Gross Movie Reviews #717

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Werewolves of the Third Reich (Tubi) – It is 1944 and a small group of American soldiers are looking to kill Nazis as they have been deployed to get specific intel on a specific doctor. Doctor Mengele has come up with a secret formula that could transform a wolf soldier that obeys commands! It is a great discovery according to the doctor as the small group of soldiers are looking for him to stop him from doing anymore harm. Of course we get a cheap Nazi werewolf Nazi love story that could have been more enjoyable in the right hands. Instead we got a bad road trip film trying to be ‘Inglorious Bastards’ instead having fun with the concept and rolling with it as I can only give this 1 star.

The Clown Dies at Midnight (DVD) – A short film from talented filmmaker Derek Braach a few years back that now has a sequel in production. This is a hilarious but sad story of a kid growing up to be a party clown with vices that happens to get him into trouble as an adult clown. An interesting and ironic ending makes for this to be an entertaining watch for Indy fans as I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

Satan’s Peak (Blu-ray) – Another fun independent project from the legendary James L. Edwards revolves around a police officer John Dardin who is having a problem adjusting to regular life as he has just been suspended for breaking a kid’s arm. John’s life is starting to spiral down the drain as he loses his temper often and listens to a lunatic spewing outrageous opinions on the radio. Officer Dardin being angry at everything decides maybe getting away to the family cabin is the answer but quickly learns that a low budget film crew filming a movie about a satanic cult has just wrapped on their project. Dardin on the brink of suicide decides to take out the fake satanic cult himself. With his grip on reality gone the family cabin becomes a true gruesome bloodbath. Adam Scott Clevenger is perfect as Officer Dardin but odd pregnant pauses in the film throughout I think take away from this great concept as I can only give the Mr. Edwards latest effort 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Shocktopus (Tubi) – Another new project from legendary filmmaker Mark Polonia that has an object falling to earth in the ocean near a North Carolina hotel that causes an octopus to become electrified! As two special agents are sent out to investigate the event the octopus lays waste to the beach front property. The agents have seen it all but this event is different as they are unsure how to stop this problem. One highlight of the film is Mark Polonia himself claiming he is fishing for half the movie without ever casting into the water. But better yet if you are a fan of ridiculous B-movies from the days of old this is a good place to start in present time as it captures the cheesy fun of those bad monster flicks of the 50s, 60s, and 70s as I give this movie 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Hello Zombie (Tubi) – A fun feature from Japan in the mid 2010s where an independent film crew is trying to finish up their zombie film until an actor finds a creepy and cool location to use. So against their better judgement they use the location to finish their zombie film only to have a real zombie stumble in a scene to bite an actor. But their motto is keep filming even with their friend being munched on. They leave the area believing their actor/friend is dead only to show up still alive and the zombie has followed him. Thus giving birth to an idea of how they can give the ultimate finish to their zombie film. There is tons of gore and comedy as these amateur filmmakers just dream of having made the greatest zombie flick as I give it 3 stars.

Broadcast Dead (DVD) – A disappointing zombie tale of terrorists breaking into AceTV to take over to send a message but instead they make the mistake of unleashing a zombie virus inside the tv station. As the zombie outbreak spreads like wildfire inside the building the film ends with the two main characters/enemies giving a long explanation of why wiping out humanity might be a good thing? But mostly the long ass scene feels stolen from Heston’s ‘Omega Man’ but that is just my opinion as I can only give this project 1 star. 

Amityverse Infinity (Tubi) – Welcome to entry #87 for all of those keeping count with me, this is a sequel to the recent ‘Amityverse’ anthology. This anthology has ten tales to tell and it doesn’t disappoint as it pulls out all of the stops in its segments from the usual stolen or misplaced Amityville objects to a musical about all the Amityville entries and how ghosts hate paranormal experts to a mad scientist wanting revenge to a realtor trying to sell the haunted home to an entertaining Joel Wynkoop being an Amityville Crime Boss to a toothache to the wild silent film about Amityville Ripper to the finale of Amityville story being told with hand puppets! The anthology is super entertaining as it goes well beyond the usual viewers of Amityville fans to capture their attention and give a good fright. I love the simple flow of the stories and the musical segment about Amityville had me laughing from beginning to end as I dare to tell me if there is a better sequel in this long running series as I give it 3 ½ out of 4 stars.

Hold the Fort (YouTube) – Lucas and Jenny have just made the move to the suburbs where this little cute place Gruber Hills exists… One problem the HOA president Jerry has just invited them to a party? The Equinox party where the tagline is “Please Don’t Die”. Why is this important? This cute couple has just made the transition from the city to the quiet life where once a year a portal of hell opens up and the residents must fight off evil for a night. It’s the choice they make in order to not pay property taxes! But as the monsters show up early: witches, a werewolf, and vengeful spirits Lucas and Jenny are not exactly ready for this and they did not read the small print in the contract with the HOA! A fun, gory, gooey, hilarious little monster film well worth checking out as I give it 3 ½ out of 4 stars.

