisa going for something different as it for sure will stand out when showing it at festivals as I give it 2 1/2 out of 4 stars.
One Too Many (DVD) – This 2024 short film stars Lisa Neeld as a woman who shows up to a bar one stormy night for a few drinks. But Lisa is pushed out of the bar because it closes at midnight. Drunk and sick she manages to make it to the boccie court out back only to puke then have a mishap. Waking after 3am she is witness to some ghostly weirdness learning nothing good happens after midnight but a lot of us already know that as I give this project 2 out of 4 stars.
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