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CLEVELAND, Ohio, August 18, 2023 – Horror Fantasy and Halloween music composers Midnight Syndicate have released their 15th studio album, The Brimstone Club. Featuring the “soundtracks to imaginary films” concept the band helped pioneer, The Brimstone Club blends orchestration and sound effects to take listeners to a shadowy theatre club where the strangeness of its exotic entertainment and libations are matched only by its peculiar clientele.
“The album was inspired by the Parisian Cabaret de L’Enfer, a 19th century hell-themed cabaret that was a forerunner to the haunted attractions and themed restaurants and taverns of today,” said Midnight Syndicate founder and co-composer Edward Douglas.
“Sometimes a piece of history can prove to be every bit as fascinating as anything one might imagine,” added Midnight Syndicate co-composer Gavin Goszka.
Similar to Midnight Syndicate’s other albums, The Brimstone Club utilizes music and sound to tell a story whose details are left up to the listener. “We hope people are able to listen to it at least once from start to finish in a quiet darkened room. There’s a lot in this world to explore in your mind’s eye,” said Douglas.
Midnight Syndicate is synonymous with haunting themes, gothic fantasy soundtracks, and musical storytelling at its most evocative. If you’ve visited a haunted attraction or amusement park anywhere in the world during the Halloween season, went trick-or-treating, or enjoyed a night of Dungeons & Dragons with friends, chances are you’ve heard their music. Since 1997, dark music pioneers Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have been entertaining fans of Halloween, gothic music, haunted attractions, horror cinema, video games, and roleplaying games with their soundtracks to imaginary films. Featuring a signature blend of orchestral music and sound effects, Midnight Syndicate’s fifteen studio albums, along with their independent film, The Dead Matter, and several film scores, have earned them a worldwide following. In 2003, the band was approached to produce the first official soundtrack to the seminal roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons. Their success has led to collaborations with Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights and Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends, along with features on television shows, HSN, SiriusXM’s Scream Radio, video games, King Diamond tours, a Misfits live album, and several releases by major horrorcore artists. In 2014, the band began producing Midnight Syndicate Live!, a series of horror-themed multimedia concerts which continue to enjoy successful runs at Cedar Point’s annual HalloWeekends event to this day.
CarousH3ll (YouTube/DVD/Blu-ray) – The third entry into Steve Rudzinski’s wildly popular series “CarousHell” with the help of co-writer and ultra-talented Aleen Isley give us the next evolving chapter of Duke’s adventures. In case you haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying the past two Indy treasures: Duke is a terrifying killer carousel horse who has come to life to kill humans, had a child/puppet horse named Robbie, and has turned good in order to track down others like him that may want to use their evil powers to kill both of them. Okay that is a mouth full to take in but now we are caught up without giving too many spoilers away Duke has a new enemy in Usagi: a chocolate carousel bunny that wants to kill Duke in order to steal his power to become the god she deserves to be. If that wasn’t enough Joe ‘the pizza man looking for his $42.39’ is back in a big way and seeking revenge even if he has only one eye. But Joe has found a new group of friends that want to protect Duke and Robbie from the evil Usagi which leaves Joe very conflicted. Of course along the way there is characters from the past that show up and we get introduced to a couple new intriguing characters as Steve and Aleen made sure ‘CarousHell’ fans get all the over the top carousel sex and violence you could want in your independent movie. This wonderfully entertaining sequel wastes no time jumping into the storyline getting the ‘CarousHell’ taste buds wet but for me it felt a little slow but they made me adjust on the run with this project as I think so highly of the first two films. As I said in the past Steve gave me “House of a 1000 Corpses” and then gave me the “The Devil’s Rejects” which was the best way to explain how I feel about the first two CarousHell films. Now both Steve and Aleen understanding it is virtually impossible to top those last two films went about their business quickly and smartly by not giving us “3 from Hell”. But embracing and understanding the story arc they have built over the past two films as they ran with the insanity and gave us an absolute surprisingly brilliant third entry that gives fans a perfect ending (maybe?). Seriously the cast, the music, the perfect running time of 68 minutes is great but the stand out of this latest entry might be the script from Steve and Aleen and their attention to detail and understanding of the fans of ‘CarousHell’. The writing of this film for me at least is their best work to date and have cemented them in making one of the best independent horror franchises a movie fan could ever watch as I give this enormously humor filled film 4 out of 4 stars. P.S. this film just shows these two are an extremely talented duo to be highly respected in the independent world but also should make many other filmmakers scream for them to be a part of their next project!
