Tag Archives: Stephen Macht

Gross Movie Reviews #561

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Gross Movie Reviews #561

The Amityville Curse (DVD) – Okay kids if you are counting at home this number five in the series where a priest is murdered in his confessional thingy and someone had the bright idea to store it in the legendary haunted house. (It’s not the original house but just go with it.) We get character actor Kim Coates as part of a group of five people garb the home to fix and flip before that was a thing on TV. As they begin work on the house almost immediately supernatural shit happens or is the character Frank just crazy or is the house possessed by the confessional thingy? This movie leaves you with more questions than answers but we do get a possessed cat in the last frame of the film to keep the series alive as I give this entry 2 stars.

Easter Bunny Massacre (DVD) – During the underappreciated holiday weekend called Easter a group of high school seniors head out to party in the woods. But in the morning they wake to find one of their own has been murdered and all unsure who did it? Of course the best thing is to cover it up and a year passes only for these degenerates to be invited to an Easter celebration and go to it. All their invites is from the dead girl Heather but also this film is from the U.K. believing high school seniors care about Easter? Any hooey, another “massacre” flick off the list as I give it 1 star.

Massacre County (DVD/YouTube) – If by some chance you live overseas and reading this review the film over your neck of the woods is ‘Massacre Country’… it was made in Brazil and they are trying to cater to all audiences, Nevermind. We are immediately introduced to a clown being interrogated by authorities who they believe just massacred a group of people? Nevermind the sadistic looking farmer wearing the animal mask but there is a reason as the story unfolds. Most of the film is a story going back and forth between clown and cop telling what happened. Basically a group of horny people head for a vacation for a few days only to be met by two clowns who want to burglarize them for their money. But things get bloody and sideways quickly. A fun little weird horror flick that didn’t need to be pushing the two hour time limit or it would have been much more enjoyable as I give it 2 stars.

Amityville 1992: It’s About Time (DVD) – And onto number six but this one looks like it is somewhat coherent or at least at first glance since it stars Stephen Macht and Megan Ward. This time around Stephen Macht brings home a possessed clock home for the family from the east coast. Bottom line kids’ evil must find a new home! After Macht’s character gets chomped on by the neighborhood dog Peaches he loses his mind and draws pictures of the original Amityville home and things get weird for the whole family. It was somewhat entertaining as I give this entry 2 stars.

The Haunted Strangler (DVD/YouTube) – This late 50s flick has Boris Karloff in old school London as a novelist who is investigating a killer named “Styles” who is long dead. James believed Styles never fit the actions he was accused of and wants to look deeper into the murders that happened decades before. Rankin’s research revolves around a missing surgical knife from a doctor’s kit he believes this is the key to what he is looking for? Mr. Rankin figures out the knife was buried with Styles and digs it up but to his horror the object changes him Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde style. Every time Rankin grabs for the knife he becomes a different person and begins to murder knowing in the end the knife must be buried again or destroyed. Not the perfect gem late in Karloff’s career but still a good one to watch as clearly Karloff enjoyed the role as I give the film 2 ½ stars.

The New Invisible Man (DVD/YouTube) – The film in Mexico is known as ‘El Hombre Invisible’ and dubbed in English on the YouTube. A man named Charles Hill is wrongly accused of murder but the police want their man and he was the one found at the murder scene. Meanwhile Hill’s brother is working on a formula for invisibility that the wife of Charles hopes he perfects to use on Hill in prison to get him out. Hill’s brother makes a surprise visit to the prison hospital since authorities are worried about Charles and injects him with the experimental formula. Surprisingly the formula works and Charles is able to escape prison being hidden by his wife but the authorities are determined to track him down and bring him back. As usual Charles goes a bit insane and wants to rule the world but his insanity stops him from making the clean escape from authorities as I give this late 50s flick 2 stars.

Amityville: A New Generation (DVD) – In the seventh entry they are just throwing money around as we got a cast of Richard Roundtree, David Naughton, Terry O’Quinn, and that bad ass woman from ‘First Blood II’! A group of artists live in a building where they are planning to have an art show to show off their works when they ain’t bumping uglies. A homeless person gives a mirror to a photographer and asks him, “to look deeper”. Once the mirror enters the loft of course it is killing people who look into it because it’s from the original Amityville house again. A couple sweaty sex scenes, some gore, the photographer finds out his father was the homeless man who gave him the mirror and wants him to enter the family business of murder… supposedly? Surprisingly the film isn’t horrible but the ending seems to go on forever as I give this entry 2 stars.

Amityville: Dollhouse (DVD) – This mid-90s flick is the eighth entry into the movie series where a family moves into a newly built home in the middle of nowhere. Dad finds a replica Amityville dollhouse out back in the shed and brings it in for a birthday present for his daughter. Of course the replica doesn’t take long in possessing the newly built home and trying to kill its occupants when it isn’t causing stepmom having sex dreams of her teenage stepson causing someone who watched this to start a sub-genre for PornHub?! When the replica isn’t playing on everyone’s dream apparently it is cheaper to build a house when there is an old fireplace? Believe me pay attention as this film goes off the rails with its dialog and how the whole kids, step kids, mom and dad dynamic doesn’t make a lick of sense but it’s an Amityville film so let’s not let that get in the way of logic as I give this sequel 1 star. 

