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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
At Death’s Door (Tubi) – Another independent horror anthology hits the streaming site in where the stories go more for storytelling, suspense, and old school scares than your typical blood splattered anthology. First story deals with a young woman who has nightmares of a clown in her past and how it is connected to her father who she absolutely adores as you wonder is she insane or being led to believe something else? Second story tackles a serial killer who must check in with mom about his latest killer conquest as she rehashes the good old days of murdering folk. Third story has a podcast/radio host named John who dabbles in the paranormal as he claims he is a medium but slowly losing his mind. The last story has a beautiful young woman renting out a suite that causes her past to haunt her for a past sin in a place that isn’t what she thinks it is… A solid showing here folks as I believe it does enough different storytelling that this anthology will be a diamond in the rough for fans of the horror anthologies as I give it 3 out 4 stars.
Groundhog Day Massacre (YouTube) – A lost 1986 SOV short film that had me immediately at “massacre” from Insanity Productions and didn’t disappoint as it left me in smiles for hours after. The film begins with a quick “this might be connected to Amityville” scene but quickly introduces us to the killer who wears a paper bag over his head with safety goggles on and a sawzall with extension cord included. Yes folks, these kids did not hide it at all as this home movie is completely terrible and I love it! The extension cord comes unplugged a few times as the killer chases after his victims. But the real gem here is the background. Whether you are 3, 13, or 23 at the time of this short film being made it will for sure give you some happy flashbacks of that time in the 80s and for that entertainment I give this 3 out of 4 stars.
The Mystery of Dipyramidion (Fawesome) – An odd chap who is fascinated with this ancient artifact called the ‘Sky Key’ as he produces a show on social media called “The History Guy” where he tries to search but educate followers on these wonders. This latest dive into the wormhole of artifacts takes a weird turn as Nathan learns of a billionaire purchasing the artifact through an auction and Nathan has a plan to go see if he can grab it? The fascination of this relative unknown artifact is that throughout history anyone that has held it in their possession has great power. So through pure accident of getting the ‘Sky Key’ Nathan finds himself going through portals to different times, places, maybe even dimensions and collecting things to show off to his followers. But in the end Nathan believes he might be doing more harm than good and decides the adventure of a lifetime has to end. It is an innocent adventure film done rather entertainingly on no budget that I believe will find a following on streaming as I give it 2 ½ out of 4 stars.
Night of the Rats (DVD) – Besides being a horror weirdo that loves tracking down ‘Amityville’ and ‘massacre’ movies I always love me a good rat flick! And Mr. Matt Jaissle thank you for putting in the effort on making this happen. There has been some illegal dumping found at the Evans City power plant that has leeched into the sewer system causing rats to mutate and attack humans. Two individuals are in charge to quickly resolve this problem but little they know the invasion of killer rats cannot be stopped. Shit, I love the scene when they pull out the laser guns to start shooting the rats but that doesn’t stop it from being a fun lovable mess of a movie. Now to be honest I kinda seen the ending coming and wasn’t happy with it but honestly there can only be one ‘Rats: Night of Terror’. Overall I felt like the film was made just for me as I give this fun movie I had to own 2 ½ out of 4 stars.
Minnie’s Midnight Massacre (Tubi) – Twenty years after a young seventh grade girl is locked into a storm cellar by her bullies she has come back to stalk her bullies on vacation as she is dressed as Minnie Mouse. Even though the group of friends are celebrating how long they have stayed friends the aftermath of the bullying has haunted them but hasn’t stopped them from living their ‘best lives’ sort to speak. The film isn’t the best of ideas as it has been proven over the past year with the slew of films portraying Mickey Mouse aka Steamboat Willie since it went into public domain… But I liked the suspense building and the commitment of the Minnie killer but the ending can be seen a mile away which does take away a bit from the good I said after you witness it as I give the project 2 out of 4 stars.
Apocalypse Bigfoot (Tubi) – Some hunters at a hunting camp believe they have taken a shot at something odd or homeless person living out in the woods as they hope the next day of hunting will be better? The next day isn’t as the creature known as Bigfoot goes on a rampage and slaughters their asses. Now small town sheriff is sent to look into the murders but Bigfoot isn’t done as he wants blood from the community! Oh by the way nevermind the sheriff has animal control stuff readily available (too many questions for this slim plot point). Can the sheriff stop this hairy uncontrollable beast? Well you only know if you watch it as the sheriff uses his dead partner as bait as I give this uneventful Bigfoot film with a great title only 1 ½ out of 4 stars.
Robocidal (Tubi) – A Mark Polonia film that has a computer lab where a system failure and a fire in said building send Robot V-227 to leave the lab. The robot quickly starts a killing spree that catches eyes of two older no-nonsense detectives who begin their investigation and refuse to believe a robot can be the killer. With the bodies are piling up the detectives find clues that only leaves the robot as the killer causing them to panic plan to stop this piece of tech and its Robocidal ways! The term is used often throughout the dialogue so of course I had to write it in the review. It’s a little fun feature that has the vibe Mark actually made this in 2002 and just finally got around releasing it for us fans and for that I will give it 2 out of 4 stars.