So Grossfest fans, vendors, and guests… I believe we have accomplished our mission! We are BACK! First, let me thank the Comfort INN there in Penn Hills for allowing me to be me and trying to give what I thought people would enjoy. Second, I got to thank Famous actor Tom Gross for allowing me to do my thing (being insane, maybe?) but also making things happen behind the scenes. Third and maybe the most importantly I gotta thank the great guests we had, the vendors, and people who paid ten bucks to get in. Without yinz n’at this wouldn’t be possible. So thank everyone: the hotel, the vendors, the guests, the people who bought tickets, and the couple people who heard my deep thoughts on the state of conventions this past weekend… This wasn’t the beginning of the end for Grossfest, this was a new beginning, a new chapter as we jumped a huge hurdle here and now we venture into preparing for an August two-day show in 2024. So stick around, give us some time to get some details figured out as we move forward and remember Grossfest is proof “just because someone tells you can’t do it, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to do it”. Again all of yinz n’at for your time and support and see yinz in 2024!
Day Zero (On Demand) – How to best describe this flick would be a Filipino version of “28 Days Later” starring a bootleg Vin Diesel but with lots of heart. Emon has been in prison for the past several years even though he was in U.S. Special Forces and counting the days to finally see his daughter. It is his dream that it is important enough that his best friend in jail is teaching Emon sign language so he can communicate with his daughter. Well helping Timoy from getting jumped one evening has Emon thrown into solitude but does not last long as the warden has told the prisoners they are released as a horrible virus is spreading quickly through the city. This strange virus is attacking people and causing them to want to chew on fellow humans without much explanation. Emon and Timoy once out and in survival mode head to the apartment complex his ex-wife and daughter lived and it becomes “The Raid” with infected as they must fight through the hordes of infected to find them. There is some very cool fight and kill scenes in this film and cannot say enough how much heart this flick has and how it separates itself from the usual zombie/infected/rage virus stuff as I give this flick 3 stars.
Resident Evil: Death Island (On Demand) – The latest animation film in the horror video game series that takes place 2015 San Francisco and all the usual characters are here: Claire, Jill, Leon, and Chris. All have gone in different directions since the original T-virus outbreak but all are tracking a new form of it that has shown up recently that does not require transference through a bite? Someone on Alcatraz Island has figured out through needle punctures and computerized bugs or “Bio-drones” he can target anyone. Fun stuff as usual with the animation as they haven’t screwed shit up and they have a ‘Zombie Shark’ as I give this feature 3 stars.
Blood & Gold (Netflix) – The setting is 1945 Germany and a group of SS soldiers are heading to a small village after they hang one of their own for desertion because they of bricks of gold that will help them after the war ends which is coming quicker than they want. A young woman cuts down this soldier who was hung and after healing up both come to have a bond over their hatred for Nazis as they have taken something very personal from them during this war. But while they try to plan out what or how they want to seek revenge the Nazis are in the small village asking questions that a few residents are not willing to give answers too about the gold. For from a horror film that doesn’t stop this from an impactful film with an interesting storyline and a nice bit of gore! For that I give this flick 3 stars.
Sharkspolitation (Shudder) – Another kick ass documentary that has shown up on Shudder where they cover everything from ‘Jaws’ to ‘Sharknado’ and everything in-between and how it has impacted society and cinema over the years. They explain the formula, the copycats, the rando forgotten shark films and why everyone lost their mind over an idea pitched to Asylum by SyFy channel? If you love sharks this will be your bonerjam as it touches on everything as I give it 4 stars.