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Gross Movie Reviews #414

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Gross Movie Reviews #414

 

The Video Dead (DVD) – A package is delivered to the door of Mr. Jordan aka ‘Bullshit artist’. Problem is Mr. Jordan didn’t order anything but takes it anyhow. It’s a T.V. and Mr. Jordan is a writer so he just sets it up in the living room and goes about his merry way. The T.V. begins playing by itself a black and white zombie flick. When he goes to check it out the zombies come out of the T.V. The delivery people come back the next day to Mr. Jordan dead as the package was supposed to go to “The Institute of Occult Studies”. A few months pass and a couple young college kids, Jeff and Zoe show up to movie in to help out their parents. Jeff finds the weird T.V. talking to him from the attic one night and plugs it in his bedroom. Weird shit happens including an old dude from Texas who has been looking for the T.V. to destroy it and what’s in it. They must hunt the zombies down: destroy them or get them back into the television. A great low budget zombie flick from 1987 that doesn’t play by the typical “zombie rules” and has that S.O.V. feel to it. The effects are great, the plot is very different than most zombie flicks, and you get David Bowie zombie! I give this must watch gem 4 stars.

The Creep Behind the Camera (Blu-ray) – An amazing reenactment documentary about filmmaker Vic Savage aka A.J. Nelson aka Arthur White aka most likely had a few other names. Otherwise a film that documents the insanity behind the making of a bad movie of 1964’s “The Creeping Terror” before stuff like “Troll 2” and “Cursed” were even thought of. Vic gets the filmmaking bug and moves himself and his first wife out to Hollywood during the 50s to make “the biggest monster movie anyone has seen!” Never mind the bad movie as much as Vic Savage was a complete psycho, womanizer, drug addict, drunk, con man! True stories told by living cast members, his first wife, producer, etc. Vic Savage was such a complete maniac that his monster maker stole his own creation during filming because he wasn’t paid, change actresses, sets, hung out with Charles Manson (before we all knew who he was), god complex, threesomes, Vic was completely insane. So insane he disappears into the night leaving what was considered the finished product/film in the garage with no sound, slate, etc. This is stuff that could not be made up about a film that is one of the first two movies I can legitimately remember watching. This film started it all for me and to watch this and learn of this insanity just made me absolutely love this documentary! It is beautiful insanity that needs to be watch and rewatched to be believed! There is lots of cool extras on the Blu-ray: The Creeping Terror movie of course but my favorite extra “How to Build a Carpet Monster”. Once again, Synapse Films does not disappoint as I give this wonderful package 4 out of 4 stars and can be found at www.synapse-films.com .

Phenomena (Blu-ray) – The creepy Dario Argento film that stars a young Jennifer Connelly who plays a character named Jennifer who can communicate with bugs. Her famous father sends her to a gifted Swiss school where of course she isn’t well liked. Doesn’t help Jennifer sleep walks and finds herself outside almost being run down by a couple of weirdos and eventually meets a Dr. McGregor played by Donald Pleasance an entomologist. Besides the good doctor explaining she is in the part of the mountains that is considered the “Swiss Transylvania” he does notice and admire Jennifer’s ability with insects. The doctor soon recruits her help in his research for a killer in the area who is killing young women. The Blu-ray pack has three different versions of the film: The 110-minute hybrid cut which was awesome and never seen, the 110-minute international cut, and the 83-minute U.S. cut called “Creepers” which I grew up seeing. Along with a commentary and the different versions of the horror film there is also Dario Argento’s World of Horror documentary which is a pretty awesome thing to have in this 2-disc pack. The movie looks beautiful and it was really cool to finally see this hybrid cut as I give the movie 3 stars and the package 4 out of 4 stars as this should end collectors looking for any other copy of “Phenomena”. To find out more about the 2-disc Blu-ray go to www.synapse-films.com .

 

Acid Bath (DVD) – A 2006 insane independent film that sports a character named Zeke who has a fetish for killing hookers. The film follows his insanity in this exploitation-type flick that also has a man shooting gang members with a rocket launcher! Not much on plot but has grittiness and insanity in spades as you feel like you found a lost Polonia Brothers’ film from the late 80s as I give it 2 stars.

 

Redemption (DVD) – Jason Statham is a war vet back from the recent war living as a bum and wants left alone. One night two nasty dudes beat the crap out of him and take his roommate he was looking out for. He stumbles into a loft being chased by the two men and realizes no one is home. Takes a hard long look at himself, quits drinking, cleans up, and goes looking for the girl. But also uses the loft as home as the tenant isn’t coming back for months. He gets a job as muscle for the Chinese boss man to take people’s money. He uses his share to buy pizzas for the poor and try to give back to the nun that would help him and others who are on the street on a nightly basis. Or as I like to call it a very sad and depressing entry into “The Transporter” series as I give the film 3 stars.

 

Outside the Law (DVD) – Cynthia Rothrock was working for the CIA in Columbia until her team and boyfriend were set up. Now she is back in the states and just wants to forget everything. Meanwhile the legendary Stephen Macht is trying to track her down in Florida and find out what she knows? Also the dad from “Wonder Years” shows up and cool action dude James Lew to face off with Cynthia in the climatic fight. But mostly its Cynthia hanging out in Central Florida helping out a young couple avenge the dude’s sister who was killed by a B-movie dickweed! Give the action flick 2 stars.

 

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Don’t forget you can also hear Kyle Poling and me talking about horror flicks on a weekly basis on the Bloodbaths and Boomsticks podcast at: www.bloodbathspodcast.blogspot.com/ also available at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kyle-poling-2/bloodbaths-and-boomsticks?refid=stpr

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 for details.

Also you can pick up my new book “Gross Movie Reviews: More Sequels, More Massacres, More Beer” at: http://www.lulu.com/shop/tim-gross/gross-movie-reviews-more-massacres-more-sequels-and-more-beer/paperback/product-22853681.html