The Outing (Blu-ray) – A slipcase in all and going by its original title “The Lamp” is what horror fans will know this horror film by as this is a well worth collector’s item for horror fans. (Review in 2024) For me this was one of those late night “Skinamax” features I always caught on late Friday or Saturday night so of course I have a soft spot for it. Forgive me for only remembering the last 30 minutes of this movie but it is with kids sneaking into a museum after hours to party horror formula. The story begins with degenerates breaking into an old woman’s house finding “the lamp” and unleashing the evil in it causing their deaths. Short time after it ends up at a museum where some kids decide to sneak in after hours to stay overnight to party. Problem is the Djinn has already done its damage and now wants to slaughter the kids before it is forced back into the lamp. A fun but uneven horror film with a cool creature, some fun kills, and a great poster that many older horror fans remember hanging up in the video stores. This special edition explains even though there was no negative produced Vinegar Syndrome was able to still do a restoration and add in a few seconds here and there of scenes doing it. The package besides its cool slipcase and cleaned up film also include a commentary with producer and cast plus an absolutely delightful making of called “All in the Family” that is the gem of this supernatural horror package as I give this must have 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!
Amityville Corndog (YouTube) – So entry #76 became a thing recently as this short film from filmmaker Blaize Tudor stars some talented folk in Mel Heflin and Ralph Rey along with Blaize himself. A group of friends have a get together one weekend and of course a friend has brought the Ouija board to play! Using the board of death the group brings forth the spirit of a killer corndog as one by one they become victims of said corndog. Yes it is completely absurd and I love it as this short film into the series gets 3 out of 4 stars.
Project Genesis (Tubi) – Holy ballsacks people this movie goes all over the place for well over two hours. So this dude that isn’t from around this village, an outsider in 1992 disrupts a ritual overnight that allows dead bodies to fall from the sky. Fast forward to 2023, Stella the small child who went looking for her outsider daddy has a daughter of her own with nowhere to live. As her mother has fallen ill Stella heads back home as she is asked to go looking for her missing father who screwed shit up? With an old radio Stella is able to contact her father once a year according to her mother as once in contact that’s when shit gets completely confusing and wild. There is time travel, zombies, dinosaurs destroying cities, portals, these weird rings, dimension jumping all because the C.I.A. wanted the tech of course in this crazy ass and good luck Thai film I can only give 2 stars too.
Fatal Desires (Tubi) – Wow, Sean Donohue, a super talented filmmaker out of Florida digs in the bag of throwbacks (when the Skinamax existed) to pull out a sexually charge thriller we haven’t seen since the early 90s. A very beautiful couple is having sexual issues as they agree to employ a high end therapist to help them with their troubles. The therapist turns the tables on them as she tries to earn their trust and attempts to seduce both for her own devious reasons. In the end as the couple is full of sex and regret the therapist is able to lead the couple down a dark road against each other. This feature will surely not be for everyone but Mr. Donohue does his best to remind those of us that remember those days of the erotic thriller there is still great stories to be told especially when you have an all-star Indie cast to help pull it off. For that I give the feature 3 out of 4 stars.
Members Club (Tubi) – This horror comedy out of the UK is something I absolutely heard nothing about but glad I gave it a chance as the feature opens with a park sign reading “No Dogging”… I was hooked immediately! Quickly we are introduced to a group of male strippers who have aged out of the profession but refuse to stop. Their brilliant name for the group is “Wet Dreams”! Wet Dreams is offered a gig of the lifetime as it is a sold out venue as its unlikely they are going to have an opportunity like this again to perform in front of a sold out crowd. All are drugged before the show and quickly are told they are sacrifices for an evil ritual to bring forth an old witch that is looking for revenge hundreds of years later. Things don’t exactly go according to plan as the strippers must fight the witch in order to escape the terror in this somewhat gory and uncomfortable fun feature as I give it 2 ½ stars.
The Sound of Horror (YouTube) – So recently I watched a newer horror film called ‘Invisible Raptor’ as someone pointed out there was an older Spanish flick that did the concept first. So I went down the wormhole to go find this 1966 b-flick where an archeologist and friends go treasure hunting in a mountain that has urban legends about it. The locals fear the mountain but that doesn’t stop this group from digging away to find a petrified egg and a mummy thus disturbing the invisible dinosaur that roams inside the mountain. The group must make the hard decision to either leave or die trying to find the so called legendary treasure as I give the film 2 stars.
Movies to Watch on a Rainy Afternoon: Christmas Special (Blu-ray) – The entertaining and talented Addison Binek is back at it again as he brings forth a collection of his famous holiday cheer episodes to a better format for fans. As Mr. Binek refers to himself as “Addy Claus” goes the road of the usual holiday horror with a couple of oddities that will make you turn your head slowly in that creepy Michael Myers way in confusion but yet delight. Remember not all of them can be hits as he quite gets into the spirit of riffing on such features: Jack Frost, Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Killer Snowman, Santa Claws, Christmas Evil, Santa’s Slay, Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys, To All a Goodnight, Slaughter Claus, Cannibal Claus, Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventures, Santa Claus: Serial Rapist, Krampus: The Christmas Devil, The Elf, Once Upon a Time at Christmas. This set is not only for the holiday horror die hards but for folks that just like to laugh at quirky cinema they never knew could be this funny as why I give this set 4 out of 4 stars.
