Gross Movie Reviews #614

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CarousH3ll (YouTube/DVD/Blu-ray) – The third entry into Steve Rudzinski’s wildly popular series “CarousHell” with the help of co-writer and ultra-talented Aleen Isley give us the next evolving chapter of Duke’s adventures. In case you haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying the past two Indy treasures: Duke is a terrifying killer carousel horse who has come to life to kill humans, had a child/puppet horse named Robbie, and has turned good in order to track down others like him that may want to use their evil powers to kill both of them. Okay that is a mouth full to take in but now we are caught up without giving too many spoilers away Duke has a new enemy in Usagi: a chocolate carousel bunny that wants to kill Duke  in order to steal his power to become the god she deserves to be. If that wasn’t enough Joe ‘the pizza man looking for his $42.39’ is back in a big way and seeking revenge even if he has only one eye. But Joe has found a new group of friends that want to protect Duke and Robbie from the evil Usagi which leaves Joe very conflicted. Of course along the way there is characters from the past that show up and we get introduced to a couple new intriguing characters as Steve and Aleen made sure ‘CarousHell’ fans get all the over the top carousel sex and violence you could want in your independent movie. This wonderfully entertaining sequel wastes no time jumping into the storyline getting the ‘CarousHell’ taste buds wet but for me it felt a little slow but they made me adjust on the run with this project as I think so highly of the first two films. As I said in the past Steve gave me “House of a 1000 Corpses” and then gave me the “The Devil’s Rejects” which was the best way to explain how I feel about the first two CarousHell films. Now both Steve and Aleen understanding it is virtually impossible to top those last two films went about their business quickly and smartly by not giving us “3 from Hell”. But embracing and understanding the story arc they have built over the past two films as they ran with the insanity and gave us an absolute surprisingly brilliant third entry that gives fans a perfect ending (maybe?). Seriously the cast, the music, the perfect running time of 68 minutes is great but the stand out of this latest entry might be the script from Steve and Aleen and their attention to detail and understanding of the fans of ‘CarousHell’. The writing of this film for me at least is their best work to date and have cemented them in making one of the best independent horror franchises a movie fan could ever watch as I give this enormously humor filled film 4 out of 4 stars. P.S. this film just shows these two are an extremely talented duo to be highly respected  in the independent world but also should make many other filmmakers scream for them to be a part of their next project!

Space Mutiny (VHS/YouTube) – A very B-grade film from 1988 set many years into the future that also stole scenes from an old sci-fi TV series where people live on a ship called the Southern Sun. On this ship is a select few who want to sabotage the mission and do not want to live on the ship all their lives but we have our hero Reb Brown who wants to solve the issues peaceful as possible. This space movie is hilariously bad to the point apparently it was one of MST3K’s best episodes of all time as I give the film 1 star and enjoy the space go-kart chase scene.

The Lazy Werewolf (DVD/YouTube) – A weirdo short film about a cheesy ass werewolf that has decided it’s time to get back into shape as I give it 2 out of 4 stars for effort as you can find out more at www.cheeviesfilms.com .

Killer Claus (DVD/YouTube) – Another short film from www.cheeviesfilms.com where a man gets fired from his Santa job and this drives him to decide it is time to kill for the holidays. A funny short just because it is a ‘killer Santa Claus’ movie and has a nice little twist at the end as I give it 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Redder (DVD/YouTube) – It’s the old story about a woman killing her boyfriend when she found out he was cheating on her! But this goes in a little different direction as it focuses on the woman trying to convince herself this was the best course of action? By doing this we learn a lot about this woman who has long since slipped into her own madness and makes you question who the real villain actually was as I give this short flick from www.cheeviesfilms.com 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Mutilation Massacre (DVD/YouTube) – Thank you to www.cheesviesfilms.com for adding to my ‘massacre movie’ list as this short film has a woman named Stephanie tied to a tree to be tortured. Before you feel bad the viewer comes to learn it might be karma not evil finally catching up to her as I give this short film 2 out of 4 stars.

Battle for the Lost Planet (DVD) – An early Brett Piper flick from 1986 that is a super entertaining story about Harry Trent who is an old man and choosing to write about how the new world started. Many years ago when Trent was a thief, he steals a cassette and takes off of earth in a spaceship. But as he escapes and believes he is a bad ass, he sees the oncoming invasion by aliens. Five years pass before Trent returns to earth because he cannot change course. (By the way Young Trent is Matt Mitler from The Mutilator) Trent hits earth and finds some new friends mainly the lovely Dana who eventually gets taken by a typical post-apocalyptic gang who also owns a ‘Mad Max’ Ford Pinto that will have you laughing your ass off! But the leader of the gang might know the location of a device that could help all of mankind but do they really want mankind to go back to what it used to be? A blissfully entertaining independent film that will make nostalgic for video stores, Brett Piper, and how much fun it was finding these flicks a couple decades ago as I give the film 3 stars.

Killer Christmas (DVD) – An interesting short film from MMH Productions, where a group of young people move into a house for the holidays and take advantage of the free holiday decorations that were left by past owners. Unbeknownst to the group the Christmas decorations are evil and go on a murderous rampage as I give this short film 2 out of 4 stars.