Bloody Sect (DVD) – In what bonkers universe did this early 80s Spanish rip-off of “Rosemary’s Baby” come from? One stormy evening a crazy gypsy-like lady breaks into a man’s (Fredric) home to stab him in the freakin eyeballs with a fire poker because he banged some hot woman. After the event Fredric gets to keep the hot lady around because she wants to be married and get Prego. But the couple has troubles making it happen so they seek out a professional’s help and instead Fredric’s girl gets Prego with a creature from some crazy cult dudes who believe the second coming of Satan is well on his way? From there it just ramps up the crazy as the crazy gypsy-like lady becomes sort of a hero and some little brat of a kid screws up or does his best to screw up the second coming of Satan. Describing this film doesn’t justify how crazy this movie gets as much as you need to witness the greatness of this bonkers ass movie as I give it 3 stars and thank it for existing!
Forsaken (YouTube) – Another day at the office for Philip Brocklehurst as he makes a short film about a young man that witnesses a shadow that suggests many things could be going on or maybe nothing at all in this intriguing short film. The beauty of Brocklehurst’s work no matter how short form it is has been to make the viewer think? For that I always get excited when he has finished up a new short film and have to give for this project 3 stars.
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!
One day event with guests, movies, filmmakers, vendors from 11am to 7pm. (Guests as always subject to change)
All we ask of yinz is your support and come and have fun! You want this to keep happening help support our little growing event. So let’s keep it simple and enjoy that Grossfest is back and with your support this is a new beginning for our Independent Horror Convention… again! See yinz there!
Invaluable: The True Story of an Epic Artist (Blu-ray) – This was and is a very special documentary that Ryan Meade wrote, directed, and shot several years ago and remembering seeing it for the first time then and just truly being blown away. This isn’t just a must have for ‘Evil Dead’ fans, this is a must see for all horror fans young and old! Ryan dug deep in bringing you the man, the myth, the legend behind the effects for the horror classic ‘The Evil Dead’ and telling the story of one of coolest horror genre icons, Tom Sullivan. Tom’s art, effects, creations, and personality are cherished still to this day. But his work on the original ‘Evil Dead’ was one of those moments that even if not a fan you could admire and understand how Tom’s work stood out among thousands of creations and effects throughout the years. The documentary tells the story of Tom from the beginning and through many interviews with Bruce Campbell, Josh Becker, Betsy Baker, Ellen Sandweiss, Theresa Tilly, and a host of others. It follows Tom’s career of how he met Sam Raimi and folks and how he created some of the most iconic horror effects in the past 40 years! This is a documentary that has heart and passion because Tom Sullivan is all of that and you don’t have to be a fan to get what Tom is all about but you will absolutely respect this man for all he has done. Like they stated in the documentary “No Tom Sullivan, no Evil Dead. It begins and ends with Tom.” Tom’s work and his care for the legacy of the series are beyond words and very appreciated by the horror community. But there is even more to this disc because there is another documentary on here that is worth watching, a couple Ryan Meade short films you won’t want to miss, and some unedited interesting interviews. Hell ‘Evil Dead’ kids there is something like four or five hours of extras that are not your typical throw ins to make you feel you paid for something this is for sure one of the few must own Blu-rays I assure you that you will watch from beginning to end quite a few times! Kudos to Synapse Films for getting this wonderfully passionate documentary from Ryan Meade and getting it out worldwide for all the horror community to own and enjoy as I easily give this package 4 out of 4 stars. Available through www.synapse-films.com
Da Hip Hop Witch (DVD) – What comes off as an old long continuous YouTube video of rappers before they were big, smoking weed and babbling about a crazy ghetto witch in New York? There is supposed to be a whole plot of five white people from Salem with a pug who caught up in all the hype and disappear but that gets all lost in chaos everyone babbling about a ghetto witch. And some repeating themselves in this feature that may have been funny in 2000 seems really dumb now as I give it a ½ a star for having a pug.
Open Grave (DVD) – A man wakes up in a pit of dead bodies with no memory of how or why he is there but finds a rope thrown to him so he is able to climb out. Still being a bit disoriented he is able to find his way to a house where he is surrounded by a group of people who have the same questions as he does and soon do not trust each other as things do not make sense. This includes other people they find are in some kind of fucked up zombie state where they attack humans who are not infected with whatever this problem that is going on? Things get a little insane and hard to follow but it’s all worth sticking it out and seeing how this interesting take on a certain horror genre film gets to the end as I give it 3 stars.