Movies to Watch on a Rainy Afternoon: The Holiday Leftover Edition (Blu-ray) – This might be Addison’s most interesting and hilarious collection to make it to the Blu-ray format for fans as Mr. Binek really goes all out to truly make this the weirdest collection of leftovers a must have. Addison starts off strong as he gives us Easter Bunny Kill Kill!, no matter how tasteless or uncomfortable it makes him while riffing on it. Unlucky Charms continues the laughter as it makes Addison question if there was ever a plot? He quickly moves right onto Peter Rottentail that only confuses him because the lack of rabbit references and the filmmakers not truly understanding how magic works. Mr. Binek then really digs into Plan 9 from Outer Space as it is considered a Halloween treat for some so he can make sense of it for others. As he goes back to an Easter film in Easter Casket Addison only finds he gets upset there isn’t more candy in plastic Easter eggs but believing every scene is filmed in a rando hotel room. And then he reaches Blood Freak … (remake from Daniel Boyd and Tim Gross) which makes Addison convinced Thanksgiving is only a holiday for doing drugs? From there Addison brings out a Home Alone sequel I literally didn’t know existed? But leave it to the famous Indie label Mail Order holiday horror to have Addison question if watching all these projects was even a good idea especially when he lays into Hell on the Shelf. If that wasn’t enough Amityville Thanksgiving leaves Addison questions about gift wrapping and not understanding this entry is a holiday entry into the Amityville series. All this leads into two oddities of the holiday leftover edition that features Cookie Christmas movie which is truly bizarre and can only be believed if watched along with the underrated and possibly one of the most brilliant horror sequels of all time in Leprechaun in the Hood! As you can tell I have always been a fan of Addison’s work and his riffing on movies but this “Holiday Leftover Edition” might be the crown jewel as he digs deep for projects that most don’t know about along with one or two that you have come across on Tubi or something with great curiosity as this must own Blu-ray without a doubt gets 4 out of 4 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!
Robot Ninja (Blu-ray) – “This review was written in 2014 after I got ahold of an old VHS copy I borrowed from someone…before there was this Blu-ray but go into detail about the extras.” In the age of weird, horrible, obscure low budget VHS movies getting legit releases and special VHS/DVD combo releases I am very surprised there is never been any news on this relatively lesser known gory comic bookish horror film. J. R. Bookwalter’s second feature was made in four months and $15,000, a lot less than his first feature “The Dead Next Door”. The film revolves around comic book artist Lenny who is upset with his agent selling the rights of the comic to NBC for a weekly series now being pressured by his boss to start making the comic book more like the weekly series. This makes Lenny go over the edge to become the real life “Robot Ninja” after he tries to stop three individuals from raping a couple on the edge of a freeway. He has the costume made; he is taking a massive amount of drugs, it’s time for Lenny/Robot Ninja to take to the streets looking for revenge! The film is a disgustingly fun time for J.R.’s second effort. I give the movie 2 ½ out of 4 stars. The film also boasts appearances from Linnea Quigley, Burt Ward, and Scott Spiegel. I remember first seeing the film in 1990 when I helped a video store (Movietime) order it out of the Cinema Home Video catalog. Now we fast forward many years and there is this wonderful 2K restoration of the film which looks absolutely beautiful. But the gem of this package is the extras besides seeing the movie much different than us weirdos remember seeing a couple decades back. The extras include several interviews with cast members in 1999/2000, two commentaries, and my favorite thing which made me so happy to now own this version is an interview with J.R. Bookwalter explaining why it took so long and how he has a new appreciation for this film as I do too. Thank you to J.R. and all that were involved in this process as this Blu-ray was just perfect!
Sons of Steel (Blu-ray) – Digging deep into the post-apocalyptic genre for this one as I first reviewed it a couple years back before I knew an American Blu-ray version was available: Thank you Shudder for helping me find more Australian weirdness! This 1988 flick is in the somewhat futuristic land where a rock front man Black Alice runs things but he is also a peace activist. One night a suspicious boat comes into the Sydney harbor while Black Alice is forced into becoming an experimental hologram and released 113 years later in a world that was destroyed by nuclear war. Now Black Alice has ten hours to live which is a side effect of the hologram thingy to find a way back to his time and stop everything from going boom? Think “Repo Genetic Opera” (kind of) decades before it was made might be the best way to describe the weirdness as I give it 2 ½ out of 4 stars. This Blu-ray restoration spruced up the colors of the film but has an absolutely informative segment with Gary L. Keady explaining why America never seen this flick until the last few years, great stuff in my opinion.
Commando Ninja 2: Invasion America (Tubi) – A few years have passed since the glorious original was made. Surprisingly it wasn’t too long after this international fun mockery of the 80s action feature told the internet there would be a sequel? But it was quiet for a good long time until the past couple weeks the legendary original film and its sequel showed up on Tubi for all in the world to finally witness the glory! So the sequel picks up in 1990 America where somehow there is Vietnamese soldiers buying weapons on American soil. After a terrorist attack on a military graduation the hero John Hunter is thrust back into action and tracks down where these Vietnamese are disappearing… John and friends head down a tunnel into earth that transports them to Vietnam where somehow dinosaurs thrive and the Vietnamese and Russians have captured Marines. This is where the real chaos begins as we got Vietnam, flashbacks, zombies, cyborgs, experiments on P.O.W.s, and a villain that reminds me the evil dude in the Inspector Gadget cartoon. It’s hilarious, gory, but overstays its welcome as it runs two hours long. I love the concept but sometimes you got to know when enough is enough as I can only give this action flick 3 stars.
Burglar from Hell (Blu-ray) – A Phil Herman SOV classic that was revived recently with this crazy ass packed special edition Blu-ray that has everything from a new transfer of the independent classic to a commentary with Phil “Chip” Herman to a wonderful interview with the legendary Debbie D, Barry Gaines, Bryant Sohl to the unreleased first film of Phil Herman called ‘The Wrong Side of Town’ which in my opinion is a delightful underrated no budget picture that is highly recommended for all first time filmmakers. But back to this classic tale that is set years after the terrible home invasion from Frank that goes wrong. Years after the event friends vacation at the home only for a young lady to conjure up Frank the Tank back from the dead to terrorize all who decided to come to the home. The story takes a bit of time to build but it’s better for the plot in the long run and has a high body count. The classic project is rough, entertaining, completely wild, and no denying that Phil Herman was going to become a legend among independent filmmakers with unique work like this as I give it 3 ½ out of 4 stars.