Killer Christmas 2: Deadly Night (DVD) – MMH Productions uses the sequel to make another short film but twice as long and look like they had a bigger budget to work with as the killer decorations return a couple years later. A new family moves in and once again the killer decorations are in full kill mode but two individuals Christian and Clank begin investigating these strange murders. They find a survivor of these vicious attacks and have help their investigation but how stable she is can be a whole different story. The three enter the home that has the murderous holiday home with every intention in ending the horror but you can never truly stop evil in the first two Indy projects I have seen someone have killer decorations so kudos to MMH as I give the sequel 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

The Black Scorpion (DVD) – A late 50’s monster flick that takes place in Mexico where volcanic eruptions has caused a super large scorpion to escape the depths of the earth and begin its reign of terror on the people of Mexico. This black scorpion is an ancient species thought to be long dead but has been awaken again by these horrible eruptions. A film that deserves a little more love from us 50s and 60s sci-fi film lovers as I give it 3 stars.

Demonic Toys: Jack-Attack (Vimeo) – Charles Band once again turns to Full Moon filmmaking vet William Butler to continue breathing new life into a long running original Full Moon franchise that never found the love the ‘Puppet Master’ or ‘Subspecies’ series did? William Butler continuing his magic touch tells a story of Lily the teenage girl who has been traumatized by the event of losing a battle with the evil jack-in-the-box. Not long after Lily finds herself in foster care and non-verbal but with help of her social worker Audrey finds a family quickly. But that also means her belongings will follow her to her new home which means the evil jack-in-the-box murder spree has just begun. With Audrey having strange visions of the evil jack-in-the-box and having some odd attachment to Lily it makes for an interesting uneasy piece of cheese that William Butler by the end finds a way to keep everything connected in his new ‘Demonic Toys’ universe as I give the film 3 out of 4 stars and be able to find more about this feature at www.fullmoonfeatures.com .

Any comments please send to grossmoviereview@verizon.net or www.facebook.com/grossmoviereviews .

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!

CarousH3ll review!

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CarousH3ll (YouTube/DVD/Blu-ray) – The third entry into Steve Rudzinski’s wildly popular series “CarousHell” with the help of co-writer and ultra-talented Aleen Isley give us the next evolving chapter of Duke’s adventures. In case you haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying the past two Indy treasures: Duke is a terrifying killer carousel horse who has come to life to kill humans, had a child/puppet horse named Robbie, and has turned good in order to track down others like him that may want to use their evil powers to kill both of them. Okay that is a mouth full to take in but now we are caught up without giving too many spoilers away Duke has a new enemy in Usagi: a chocolate carousel bunny that wants to kill Duke  in order to steal his power to become the god she deserves to be. If that wasn’t enough Joe ‘the pizza man looking for his $42.39’ is back in a big way and seeking revenge even if he has only one eye. But Joe has found a new group of friends that want to protect Duke and Robbie from the evil Usagi which leaves Joe very conflicted. Of course along the way there is characters from the past that show up and we get introduced to a couple new intriguing characters as Steve and Aleen made sure ‘CarousHell’ fans get all the over the top carousel sex and violence you could want in your independent movie. This wonderfully entertaining sequel wastes no time jumping into the storyline getting the ‘CarousHell’ taste buds wet but for me it felt a little slow but they made me adjust on the run with this project as I think so highly of the first two films. As I said in the past Steve gave me “House of a 1000 Corpses” and then gave me the “The Devil’s Rejects” which was the best way to explain how I feel about the first two CarousHell films. Now both Steve and Aleen understanding it is virtually impossible to top those last two films went about their business quickly and smartly by not giving us “3 from Hell”. But embracing and understanding the story arc they have built over the past two films as they ran with the insanity and gave us an absolute surprisingly brilliant third entry that gives fans a perfect ending (maybe?). Seriously the cast, the music, the perfect running time of 68 minutes is great but the stand out of this latest entry might be the script from Steve and Aleen and their attention to detail and understanding of the fans of ‘CarousHell’. The writing of this film for me at least is their best work to date and have cemented them in making one of the best independent horror franchises a movie fan could ever watch as I give this enormously humor filled film 4 out of 4 stars. P.S. this film just shows these two are an extremely talented duo to be highly respected  in the independent world but also should make many other filmmakers scream for them to be a part of their next project!

Gross Movie Reviews #582

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L.A. Aids Jabber (Blu-ray) – A rare 1994 S.O.V. flick that some may know only as “Jabber” has been finally released uncut for independent film fans and packed with some interesting goodies for all to enjoy. Our story begins with a young man named Jeff Roberts who has been told he has contracted the disease AIDS. Not happy with the news of course, Jeff thinks suicide but after confronted by a social worker Jeff rethinks his death sentence? Tired, depressed, and jobless Jeff goes in a different direction with this news and makes a hit list of people he always felt done him wrong. So he figures why not and fills a syringe of his tainted blood so he can infect those on his hit list with it! Meanwhile, we have a couple of cops who are investigating the assaults and being told to keep this quiet so there isn’t major mass panic in the city. The film is gritty, grimey, touches on an uncomfortable subject (the fears of it) and how it was treated at that time, and has a great screwed up ending that will make this film the gem of the year for some and others not care for the subject matter. This film dealt with some uncomfortable stuff that I believe people still have a hard time today dealing with or talking about today which makes this an excellent weird flick to throw at someone when they say, “they have seen everything” as I give it 3 stars.