Kids vs. Aliens (Shudder) – For me at least this was an oddly paced film taking place around Halloween where aliens have landed in a lake and some fishermen go missing. From there we get the stars of the film, all kids who are trying to film a movie because their parents are never around and they have a wrestling ring of course to use! But the older sister finds herself in an odd place as the cool kids find out about her parents out of town and choose her house for a Halloween party. Seems like the usual teenage coming of age movie until the aliens show up to crash the party and kidnap many of them and take them aboard their ship at the bottom of the lake. There the kids get you choice but to be melted down by space ooze or have alien spit dumped on them to change them into an alien hybrid! A fast but again oddly paced alien film of literally ‘Kids vs. Aliens’ as I give the film 2 ½ stars.
Wrath of Becky (On Demand) – It’s been three years since the incident of Neo-Nazis killing Becky’s father and Becky fighting back against those cruel bastards in a bloody battle to the end. Since then Becky has been on the run and at age 16 she is trying to stay off the grid as much as possible. But by chance Becky happens to be hitchhiking and finds a friend in an older woman who doesn’t ask questions but enjoys the company. Both are unsure of each other but the situation works. With Becky finding a slight glimmer of hope she finds herself being stalked by three all white males known as the ‘Noblemen’. Basically neo-Nazis with a different name and they shoot her roommate in the head and steal her dog. The event of course pushes Becky into survival mode and she goes looking for these men finding out there is a couple more and they have plans for the small town they are staying in. The film doesn’t vary away from what worked the first time and go for the jugular again of continuing a character and her story that we all quite enjoy. Again great cast, smart to stick with what works, the Becky character is just absolutely entertaining as I believe they got another less talked about hit again on their hands as I give it 4 stars. The only thing I will say about the film and it isn’t a flaw as much as an observation without spoiling the film is if they try a third film it will “jump the shark”!
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!
Mad God (Shudder) – I’ll be honest about this flick Joe Bob Briggs gave me a reason to finally sit and watch this film. It always had my interest but I would always find something else to watch? Mostly because I had a feeling this movie might be a bit too artsy for me or fall into “not my cup of tea” kinda thing? Anyhow this film took thirty years to make as it’s a stop-motion animation of a post-apocalyptic world where a thing is sent into this visually stunning world to carry a bomb to the deepest depths of it. Mission would be accomplished but it is stopped by a crazy monstrous thing. This world has tons of creations to enjoy but it is hard to follow and definitely not a project you could classify as horror. This film reminds me of an old show “SyFy Exposure” that use to run late Sunday nights on SyFy Channel where you get to see several off the wall short films from filmmakers all over the world. It is an interesting project but with a run time at 110 minutes and not being your typical film to follow be prepared going in as I give it 3 stars for being wonderful to look at but is not my cup of tea thing.
Hellblazers (Tubi) – Here is a modest budget horror film that most horror fans would blow off because if you read the description and seen the cast your response would most likely be: “Great another stupid convention all-star horror film where people say their one line and collect a paycheck in a horror film with no soul.” Well kids this one is a little different (we have seen this story before… but) and worthy giving a chance as everyone has a role to play in making this quite entertaining. In a small community of Hope Valley where Billy Zane and friends raise a demon kind of surprisingly after a ritualistic sacrifice. Now a big city sheriff is trying to adjust to small community police work until this comes to light as a demon now stalks the town to feed to become stronger. With the help of the countless cult members the small community is quickly cut off from the rest of the world and as the demon feeds it becomes disgustingly cooler! Now the cast: Billy Zane, Tony Todd, Meg Foster, Adrienne Barbeau, John Kassir, Bruce Dern, and Courtney Gains. For this little horror surprise I gotta give it 3 stars.
Camp Murder (DVD) – A 2021 Mark Polonia film where a patient of Dr. Lewis decides it is time to leave the asylum when Dr. Lewis is retiring after 25 years. The patient Tommy escapes and returns to a campsite where it all began so many years ago. Problem is an Indy wrestler and friends have chosen to camp out for a couple of days in the same area. Doesn’t take Tommy long to find a mask and weapons to help him slaughter anyone in the woods. Funny thing is there is a subplot of the female Indy wrestler plotting to kill her husband for one of her fans because said fan of hers has a big dong! Starts off promising but quickly falls off of being any bit entertaining as you feel like Mark Polonia and crew slept walked through this one in two or three days as I give it 1 star.