The Stoop (Vimeo) – Soon coming to a format or streaming site near you is this odd but interesting non-horror film that had my full attention from the beginning as the plot revolves around Amos Dibble. Mr. Dibble has OCD but has found a way to carve out a life and work life that he is able to control to his benefit. But one day Mr. Dibble’s life is literally thrown into chaos when a cute young lady sits on Dibble’s front steps. You have to understand the condition and circumstances as this is devastating to Amos as it can send his life into chaos. These steps are very private to him as they are his getaway place from everything. But a funny thing happens to Amos as he becomes intrigued with the why, how, when she is going to be there? On top of that she converses with Amos not noticing his condition as he struggles with this new concept. It isn’t just difficult for Amos; it can be scary as hell as he finds himself changing routine just to catch glimpses or even sit next to the young woman. Amos soon finds himself complicating his uncomplicated life to be with her, to be more for her in this adorable and wonderful adventure in love. The chemistry between Brian Moore Ward and Aysiha Stephenson is golden as Mr. Dibble cannot deny “she is the missing ingredient” in this must see feature I give 3 out of 4 stars.
Blue Sunshine (4K/UHD) – Oh Synapse I love yinz releasing this Jeff Lieberman classic that is seen more of a classic now than when it was first released with the subject matter it dealt with into 4K. Mr. Lieberman stirs the pot with this project as even with his new introduction makes I smile as we get to watch this glorious restoration that involves C.I.A. experiments in the sixties. The plot of this important film begins with a man at a party who hid his hair loss and goes psycho on three women only fight with his friend Jerry to the death. Quickly from there Jerry is on the run and must act quickly to clear his name as authorities believe he is a murderer. With a little help from a friend Jerry slowly connects the dots of the tragic event at the lodge that sent him on the run. The connection is a drug called “Blue Sunshine” that was taken ten years before at Stanford University and now (1977) the people who took part in the acid have become violent and lost all their hair. Its real, hard-hitting, and more relevant now in my opinion than then! Along with this great film you get two commentaries (one of them with Jeff Lieberman and Howard S. Berger discussing things), all kinds of interviews with Mr. Lieberman, two old anti-drug films, and two versions of “The Ringer” giving Lieberman fans hours of content to ingest and debate as I give the package 4 out of 4 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!
So as usual the list isn’t your normal “best of” list for those of you that are only an average movie watcher… My movie watching habits can be all over the place at times but this year’s list of films is interesting as it includes: a couple of old friends in independent cinema prove there is still great stories to be told outside of the mainstream, some familiar names, killer sharks (and shark movies you most likely never heard of), bonkers sci-fi stuff, something different from Lovecraft, Addison Binek making me laugh my ass off like no one else, a remake that finally really surprised me, and a first time independent filmmaker doing something out of the norm and guess what folks it was awesome!
1)Side Effects May Vary (DVD) – A movie project I wish I would have seen sooner as even before we get into the review this will make it into my “Top Ten list of 2025”! So J.R. Bookwalter returns to the director’s chair for the first time in 23 years along with help from writer and star James L. Edwards. Glenn has been sick for several weeks during this pandemic and doesn’t exactly believe in the science behind the new vaccines even though his wife has gotten it. Because of his illness lingering and nagging from his wife Glenn heads to the doctor’s office to get treatment. But because of the illness he cannot be vaccinated but can be part of this experimental shot that can be given during illness. He takes it believing he is doing the right thing for himself and others. It isn’t long after Glenn experiences side effects of blurred/weird visions, then also after a very uncomfortable but hilarious sex scene with the wife his dong falls off! From there Glenn becomes a gooey monstrous mess with murderous tendencies. As Glenn’s best friend gets involved, cops get involved, weird things begin to happen as Glenn’s disgusting meltdown is absolutely glorious with a perfect ending to this social commentary. This independent project is a prime example of doing all the little things right equals’ success as JR and crew put on a Masterclass of “how to make your independent movie correctly”. This was a perfect pandemic film that many have tried and failed at making so congrats to JR and James for bringing this adventure to life as I will be talking about it for years. As I give this project 4 out of 4 stars I also have to say Brinke Stevens steals the show here kids as this is her best performance since ‘Sorority Babes in the Slime Bowl-o-rama’! The DVD has a great Q&A for their opening night of the film done by none other Art Ettinger.
2) Don’t Mess with Grandma (Tubi) – This Tubi original is one of my first favs of 2025 as it stars Michael Jai White as Jasper and Billy Zane. The plot of the film besides Jasper throwing white people out a window the whole movie is Jasper taking care of his Grandma who lives in the middle of nowhere. Jasper everyday drives two hours to go take care of anything she needs while getting drunk doing it while running from Grandma’s dog who doesn’t like him. Well tonight things go a little sideways as three people show up in pig masks to burglarize Grandma’s house. Not going to happen in this laugh a minute film as Jasper defends the home quickly but soon sees there is friends or family in this case who have planned this job for a while as they won’t go away quietly. Basic but entertaining premise this 4 out of 4 stars film is “home invasion gone wrong” that includes Jasper singing a DIO song while a man dies in his arms, a person getting paper towels duct taped to their ass because they are missing part of an ass cheek, and how Jasper just wants Grandma to consider moving into the city. Again folks 4 stars all the way as it will be hard for any of yinz to not find this extremely entertaining and laugh the whole 80 minutes as I did.