Wereshark (Tubi) – This had so much potential but quickly became dull and very monotone. After a young man Nico goes all Jason Statham on a shark in the ocean the shark bites him. This causes him to go through a change that allows him to go eat his new girlfriend’s gal pals because they called her fat and annoying. I wanted this to be fun but it almost put me asleep how boring it was as I gave it 0 out of 4 stars.

Spandexorcist (Tubi) – A Brett Kelly feature can always be fun and this doesn’t disappoint as a young lady Penny has just lost her favorite aunt, Aunt Alison whose house now has to be cleaned out by Penn. While cleaning out the house Penny finds some VHS tapes and spandex that reminds her of fun times with her Aunt Alison (perfectly casted Michelle Bauer) who had her own aerobics tapes and business but it closed out in the mid-90s. Aunt Alison’s old friend comes a calling to warn Penny about a demon but she wants none of it as she finds out the hard way as a demon spandex possesses Penny causing her to eat a pizza guy. The odd humor mixed with 80s workout nostalgia mixed with finding out Aunt Alison was actually using her workouts as rituals to exorcise demons makes this a fun project to appreciate and also a great flick for a group of like minded people to watch together as I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

For our last guest announcement for Grossfest 2027

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For our last guest announcement of Grossfest 2027 comes a person that literally could be called “the most interesting man ever” as their career has taken them all of the world. Their face is one when you immediately see it you know the name instantly. They are not just a director, but an unbelievable actor with an overwhelming presence on screen that isn’t often seen in the independent genre, and over the past year they have created an online channel that has taken the internet by storm. This amazingly talented human has made appearances in such projects: It Stains the Sand Red, Scare Me, Amithyville Hex, The Barn II, Bathtub Shark Attack, and Murdercise. Most of us independent horror movie fans know this person for the classic “Pool Party Massacre”. A lot of non-horror movie fans would know this person for his streaming show on social media called “Drew Cooks”. Let us introduce you all to the real life version of the most interesting man ever… Drew Marvick!   

Location as usual for Grossfest:

Comfort Inn Conference Center Penn Hills

699 Rodi Road

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15235

412-244-1600 (make your reservations)

July 30th-31st, 2027

http://www.grossfest.com

Another exciting guest people are going to live at Grossfest 2027!

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For our next Grossfest 2027 guest announcement is an unbelievable talent on screen as their presence is unlike anyone you have seen. Over the past decade they have acted in over two dozen independent films as their presence on screen makes fans out of everyone seeing them for the first time. They have been in projects such as: Plank Face, Space Babes from Outer Space, Slaughter House Slumber Party, The Embalmers, The Barn II, Fatal Desires, and Hobocop, with more to come in 2027. We like to introduce all of you to this great rising star as there can be only one… Alyss Winker!

Location as usual for Grossfest:

Comfort Inn Conference Center Penn Hills

699 Rodi Road

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15235

412-244-1600 (make your reservations)

July 30th-31st, 2027

http://www.grossfest.com

We got another guest announcement for Grossfest 2027!

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Our next Grossfest 2027 guest announcement is someone a little different but is known for their hard working filmmaking style in all aspects of movie making. This individual graduated in 1999 from college to work on many short films, music videos, etc., before they decided to direct their first feature film in 2002 called “The Icing”. Not too long later formed Cheevies Films with his wife and where by 2016 he and his wife became constantly busy in features and short films, doing everything from producing, directing, writing, you name it this couple did it. Horror movies, kids stuff, off the wall projects. In such a short time this person has gotten to direct and produce over three dozen films and he and his wife show no signs of slowing down. You may have gotten to know this down to earth couple vending at Grossfest but for the first time allow us to introduce this wonderful person as a guest as we can only be speaking of this Chicago based talent… Derek Braasch!

Location as usual for Grossfest:

Comfort Inn Conference Center Penn Hills

699 Rodi Road

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15235

412-244-1600 (make your reservations)

July 30th-31st, 2027

http://www.grossfest.com

Have another talented guest coming to Grossfest 2027!