Camp Murder (DVD) – Oh you are reading that correctly as I found another movie of the same title that came out a year later from Josh Bzura where a radio dude tells a Halloween story of some Adamsville people who get slaughtered at a summer camp August 1984. We all have seen this film hundred times or so but full kudos to Josh and crew for having a great set up, great use of location, a solid cast, and people that knew how to have fun with the formula of a masked killer at summer camp with a machete. There is a couple things that happen in this film that make me giggle as Josh does a great job building up some of these characters and capturing the awkwardness of others as this another worthy Indy horror film worth checking out as I give it 2 ½ stars.
Manhattan Baby (DVD) – It is 1982 and an archeologist disturbs a tomb and sets in motion an evil spirit following him back to New York City as he is found blind outside of the tomb. It takes some time for the archeologist to regain his sight but by then strange things already begin to happen in this weird Fulci feature. Mostly because the dude’s daughter has some ancient medallion that has chosen to possess her? So if you are looking for “Zombie” or “Gates of Hell” you will be way off with this one so don’t be surprised this makes your favorites of the Fulci collection as I give it 2 stars.
The Blackening (On Demand) – A mostly black casted horror film that has one of the greatest taglines ever, has the cast heading to a cabin in the woods to celebrate Juneteenth holiday. The couple who rented the cabin find a board game that sets up the plot of the film where the black characters are forced to answer questions or die. As they are forced to play there is a masked character trying to kill them off one by one and they let the jokes fly that keeps the film moving at a crisp pace. I absolutely loved this film until about 45 minutes in as it was like the filmmaker ‘let off the gas’ until the last few minutes of the movie which is very culturally relevant and a solid entertaining horror movie. For me I just wish they would have kept the gas to the floor, but watch it, enjoy it, understand it as I give this 3 ½ stars.
Amityville Death Toilet (DVD) – Welcome folks to entry #53 aka “Death Toilet 5” as I couldn’t track down part four but was able to find this entry where the first kill has a gentleman sitting on a toilet and getting killed so hard he loses his mustache! But Evan Jacobs who has been behind all five movies decided it was time to set this one in Amityville where Mayor Dump the mayor of Amityville is flustered and wants an end to the senseless murders by the death toilet. Because you know it will kill the tourist season for Amityville! So Mayor Dump hires a ghost hunter Gregg G. Allin (G.G. Allin yinz clever bastards) who literally has tens of followers to take care of the death toilet before tourist season starts for Amityville. Pretty much a 71 minute feature with lots of filler could have easily been cut down to 20 minutes as I give this a 1 star.
Track of the Moon Beast (DVD) – A hokey mid-70s film where a small part of a moon rock falls from the sky and lodges itself in this dude Paul that causes him to change into a lizard monster at night. As humans die a local professor and police debate over lizard creatures walking the earth millions of years ago as they try to stop Paul before he eats his way through the locals in this cheesy mess that I am surprised haven’t run into over the years on a horror host show. For that I give it 1 ½ stars.
Subspecies V: Blood Rise (Tubi/DVD) – Charles Band and Ted Nicolaou return to a fan favorite ‘Radu’ who was one their staples in the early days of Full Moon. This story tells the story of Radu shortly after being born is stolen by the church and grows to be a crusader who tracks down evil for a living. But Radu makes a mistake one evening rescuing a woman and her child believing there has been enough death and just coming face to face with his father/master. After several days of trying to help this woman and child, the woman is a vampire and bites Radu thus beginning Radu’s transformation into an evil vampire with no master who thrives on death and destruction. This was a wonderful edition to the “Subspecies” series and makes you wonder why Charles Band can’t get his shit together to make more projects like this that makes you nostalgic for the original Full Moon days but actually have hope of seeing some cool new shit from them. Old Full Moon fans like me will be actually delighted with this entertaining entry as I give it 3 stars.