3) Graveyard Shark (Blu-ray) – A legend about a half-shark/half-human thing stalking a graveyard has caught the eye of a Cryptids Hunter named Abby. Abby since she was a child has wanted to prove things like Sasquatch are real because her father was killed by a monster. Abby the so-called cryptozoologist is hired by a Dr. Lovnik who runs a Graveyard Shark survivors AA group. The good doctor would like Abby to chase down this legend and kill it for these survivors to have closure. Abby being super excited by this opportunity wastes no time investigating the Graveyard Shark legend and it is all because of a horny fisherman and his one night of passionate love making with a mermaid that made this creature possible. After witnessing the carnage Abby wants to end this “Street Sharks” look-a-like monster before it continues its bloody rampage but as usual there is more to this story such as: sasquatch sex, shark sex (doggie style and a young lady that believes her and the shark are a thing), and shark vs. werewolf for the final fight. WTF?! I am all in with this fun entertaining gory mess as I think I found another 2025 favorite that all of yinz need to witness as I give it 4 out of 4 stars. Also kudos on that bad ass shark costume!!!
4) Jaws of the Shark (Blu-ray) – Oh, for the love of Rutger Hauer where has this 2012 no budget Swedish project been hiding from me? From second one this film was made with a smirk on their faces as scientists experiment with a shark and less than eight minutes into the film we have a dude in a bad shark costume running around with a chainsaw killing people! This 65 minute beauty had me laughing from beginning to end as the filmmaker didn’t just lean into the movie being bad, they know it and absolute had fun with it which makes this project brilliant. If the chainsaw doesn’t get you laughing? It doesn’t take long to watch the shark put a human on a spit roast, do horrible car stunts, or have a detective make terrible but hilarious jokes at a police lineup. With this creature on the loose it comes down to a survivor wearing a wig for no apparent reason (as most of the characters are) and a shark mercenary (he wears a gas mask the entire film) to track and kill this creature before it continues its slaughter! Oh my friends there is indeed a good chance this fine project ends up on my “Best of 2025 list” as I give this movie 4 out of 4 stars.
5) Mickey 17 (Theater) – So venturing out of my comfort zone I took a chance on a film I wasn’t impressed by the trailers or who was starring in it. But I gave it a chance and I believe I found a film that many don’t understand (but are intrigued) or chooses too not understand, right now but I am telling you give this feature five years and there are going to be fans calling it a “cult film”. Or as I also like to point out this film hit too close to what is going on in society now? Anyway, a film based on a book about advanced tech as the film is set in 2054 where a human could be listed as an “expendable”. Mickey signs up for space travel where human experiments can be performed legally. The basic premise is scientists test various things on Mickey to see how it affects humans. When he dies the scientists reprint a new version of him out with his past memories. Now Mickey #17 is lying at the bottom of an ice pit waiting to be eaten by some horrible creature on a planet humans know little about. This is where the story actually begins forty minutes into the feature as Mickey 17 doesn’t die and walks back to the ship only to encounter Mickey 18. By intergalactic law there cannot be ‘multiples’! This of course knocks everything out of balance while Mickey 17 is tired of dying and finally for the first time in his life just wants to live. This is a great complex and completely outrageous script, wonderful cast that I just absolutely enjoyed with great delight! Yes, it will be on my list of ‘best movies of 2025’ but only time will tell if I am correct if this is the next “Buckaroo Banazi” cult like film of its time? Point is don’t sleep on this one movie watchers as I give this 4 stars as I try not to give up too much about the film as I want you to really experience this one!
6) Killer Kabbage (DVD) – In a not so serious futuristic film with a hilarious concept has scientists in present day 2024 trying to solve the world’s food crisis with experiments on veggies, mostly cabbages! But 200 years in the future the world is a wasteland where a duo of Cage and Gibson look to survive by hunting killer veggies until they are approached by a government droid. The droid instructs the duo to head to a secret location as they are recruited as mankind’s last hope because of radioactivity reasons! The mission is to time travel to 2024, find the original experimental cabbage, and bring back a sample that started this apocalyptic war between killer cabbages and humans. Once the duo time travels and adjusts to present day of 2024 the fight is on as there is limited time before the war begins as they quickly find out the experiments are already out of control! This feels like a lost project from the early 90s from J.R. Bookwalter or the Polonia Brothers with a ‘Bad CGI Sharks’ vibe to it and I absolutely freakin loved it! Don’t be surprised if this pops up on my “Best of 2025 list” as this Indy feature had me laughing out loud several times as I give it 4 out of 4 stars as you had me at Killer Kabbage.
7) H.P. Lovecraft’s Celephais (Vimeo) – A short story of Lovecraft’s adapted to film by Michael Neel who edited and directed this 34 minute short film project. This might be a story that horror fans are not too familiar with as the usuals are: The Unnamable, Re-Animator, From Beyond, or even Dagon of which we have seen adapted to name a few. This version deals with an old man fascinated with a dream place/land called “Celephais” that he has been chasing down since he was seven years old. He travels his dreamland when he sleeps constantly as he believes this is home but along his travels he encounters many that are interested in him. This short story/short film is fascinating to me as it can be taken as many things? For me for instance this old man is dying or already right at the edge and his brain is taking him to where he always thought he belonged… before he crosses over in so many words if you believe in such things as the ‘beyond’ to just put it out there broadly. That is how I see it as I may experience something like that a few years back but the point is filmmaker Michael Neel and crew just nailed this project as it was well thought out, well shot, perfect use of locations, and just enough weirdness that I think Lovecraft fans will enjoy it. This short film is one of the best things I have watched in 2025 as it’s absolutely charming at the same time hypnotically amazing! For that my friends I have to give this short film 4 out of 4 stars.