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So our next Grossfest 2027 guest announcement should not come to any surprise as her directorial smash debut I:Scream – A Minty Musical put the independent community on notice she is just not another pretty face. She may be known for her work in front and behind the camera in such titles: Amityville Christmas Vacation, Curtains for Christmas, and the Caroushell series. But her unbelievable directorial hit has all of us in the independent community excited about what she does next? Of course we can only be talking about the lovely, the multi-talented, the absolute beauty of a person… Aleen Isley!    

ocation as usual for Grossfest:

Comfort Inn Conference Center Penn Hills

699 Rodi Road

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15235

412-244-1600 (make your reservations)

July 30th-31st, 2027

http://www.grossfest.com

Oh the fun isn’t done yet, we have another guest to announce!

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For our next Grossfest 2027 guest announcement you know we cannot have Grossfest without him. His last film Caroushell 4 has taken this independent filmmaker to new heights of popularity in the independent community and makes us question how much longer before he takes his talents to the big time as he collects awards for several of his most recent projects and is just getting started. There is only one person in the room we can give this to: we like to introduce the man, the myth, the Grossfest legend… Steve Rudzinski!

Location as usual for Grossfest:

Comfort Inn Conference Center Penn Hills

699 Rodi Road

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15235

412-244-1600 (make your reservations)

July 30th-31st, 2027

http://www.grossfest.com

Another guest announcement for Grossfest 2027!

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So for the next Grossfest 2027 guest announcement this youthful duo needs no introduction as they have seen and done it all in independent cinema as they are past Grossfest Lifetime Achievement Award winners. This cute duo truly oozes independent filmmaking through and through as their careers have spanned over five decades and not stopping now as they have us super excited for their next project that starts production in Spring 2027 called “Dracula vs. The Groovy Chick”. We are beyond honored and happy to have the ones and only David and Diana Silvio! (P.S. as you can see one picture can say a thousand words about these two.)

Location as usual for Grossfest:

Comfort Inn Conference Center Penn Hills

699 Rodi Road

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15235

412-244-1600 (make your reservations)

July 30th-31st, 2027

http://www.grossfest.com

Gross Movie Reviews #716

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The Executioner II (Tubi) – I know there is a recent special edition of this forgotten action flick too for the physical media collectors. There is a serial killer or vigilante on the streets of LA cleaning up the streets as police and mob people are baffled who it is but both want rid of the person. The film looks more like 1977 than 1984 but adds to the exploitation of the flick that comes complete with Vietnam flashbacks, a gang bothering innocent people of course, a cop’s daughter needing “the dope” who gets into more trouble she can handle, a mob dude known as the tattoo man, and the detective who figures out his Vietnam buddy is the one going out looking for criminals. It is no “The Exterminator” but it does the job for those of who love these action type of flicks from the early 80s as I give it 2 stars.

Virus of the Dead (DVD) – A viral outbreak story is told across 15 segments of this anthology using cameras, phones, etc.,  that was edited together and shot by over a dozen directors. With the editing aspect you are able to see the progression of the outbreak through several people’s point of views, different parts of the world, and how they are reacting to it. For me this didn’t feel like a true anthology or a found footage film (as some critics called this 2018 project) but an independent zombie flick going for a different take on the genre? Definitely the project “5G Zombies” borrowed this idea and did a much worse execution of the concept. I enjoy zombie films as I just believe this concept isn’t for me. I think the concept was the right kind of thinking before COVID just needed that little something to make it stand away from the bloated zombie genre as I give it 2 out of 4 stars.


Friday the 13th Blood Loss (Blu-ray) – A fan made feature about the infamous Camp Crystal Lake that has Ari Lehman playing a bartender who begins to tell a story to two young men who are there just to piss around because like many they have heard about the legend of Jason. Apparently the legendary campground has been reopened again as the stories of Jason refuse to go away. But with a few recent nearby homicides and a child gone missing who fell in the lake this only fuels the community to wonder if Jason has returned. A down on his luck detective is brought in on the case of the missing kid more like fresh eyes to the case, plus a second chance for him to keep his job. As the detective digs deeper into the case he learns that many believe the lake is the source of all the problems that have surrounded this community for decades and talking to a ghost isn’t helping his sanity. Overall the film starts off solid having Jason involved but more of a background character like his ghost mother but in the end the film feels like a mess as the story feels like it falls apart and with no real ending other than the boy being found. Now, I also can see I am contradicting myself, but it felt there was no real ending to tie everything together as I can only give the project 1 ½ out of 4 stars.

Pantomime (Google Drive) – The latest short film from filmmaker Matthew Diulus who gives us a magnificently fun project about a clown found in a park. Also a reminder to stay away especially when they have signs on trees nearby declaring “Beware of Clowns”. Melissa Sapienza makes this short film special with her inherently creepy performance as the killer clown! Because of all that this film deserves 4 out of 4 stars.