Raw Nerve (DVD/YouTube) – An oddball serial killer film that stars: Sandahl Bergman, Tex Cobb, Jan-Michael Vincent, and Traci Lords in 1991 which spells B-movie gold that was most likely a direct-to-video release back in the day? A detective baffled by the mysterious serial killer who has killed over the last several days is known to shoot the women victims in the face. Meanwhile, Jimmy an amateur race car driver has visions of the murders and goes to the police about it but they don’t believe him. Oh did I mention you will know who the killer is five minutes in and there is some weird plot twist about incest? Believe me it is cheesy and weird enough to keep you entertained for 90 minutes as I give it 2 ½ stars.
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!
Cocaine Cougar (Tubi) – Dustin Ferguson is back at it again like a lot of people doing a parody of “Cocaine Bear” but the movie is only 50 minutes long and 15 of that is credits? Sorry my friend you are no Charles Band and people know I have given that dude some shit over the years for that. But anyhow a cougar breaks out from the Ferguson Labs where the bad CGI cougar kills a drug dealer and snorts cocaine. Then the rampage is on the so-called mountain side where you hear lots of terrible jokes. Mr. Ferguson is a talented person but I have always felt he does much more with documentaries and extras for other movies than he does for his own work if that makes sense as sorry my friend I gotta give this a ½ star.
Doll Shark (Tubi) – Of course it is from the minds of Mark and Anthony Polonia as they are back at it with another shark movie but the biggest problem is they didn’t have shark movie expert Maddie Deering involved and that was a mistake. We begin with a child named Kirby receiving a stuffed animal shark from his father that has an evil shark tooth placed inside for luck but actually possesses the stuffed animal. Kirby loves the thing and even has it watched the cartoon it is based on with him but things get crazy when the possessed shark eats a dog and random humans in this hilarious Indy film that honestly would have been better if Maddie Deering of “Spirit Animal” and “Bathtub Shark Attack” was a part of that so I can only give this project 2 stars.
House Squatch (DVD) – For the love of fuckin’ Rutger Hauer I never thought I would see the day of this kids but thank you Mark and Anthony Polonia for doing something that has no business making me laugh the way this one did. So apparently when Squatches are threaten or they were a human’s pet as a small Sasquatch they will revert to going back to houses??? Sure, this is stupid, I am in! After rumors of a Squatch squatting in some houses of a local real estate mogul the local sheriff is pressured into trying to remove this creature from the homes as it is killing people who bother it. Think of this as a long “Three Stooges” skit where they are trying to trap Bigfoot. So if yinz need some laughs in your life look no further as I give this horror Indy comedy 2 ½ stars.
The Mutation (DVD) – A giant rat/human hybrid experiment has broken out its cage from a rando scientist’s basement who has been working in secret. Now the rat is seeking victims out on the city streets and eludes the zoologist that is brought in to help authorities. The movie isn’t real entertaining until “an extreme rules match” breaks out between a waitress and the giant rat in the middle of a restaurant where the bad ass cop leading the investigation cannot get his gun out but watch the carnage. There was a story, a rat costume, but the execution could have been a lot better as I can only give this film 1 star.
Claw (DVD) – A recent lower budgeted flick about a gene-splicing experiment or raptor gets loose in a ghost town. Two people heading to L.A. break down and walk back to this ghost town in hopes of a phone but instead are in for the fight of their lies with this pissed off creature that seem to kill only one person the whole movie? Who thinks this movie would have been better if it was called “Tourist Trap vs. Raptor” and Chuck Connors and Lorenzo Lamas ghosts showed up? Since it’s not that lets give it 1 star and yes I know Mr. Lamas is alive… maybe?
Blood Punch (DVD) – A college dude named Milton is in drug rehab after he got busted and trying to put his life back together. But then a hottie Skylar comes a calling in the rehab center looking for someone to help her and the crazy boyfriend to cook meth for a day and make a shit ton of money. Everything is normal until the three show up at a cabin to begin the process and Milton begins to keep reliving the same Tuesday everyday Groundhog Day-style! This is where the film begins to get even weirder as Skylar remembers everything that has happened and apparently has killed Milton several times as the bodies of Milton are piled up beyond some rocks. It gets a bit confusing and I am not totally sure if they get it right but you gotta give them this they came up with one weird movie about making meth where everyone gets killed multiple times as I give it 2 ½ stars.