8) Addy and Andy (Blu-ray) – A no budget 12 episode show from Addison Binek and Andrew Hansom about two young men living together and what antics they get themselves into. Think of an unfiltered but professionally shot sitcom or long skit of two dudes in their early twenties trying to figure out life but mostly like to entertain themselves when together. Some of my laugh out loud episodes involve the movie CHUD, the duo trying not to let the other see they are drinking, The Del Taco episode, and the vampire of course. All the episodes are hilarious but had to point those out as I believe this creation comes off natural and wouldn’t be surprised two young dudes with no camera and living together would be doing these things? I know I would have and for that I am delighted to give this must see project 4 out of 4 stars. What is even better is the episodes are an average of less than ten minutes making it an easy watch but more importantly easy for rewatches on a regular basis.
9) Silent Night, Deadly Night (Remake/Theater) – So this was the second time around for the 1984 classic to remade that caught myself and a lot of horror fans by surprise of being made. Of course being a huge fan of the original I had to see what the hell they were going to do this time around… and folks I really liked this one! Without trying to give things away because I feel this remake needs to be seen to be believed as the filmmaker and writers flipped this story on its head. What do I mean by this? They figured out how to pay homage to the original but at the same time understanding retelling of the original story just wouldn’t work these days. Best way to describe this film: Killer Santa somehow transforms into an anti-hero who at one point kills Nazis! Yes, folks all the elements of the original with Billy becoming a Killer Santa are there but they do it in such a glorious way for 2025 that we even get the famous line: “It’s Garbage Day”. This is one of those remakes that I am curious to see if it makes an impact enough for horror fans to enjoy two or three holiday seasons from now as that 2012 remake was solid but missed the point of the 1984 original. You gave me lots of blood, an odd take on Killer Santa that surprised me it worked, and finally a small town in a horror film where everyone is a POS, for that I cannot believe I am saying this I give this project 4 stars and wouldn’t be surprised it sneaks into my “top ten” for 2025. Horror fans seriously don’t miss out on seeing this film in the theaters it was a lot of fun!
10) I:Scream – A Minty Musical (Blu-ray) – This independent feature might be the surprise of 2025 that movie fans have been looking for. In Aleen Isley’s directorial debut, Charlie a young scientist must fight off their own creation. Trying to woo the love of the young scientist’s life with chocolate chip mint ice cream it is unforeseen that a janitor later would accidentally cause a spill of Charlie’s animation formula into the ice cream that was left causing a major issue? The experimental formula brings the delicious green ice cream to life to immediately eat the janitor’s arm then cause chaos nearby as it grows to eat people in its path! Charlie with friends entrust a former ice cream man, “Old Man Reggie” to steer them to a solution in defeating this mutant ice cream problem. Along the way Miss Isley’s characters break out into song about the killer ice cream making this a lighthearted horror must see. Aleen Isley used all of her behind the scenes experience of several other projects to prove it is worth taking a chance to make something memorable and entertaining for your debut. She deserves to be congratulated in what she has accomplished even with a scene stealing David Dietz as “Old Man Reggie” as I give this feature 3 ½ out of 4 stars.
Gross Movie Reviews notables of 2025 (no order here) that should encourage you to check out and support…
The Emasculator (Blu-ray) – This newer SOV flick centers around a young woman named Cindy and her father who haven’t had the best relationship since the passing of Cindy’s mother. After another argument Cindy heads out on a date with a guy who has a whole other definition of a date as Cindy sadly learns the hard way. Cindy is raped and filmed to her father’s dismay in a hotel room and instead of listening to Cindy’s wishes of letting it go he takes upon himself for revenge with a tool used for castrating cattle. He doesn’t just want revenge but to mutilate these sick men. This SOV flick is a fun ride through sleaze, revenge, a love for a daughter, which the film has a sick twist that may leave you disliking all characters involved as it gave off Nailgun Massacre vibes to me. Just for that folks I got give this picture 3 ½ out of 4 stars.
Wally Meets Popeye (DVD) – So leave it to the talented Indy filmmaker Steve Rudzinski to decide a fourth Popeye movie was needed in 2025! Wally Griswald returns in this feature where he has won another trip but this time to the island of… Ohio? If you are a fan of Steve’s work you know the Wally character has been through a lot including Amityville (which there is a quick joke or two thrown in at the beginning). If you don’t know of Steve’s great filmography and like me must watch all the Popeye films, buckle up kids because this plays out like a live action old Scooby-Doo adventure without the dog and the gang! Wally excited for another free trip that somehow he has randomly won finds himself back on the detective job because of a green monster that has scared everyone away from the tropical island of Ohio. Years ago the same thing happened and the monster suddenly disappeared with help of an outsider. Now Steve and his buddy Rick who also just happens to be vacationing on the island need the help from the island’s famous sailor man Popeye. Popeye knowing of the monster has led him to convince the love of his life Olive Oyl to jump on his boat and travel to the other side of the island once he fixes it? Popeye knows all about this “Dawn Monster” legend because it keeps running away from him during fights. Its clear Popeye and the two detectives must team up to stop the reign of terror! Clarence Seybert III as Popeye and Carly Sonafelt Olive Oyl was some of the best casting of an Indy feature I have seen in years as their chemistry and handle of the characters jumps off the screen. Also there is this hilarious off script or maybe on script rant in the middle of the film between Wally and Rick that had me in almost tears laughing. Steve and crew made sure this tight low budget feature didn’t overstay its welcome, was an ass load of fun, entertaining as hell, and made sure its main characters Popeye and Olive were beyond exceptional so thanks to Steve not just continuing the “Wally” universe but giving another reason why Indy film fans should pay attention to the excellent work Mr. Rudzinski continues to do as I give this exciting project 3 ½ out of 4 stars.