Cover-Up (DVD) – A 1991 action film that stars Dolph Lundgren as a journalist named Anderson who is covering a bombing at a U.S. Navy Base in Israel. Anderson believes there is a lot more to this story as he investigates and believes what he sees is not the whole story? Anderson having a couple of friends there in Tel Aviv tries to get what info he can get out of them but a high ranking military officer played by Louis Gossett, Jr.is stonewalling Anderson as everything is being blamed on a terrorist group “Black October”. The deeper Anderson gets the more of a scapegoat he is going to become as the military tries to keep quiet about a top secret package being retrieved from the base. But with it all being about starting a new war everyone is getting screwed over as long as its covered up what the original intention was? A fun back and forth action film that plays out more like a thriller in the end as I give it 2 ½ stars.

Sakura Killers (DVD) – Chuck Connors collecting a paycheck sends two Americans overseas to fight some ninjas! This is all because the ninjas in Japan have supposedly stolen a videotape on genetic testing that could change the scientific world? But these two Americans do not have the proper training to ensure their win in said fight with the ninjas so they must visit “The Ninja Master”… If this thing wasn’t finished in 1986 or before Dan Komarek was born I would swear he wrote this terribly absurd 80s ninja flick even the hardcore ninja movie lovers are going to have a tough time sitting through as I give it 1 star.

Wise Blood (DVD) – This 1979 oddity is from earlier in Brad Dourif’s career where I remember seeing a few pictures of his character in the movie but could never find the movie itself. Well recently one day just going through some movies that might interest me through some of the streaming sites I came across a listing for the film to play on a cable channel as it has been rereleased. Set I the late 70s where Hazel Motes comes back to his small town after a stint in the military only to find family and most of the town has moved to the big city. Not wanting to embrace his father’s preaching past Hazel decides he has found his calling preaching about the church without Christ? Nowhere near a horror movie but another example of why Brad Dourif is such a wonderful and interesting actor as I give the film 2 ½ stars.

Amityville Christmas Vacation (www.stevebuster.com) – That famous holiday/horror/love story plot has finally come to the Amityville series (entry #39 for those who are counting) in the form of Steve Rudzinski’s (Caroushell 1 & 2 fame) latest project. A familiar character from the “Steve Universe or Meowy Universe” in the form of Wally Griswold has won a random Christmas vacation trip to Amityville! Wally arrives at a bed and breakfast in Amityville that is the “second most famous haunted house” where a ghost named Jessica kills all who stay there. But this time it’s different as it the happiest time of the year, it is Christmas! And Wally and Jessica are having the time of their lives this holiday season. But there is an evil plan behind all of this and none of it had a ghost and a clueless detective falling in love in Amityville on Christmas? Move over Mark Polonia, Dustin Ferguson, Thomas J. Churchill, and Shawn C. Phillips just to name a few as Steve gives not just an entertaining entry into the endless series but hilarious entertaining energy of a story that will make you laugh out loud a few times. Steve’s intelligence behind the camera and his extremely talented cast not just poke fun at the series but also give the never dying series a watchable entry for the first time in several years as I have to give it 3 ½ out of 4 stars.     

The Kindred (Blu-ray) – This is one of those forgotten horror films of the 80s as it focused on a cool creature instead of a killer in a hockey mask. A great monster flick with a great VHS cover that was released in 1987 that I had a great fondness for as it was available in all the video stores during those few years but as the video stores disappeared so did finding this film. Now thank you to Synapse Films we get to see this remastered uncut version. This interesting monster story begins with Dr. Hollins, an older scientist who had a heart attack. Her son John who also is a scientist runs to her bed side only to be asked to go back to his childhood home and burn all the evidence of her experiments and Anthony…? The brother he never knew about. John and a few friends head to his mother’s home to find out her retirement have been busy and she dived deep into human hybrid experimentation and beyond. An old partner of hers, Dr. Lloyd wants in on the new discovery of what she was able to accomplish because he was banished by Hollins many years ago for his atrocities. Now John knowing Dr. Lloyd’s real intentions is trying to destroy what his mother worked for during her life as the human race is not ready. The movie looks wonderful but the biggie for this version is definitely the creature effects as we finally get to see Anthony in all his colorful glory for the first time compared to past VHS versions of this film. We also get a great documentary about how the film got made, never before seen behind the scenes creature effects, and a commentary. Most of all this great film finally got the treatment it deserved and just in time for a new generation of horror fans to discover a beautifully designed creature film that got lost in the shuffle of slashers at the time of its release as without no doubt this gets 4 out of 4 stars and can be found at www.synapse-films.com .

Any comments please send to grossmoviereview@verizon.net or www.facebook.com/grossmoviereviews .

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!