Wrath of the Skunk Ape (YouTube) – An oldie but a goodie from 1997 out there free to watch from the early days of Mike Hartman and Silver Bullet Pictures. This SOV feature has an old dude hunting for the notorious creature in the woods that killed his brother many years before. For whatever reason when the skunk ape isn’t stealing campers’ beans and bananas it attacks unsuspecting campers and kidnaps beautiful women. This is some fun hijinx long before this crew made features like “Chubbies” and “Blood Orgy at Beaver Lake” as I give this feature 2 out of 4 stars.

Big Shark (Tubi) – Finally the project has been released into the wild for all of us to see as for years we would hear it wasn’t finished or played at some film festival no one heard about. Anyway, the cult star Tommy Wiseau wrote, directed, and stars in a shark film about three firefighters in New Orleans that are put into action to go kill a “big shark”! The film is as bizarre, absurd, and incoherent as advertised but I do quite enjoy Tommy Wiseau wearing a hat and gloves at all times throughout this mess whether he is in a wet suit or not and for that I can still only give 1 star for this.

Emotional Support Shark (Blu-ray) – A Mark Polonia flick that doesn’t fall into his usual stuff but also not exactly the killer shark film horror fans would be used too. Tim Hatch is Virgil the janitor for the local aquarium attraction that has sharks. Virgil is quite attached to the sharks as he spends time everyday to talk and watch them. Virgil truly feels these amazing animals are his only friends as this project takes the slow burn approach with shark psychology and physiology that builds up pressure on the main character of Virgil as he feels only comfort with them. There is a part in the film where Virgil is under pressure to pay his bills as he is behind but he has no internet and then two minutes later he is looking at something on a laptop, lol. As the walls are closing in Virgil of possibly being fired, poked fun at by the beautiful receptionist, bullied by his supervisor, etc. Virgil has dreams of someone killing people with a shark mask. It is a fun pressure cooker I believe most are not used to seeing from Mark as you start to wonder if there really is a killer, is Virgil the killer, or is there something entirely different going on here? Definitely a very different killer shark film from the independent filmmaker as I give 3 out of 4 stars.

Hey Chuck (DVD) – A short film project from Broaden Torture Productions that is quite entertaining nine minutes of a young man being followed by a demented individual. This demented individual tortures the young man and only speaks the words “Hey Chuck” while following him… everywhere! And its hilarious where they have him followed so if you need a few laughs this is worth checking out as I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

The Final Wasteland (DVD) – Another feature from the Broaden Torture guys as they head to their final wasteland convention knowing they will with to contend with their old friend Dan. Things seem to go well until finally they begin to interact with their friend and all hell breaks loose as Dan makes sure it is the last convention the boys attend. I give the project 2 out of 4 stars.


Pigskin (YouTube) – Another interesting short film project from MMH Productions as they are tasked with making a quickie film about a killer football player. The crew takes an hour and a camcorder and came up with this with the promise of a sequel soon. MMH Productions is constantly coming up with off the wall independent projects and mainly short film style but don’t sleep on this talent as I like how weird Mr. Hunter gets when it comes to the features as I give this 2 out of 4 stars for its on the spot idea.

For our next Grossfest 2027 guest announcement

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Our next guest for Grossfest 2027 is just an absolute sweetheart who has taken the independent world by storm with her perky, peaceful, joyful talent and personality. But don’t let that fool you as this actor has been hard at work the past six years showing off at break neck speed what they got to offer in such titles as The Legend of Crick Foot, Killer Campout II, The Slasher Nurse, Return of the Corn Zombies, along with many other soon to be released titles Crackcoons, Shriekshow 2, and In the Midnight Hour, Black Sheep! Of course we can only be talking about the lovely Chanda Rawlings!

http://www.grossfest.com

Location as usual for Grossfest:

Comfort Inn Conference Center Penn Hills

699 Rodi Road

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15235

412-244-1600 (make your reservations)

July 30th-31st, 2027

http://www.grossfest.com

We have another guest announcement for Grossfest 2027!

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For our next Grossfest 2027 guest announcement is someone who will only be there for one day (Saturday) but one day is all we will need for this talented underground filmmaker. This person retired several years ago from being a filmmaker to pursue a dream of owning a toy store and running one of the biggest toy shows on the east coast in Ohio. But there are quite a few of us that remember such titles as Toxic Shock Zombies, Slashing Prices, Holy Shit… Zombies!, and a few others including the famous unfinished project Incest Bernie: The Legend of Blood Forest that just hit for all of us in the early 2000s. Now this person in pursuing their dream (Toyhio) brings in thousands of toy collectors on a regular basis to their show that runs a couple times a year. We are so happy to bring into Pittsburgh not just a talented person but a great longtime friend as we can only be talking about… Rick Fusselman!