Cagey(DVD) – If you are looking for no budget, off the wall, has that lost 90s SOV feel then David Bachmeier (wrote, direct, and edits) has a new treat for yinz. Emily is a young woman who just got fired from her pizza delivery job and needs to make the rent soon. Desperation makes Emily take a leap of taking a housesitting gig for the weekend. Mark who hires Emily doesn’t let her in on the secret he has hidden there because he is trying to protect family. Along the way of this feature there are some possible (fake future?) movie trailers that oddly help the story to pace out well. Without saying too much about the plot some Indy fans will see this project as tasteless or even disturbing but most I believe will respect what they have witnessed. For me, this feature doesn’t feel forced, comes along organically, allowed me to relish the plot and also never trust a person in a pigeon mask as I got to give this movie 3 ½ out of 4 stars.
Wolf Moon Rising (Vimeo) – Todd Sheets is one of the most respected filmmakers in the Indy genre and I just enjoy when he decides to make a movie that most wouldn’t even dream to attempt. I really do feel like someone said “werewolves in space” to Mr. Sheets and without hesitation decided the film needed to be made?! The film jumps right into action as it opens up with a military transport ship in trouble as werewolves have overrun the transport ship in a glorious bloodbath of an opening. With the ship in trouble and crew pretty much dead a survivor kicks the last werewolf into a cryo tube as she jumps in hers in hopes of survival. Another ship called Amberstar receives the distress call but must make it quick as the damage has left the transport ship in critical condition. The Amberstar crew works hard to bring aboard the cryo tubes with odd readings but wants to do the right thing of saving the two beings? The tubes open and within minutes the beast is loose again within the Amberstar crew dealing with the aftermath as their biggest worry of the “space crud” being released has come true. Now Mr. Sheets has said this film is the vein of Roger Corman, I go one step further as to me this film has the vibe of ‘The Terror Within’ from 1989 which was released by Concorde Pictures. Is the film perfect… no, but you got to outright respect a filmmaker that goes completely against the grain and makes a “werewolf in space” film but also makes it god damn entertaining so folks I gotta give this crazy ass idea of a movie 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Thank you Mr. Sheets for being an inspiration in the independent horror genre.
Special Needs Revolt! (Tubi) – This independent film is hilarious, made to make you feel awkward and very on par with today’s politics right now in 2025! Billy Bates is a guy with Down syndrome who is forced to live in a group home because his grandma “Is a bitch!” Billy’s words not mine. During a New Year’s Eve party Billy finally gets in the spirit of the event after seeing a candidate for President: Donald J. Kruger is going to run on the platform of getting rid of all the cripples. Billy slips on puke, hits his head, and wakes up three years later to find this moron Kruger is the president and has special needs people arrested on site. As Billy fights with authorities in public he escapes their custody in the town of Donville where he finds friends in hiding. These are people just like Billy hiding out from the new government and military as Billy decides it is time for a rebellion! Billy Bates leads a force of special needs people and wrestlers to capture President Kruger and expose him for the asshole he is. I absolutely enjoyed this film as I too have two special needs people in my life and there is a lot of possible awkward moments in the film for audiences who do not have anybody like Billy in their lives. I wish the 110 minute running was edited down as I believe the project would benefit greatly from it but don’t let that stop you from enjoying an excellently made film with a great cast that will make you squirm a little while watching it as I give it 3 ½ out of 4 stars.
Creature from the Hillbilly Lagoon (DVD) – Oh this was a fun independent feature as to me it comes off as ‘Humanoids from the Deep’ remade as a comedy, on a low budget, with a great creature costume! This 2007 film features a story about a local professor and her students out on a field trip of sorts to test the local waterway for toxins. The reason for this is there have been reports of toxic dumping from a giant corporation years ago along with some recent toxic dumping by others. They want to know how polluted is it? There have been rumors of mutations but never proven. The field trip is going well until one of them is bitten by something mysterious underwater. As he slowly changes hillbillies roaming the shoreline are being slaughtered by a disgusting creature and if by some chance they survive the attack they become deformed and change. From beginning to end this project is hilarious with a great cast that plays up the hillbilly parts just right but the star has to be the impressive creature they cobbled together as I give this entertaining creature feature 3 ½ out of 4 stars.
Violent Streets (DVD-R) – Another not released yet feature from Indy filmmaker Brad Sykes has unearthed another exciting project he made around 1994! This ambitious project isn’t so much a horror movie as its gang picture on no budget in the vein of 70s and 80s high school gang films. There are two small gangs who were friends at one point but now see things differently as they constantly battle for the upper hand on the other. It becomes personal when one of the battles between Orin and Kane is over a young woman Sara to see who gets to have her for their prize. But Sara isn’t having any of it even though her pals think she is just getting herself in more trouble of not going along with it. Now Orin and Sara must be on the run as this gang war is about to turn deadly. For no budget this was a very ambitious project but Sykes makes up with its gritty SOV style that gives the content a certain charm as the heart of the actors just going for it take after take makes for a very watchable piece of cinema that I give 3 out of 4 stars.
Worst film of 2025 and that is saying a lot for how many Amityville movies I have watched…
Booger (DVD) – The film is from 2023 but just hit all the streaming sites and is a complete turd! Anna loses her best friend Izzy who helped take care of this stray cat. Shortly after Izzy’s death the cat supposedly bites Anna, disappears, and Anna slowly goes through changes including her depression for her dead friend. Anna completely ignores her boyfriend, job, and life in general looking for this cat named ‘Booger’. The film is listed as a horror/comedy and I neither laughed nor seen anything horrifying other than wasting my fuckin 78 minutes watching it. A stupid young twenty something wants to act like a cat and at the end all is fine? This passes for some kind of a movie? I have seen movies that don’t even try but this so-called movie is insulting Indy filmmaking in general as this of course gets nothing except for already winning the award for being the worst film I have watched already in 2025. Sorry it’s not Meta, it’s not ironic, and it’s just fucking dumb!