The Annihilators (DVD) – Imagine New World Pictures decided to make a B or C-list version of “The A-Team” in 1985/1986 and you have your 90 minute movie. This feels like a direct-to-video kinda of thing that I am surprised I never had the pleasure of crossing by in the video store where a group of bad Vietnam soldiers head home after the war only to come together again ten years later for a friend. Their friend Joey gets slaughtered by a local gang who has been pushing around all the little community businesses for extra cash. So the old Sargent makes a few phone calls and gets the squad together to teach the community to defend themselves and they go on the offensive against these street thugs. A super solid action flick that will have you saying the whole movie “hey, I know that guy” as I give it a solid 2 ½ stars.
Fear Pharm 2 (DVD) – The sequel picks up right from the first film but also quickly goes back 15 years ago to explain how it all started at ‘Cool Patch Pumpkin Farm’ and the breakthrough for the facial cream began. These days Herschel is looking to expand their product as we find him on some kind of Home Shopping Network selling the facial cream and advertising the farm. With growing bigger comes great risk as the survivors find themselves all getting loose and running into the corn maze to escape to get the authorities involved. Herschel and his daughter are at odds most of the film as he is about family and she is about the thrill of the kill but they must work together or the whole thing is over. The sequel has heart, smartly written and well casted, with the effects a little bit too be desired compared to the first film but still a solid effort as I give this 3 stars.
Children of the Corn (Shudder/remake) – Yes people another remake and I think this makes 11 movies or something I actually have lost count. Anyway this version decided to take a different route and have it entrench in today’s farming but harks back to the original of trying to be lean and mean and that isn’t a bad thing. After a horrific accident between police and a child care facility a girl Eden wanders out of the woods with a different attitude on life. When all the adults decide to burn the corn crop because of terrible problems and make fun of the children at a community meeting, Eden decides it is time to round up the other children and take over the town. Bo who is on her way to college tries to come up with a resolution but quickly finds herself trapped as Eden as all the adults executed in various horrific ways. This might not be the best of the bunch but it’s got some bite, a little brutal, and way fuckin’ better than that SyFy Channel remake several years back that just left a sour taste in your mouth as I give this movie 3 stars.
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!
Stalled (DVD) – It is Christmas Eve, it’s a Christmas party, and a janitor with a toolbox full of cash finds himself trapped in a stall of the women’s restroom when a zombie virus breaks out. Two women come in and one thing leads to another as one begins to eat the other and with no time passing at all many other zombies begin to enter the restroom. Surrounded by zombies and blood the janitor is alone and trying to figure out how to survive but soon finds out he is not alone as a female voice begins chatting with him. Trapped the two talk things out on how this all got started and why they are the way they are. Funny, some gore, and great use of one location makes this an entertaining watch as I have to give it 3 stars.
Eternity (YouTube) – Philip Brocklehurst hard at work as usual throws this new 2 ½ minute short film out there that shows how long and short life can be at the same time but super effective and visually pleasing. Give props to my friend across the pond trying to do something outside of the box and a little artsy as I am sure it won’t be too long before he does something horror related again as I give this short 3 ½ stars.
Midnight Massacre (YouTube) – In my never ending search of “massacre” flicks I find this 39 minute dramatic horror film from India I believe? A small city has had several recent murders and they believe there is a serial killer loose to the point the police have a curfew for the residents. Meanwhile a young lady waits at the train station for her brother to come pick her up unaware of the recent murders and police with no clues. Lots of cool buildup with a nice payoff even if it claims it “will be continued” as I give it 3 out of 4 stars.
The Fairhope Massacre (YouTube) – A recent 28 minute film about two young friends heading to a cabin only to be stalked by a bootleg tater sack Jason! It is a nice stab at doing a sort of fan version of “Friday the 13th: Part 2” to sharpen the skills for a more original project. You may have seen it before but always enjoy watching something from young folks that you clearly see and feel they are doing this to prepare for something bigger film wise. For that I gotta give this fun project 3 out of 4 stars.