This will most likely be our last event of the year…? So come on by and see our end of the year blowout of movies as we keep promoting Grossfest 2026! One time only horror movie DVDs – 2 for $5 just DVDs (stuff we have not had out yet… good chance these could go quick for the people that love physical media)
Also on two other tables we will rom/coms, non-horror, disney related titles, etc. VHS, DVD, Blu-rays ALL FOR $1! Plus we will be selling all TV box sets for… $1! Need to see Dead Zone season one, we got it, need to catch up on Gilmore Girls we got it, random season of Angel, we got it, I believe there is a couple seasons of Robot Chicken and Aqua Teen Hunger Force all for a DOLLAR! So come check out the year end Grossfest blowout sale!
Krampus returns to the Monroeville Mall!
A Holiday Vendor Market featuring crafts, gifts and decor for your holiday season. Merchandise ranging from spooky to festive to Old World Traditional. Many local vendors showcasing their unusual wares.
And of course, our annual visit from Krampus himself! Krampus will be doing a traditional “Photos With Krampus” on his mall throne set.
Admission Tickets available:
All Access $10.00 – Includes Photo with Krampus on the throne set with a live Krampus. Includes admission to the vendor area.
Standard $5.00 – Includes admission to the event room. (does not include photo with Krampus).
Krampus Photo Set and Vendor room open at 11AM. We are using a newly expanded floorplan in our new Time and Space Event Space. All vendors and Krampus will be in the same large event space.
Children 12 and under get free admission with adult. The venue is the Time and Space Event Space of the Monroeville Mall. Our new super-sized space is upper level across from Victoria Secret. Enter mall on the Dick’s / Party City end. Free parking!
(Next event up for the Gross Brothers and the Grossfest World Tour!)
We will have a lot of 4K, Blu-ray, DVDs for only … $5.
Also will have a bunch of Independent DVD and Blu-ray for $5.
Plus will some different best offer movies that will have people interested! See we will see yinz there!
Halloween and Horror Vendor Marketplace, just in time for the Halloween decorating season! Horror/Goth/Spooky/Creepy art, collectibles and decor items. Many local vendors showcasing their unusual wares.
Admission is only $5 at the door. Children 12 and under are free with accompanying adult.
Our venue is Monroeville Mall Time and Space Event Space (upper level across from Victoria’s Secret) 200 Mall Blvd Monroeville, PA 15046
The event space is located on the JC Penney/ Dick’s end of the mall, upper level, across from Victoria’s Secret. Vendors will be inside of our new 10,00 square foot event space in close proximity to the Living Dead Museum.
Crocodile (Blu-ray) – For the first time this Taiwan/Korea production from 1978/1979/1981 aka Crocodile Fangs (watch the extras and read about it at www.synapsefilms.com you will totally understand) has been released in special edition Blu-ray form. Apparently there was several editions released even with a different director’s name in the credits but this the U.S. version restored. You can check out some alternate and deleted scenes in the extras after. Anyway, after a horrible storm and some atomic blasts this causes a crocodile to come hunting for humans! Two doctors and their families are on vacation and become victims to the ever growing mutation of a crocodile. These two doctors being very distraught resign their jobs and begin doing research on crocodiles and why would a giant one eat their families? While those two do that the giant crocodile feeds every three days on the next village downstream destroying all in its path. After getting the bad ass local fisherman involved the second half of the movie literally becomes almost a scene for scene of ‘Jaws’ exception for the leaping giant crocodile that had me laughing for a good five minutes. This flick is some wonderful international B-movie cheese but the real treat is the extras: besides the commentary from a writer and film historian along with the several different openings and endings that are alternate or deleted scenes that may have not been seen by U.S. audiences? My favorite extra has to be the interview with Won-se Lee! The real director as his interview is around 35 minutes and gets into him not actually knowing his name wasn’t in the credits (Sompote Sands by the way), or how hard it was doing a Thai/Korean production, or how much the film has fans outside of his country? This interview alone is entertaining, interesting and worth the price of the Blu-ray edition of the film as I give it 3 out of 4 stars and can be found at www.synapsefilms.com .
Severe Injuries (Blu-ray) – Vinegar Syndrome’s newer label Saturn’s Core is a specialty label that releases hard to find or out of print SOV Indy films from the past. Well one of their latest releases comes from director Amy Lynn Best and writer Mike Watt who released this Indy gem in 2003 that deals with a bumbling killer named Melvin. Melvin happens to come from a long line of serial killers who are bad at their job. But with the death of his father Melvin is determined to change things around… once he finds a sorority that is? Littered with several Indy genre vets this movie does a wonderful job of mixing horror and comedy with a smart script that brilliantly pokes fun at the sorority slasher flicks of the 80s. Not many horror films take a chance like ‘Severe Injuries’ being an outside of the box horror film with a killer learning to kill and you the viewer care for the serial killer? The film is very entertaining, smart, and most likely be more appreciated now than 20 years ago when it was made. This is one of those films that stood out in the early 2000s for being different but not sure how you market something like this? Now you get to enjoy it in all its remastered Blu-ray glory along with a kick ass slipcover, three commentaries, cast and crew interviews from 2003 and 20 years later as they look back on this interesting Indy project made for little money. Get ready there is more as this disc is loaded with deleted scenes, trailers, and several more short films from writer Mike Watt and director Amy Lynn Best. Again I have a feeling SOV fans will appreciate this feature much more now than 20 years ago as I give the full package 3 ½ out of 4 stars. You can order your copy at www.vinegarsyndrome.com .
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