Motorboat(Tubi) – Mark Polonia reaches into his old bag of tricks from the early 90s to give us a no budget horror film about a possessed boat. A cult called ‘Brotherhood of Darkness’ prepares themselves for sacrifice and a mysterious priest kills them and disposes of them in a lake. Now two years later the cult seeks revenge through a possessed plastic motorboat that lures people to the water and cuts them down with the motor. We get some of the usual characters from past Polonia Brothers films while the plastic motorboat terrorizes the small lake town but there is hope in this mysterious priest and a harbor officer. Plastic boat, some techno music, and the evil motorboat getting destroyed by a Spirit Halloween prop. We laugh, we cry, but this is when I enjoy a Polonia film for what it is as I give the possessed boat film 3 stars.
Cocaine Shark (Tubi) – Then we move on to another Mark Polonia film where it seems Polonia is always trying to stay ahead of the parodies gives us this flick. Nowhere near as fun as “Motorboat” as this felt more for the paycheck than doing it for the art but anyway we got a druglord Felix who has a scientist who can make a drug from shark glands. If that wasn’t enough an accident happens and the human hybrid crab shark gets loose that was a part of the experiment. A lot of filler that takes up the film is a plot of an uncover cop who gets in good with Felix to bring his operation down. After about 80% of the film the shark hybrid thingy starts killing people. This was super terrible and not even bad in an entertaining way as I gotta give this waste of a parody 0 stars.
Amityville Emmanuelle (Tubi/DVD) – Welcome to all who don’t care as this is entry #52 that runs at 66 minutes and misses the total point of it being an “Emmanuelle” film. Now pay attention to the names of the characters as this will make sense not matter how terrible you think the film is? Anyway Laura Lutz daughter of George Lutz gets a bonus at work that allows her to buy a house/the American dream. Once settled in, an older woman stops by to explain she was a friend of her father’s on his deathbed and wanted Laura to have some things. One of them being Ronnie DeFeo Jr.’s ashes as George Lutz was obsessed with the house that the murders that happened. Of course this causes Laura’s friends to play with an Ouija board and her to have ghost sex! But DeFeo’s ghost wants more than sex and that is death! They bring in a psychic, have a séance, and bring DeFeo into the real world to try to kill him. All makes sense in the end except past “Emmanuelle” films were softcore porn and this was more softcore of a softcore porn??? It was weird to watch ghost sex but this was still a missed opportunity or more than likely toned down so it could be shown on mainstream streaming sites like they did with real porn in the early 2000s as I give this entry 1 ½ stars.
Big Freakin’ Snake (DVD) – Another project from Dustin Ferguson where it only lasts 46 minutes and the giant snake shows up at the beginning and the end of the film. Somewhere in the middle is a story about a possible gas leak or chemical spill (you take your pick) that causes rattlesnakes to go crazy and attack people everywhere near L.A. You also get some stock footage of snakes and the usual suspects of Mel Novak, Brinke Stevens, and Shawn C. Phillips showing up for a couple of minutes. Not totally sure what to make of this mess except I know Dustin has a cult like following but I would still proceed with caution in watching as I give the movie 1 star.
Metallica Through the Never (DVD) – Literally a 92 minute concert video with a small plot of a young roadie trying to seek out a dufflebag for the band with a small element of horror added into it. If you are a Metallica fan you’ll enjoy it for what it is if you are weird like me you still wonder what was the point and what was in the dufflebag as I give the concert video 3 stars.
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!
Let it begin as we are a little over a month away: Tell your friends, family, whoever as every little bit will help. My people we get through the door to check out the vendors, guests, etc., the better it is for Grossfest happening year in and year out for years to come. See yinz August 5th!
Grossfest returns in a big way Saturday, August 5, 2023!!! We are going to party like Grossfest 2018 because unlike other conventions we are sticking with “PRE-COVID” PRICES!
One day event with guests, movies, filmmakers, vendors from 11am to 7pm. (Guests will be announced soon and as always subject to change)
All we ask of yinz, is your support! You want this to keep happening you have to get your asses there and plus to answer any questions of it: Yes, a two-day event is already in the plans for August 2024! (We need to take the first big step back) So let’s keep it simple and enjoy Grossfest is back and with your support this is a new beginning for our Independent Horror Convention.
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