Tenebrae (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray) – I have reviewed this movie before a couple times so yinz already know what I have to say and most critics for that matter… It’s a film about an author named Peter Neal who is promoting his newest book in Italy. Meanwhile at the same time of Peter’s appearance a serial killer is making their mark by killing their victims in the same manner of Neal’s latest book? Neal’s booking agent (John Saxon) tries to keep Neal busy but as the letters after each murder show up to the police with no clues Neal decides he should investigate himself. By some chance you been living under a rock as a horror fan and haven’t been introduced to this project ‘Tenebrae’ it’s an Argento title that isn’t talked about as much as a ‘Suspiria’ or maybe a ‘Deep Red’ but is well worth investing your demented mind into as it mixes a couple horror elements into its formula. For my two cents you may hear horror fans talk more about the music score than the fun movie itself? Synapse Films and Argento are a perfect match for the Blu-ray/4K format as I feel Synapse takes great care and respect with not just the ridiculous restoration of the pictures but it feels they even found a way to squeeze in a few more extras in besides: the original Blu-ray that had dual English and Italian tracks, commentary by Maitland McDonagh, trailers from different countries, original U.S. end credits, alternate opening credits, and the interesting documentary ‘Yellow Fever: The Rise and Fall of Gallo’. There are a few archival interviews, couple more added commentaries, plus not just the 4K disc version but a Blu-ray with everything that makes me wanna give this complete release 3 ½ out of 4 stars. This is for sure one of those things Argento fans will want no matter what to complete their collection but for some newer horror fans that are just jumping head first into Italian horror this is a great entertaining introduction package into the world of Argento and physical media collecting, for more info or to order go to: www.synapse-films.com .
Beneath Us All (Vimeo) – A dramatic horror flick that takes a more traditional route that isn’t seen much these days to tell a scary tale. Over a thousand years ago a “human creature” is hunted and trapped in a coffin to be taken then buried in the ‘Americas’. Now present day we are introduced to a social worker Rebecca who is on the verge of burning out and a teenager named Julie who is about to age out of foster care. Both meet and a lot alike but their lives are going in a different direction as Julie must still deal with some shady ass foster parents and Rebecca is trying to learn to let go. After an incident with a bird who Julie and the other foster kids were trying to help back to good health Julie runs away into the woods. With a mysterious necklace in hand and unsure of why she didn’t come back right away Julie hears a low voice that eventually leads her to this human creature in a coffin. Since it is in Julie’s nature to help she leads the thing back to the farmhouse to nurse it back to health. Problem Julie is ill prepared what she has brought into her life? Low to modest budget, shady ass foster parents’ angle, more about story than gore sets the tone for this entertaining complicated vampire story telling. This is a solid horror film that will not hit all that view it the same but love the attempt of telling an intellectual vampire story that doesn’t follow today’s fast paced formula that leaves you forgetting what you watch shortly after. For that I urge yinz to give this horror film a chance as I give it 3 out of 4 stars.
Cobweb (On Demand) – Peter is an eight year old boy who is just trying to do normal young boy stuff until he begins to hear voices from his bedroom wall. Peter begins to draw things in school and a teacher becomes concern and visits the parents. With some story building: teacher gets fired, parents are outrage and do the home schooling thing, Peter keeps hearing voices and now talks back to it in his bedroom, and the parents show their true colors. Now as the tension builds Peter decides the voice has his best interest and listens to what it wants him to do as Peter finds out he had a sister? A solid and creepy film with story building but lacks a good ending in the long run for me but easily see I was not the crowd this film was made for as much as the 16-25 crowd who do not watch nearly as many horror movies as I do. For that I give it 2 ½ stars but also will note I was surprised how much support it didn’t get during its brief theater run in the summer.
Last Shift (DVD) – This 2014 horror film deals in the paranormal of sorts as it is Officer Loren’s first night on the job by staying watch at a police station that is about to close down for good. She gets instruction from her boss before he leaves as it basically should be an easy night for her night. But being alone in a creepy old police station isn’t what it’s all cracked up to be as Officer Loren begins to hear strange noises in the building as she remember being told, “don’t go into the Holding area”. Officer Loren as the night proceeds has to deal with a homeless man as she sees things out of the corner of her eyes. Trying to get through the night that should have been uneventful that is where the story unfolds as Officer Loren’s father worked at the same station where a wannabe Manson family was brought in as everybody has their opinions of what actually happened? Is she dreaming, is it all bullshit, or is it a little of everything as she tries to show she can handle this job in this small scale but super effective paranormal horror film as I give it 3 ½ stars.
Malum (DVD) – So same director comes back to do a reboot of his 2014 film ‘Last Shift’ now in 2023. Without digging too much into that this time around you get a much bigger, bigger location, and more gory horror picture. Pretty much a lot of dialogue from the original film is there but this version dives more into the backstory of the father/daughter relationship and why she got here as an officer watching a now decommissioned police station. Don’t get me wrong this is still a solid film but this is very much a case of “bigger isn’t always better” when it comes to remakes/reboots. For me ‘Last Shift’ is an example of what I look for in a paranormal movie as I can be super picky where this lacked the heart and if this makes sense dumb it down a bit for audiences? If you have not watched neither or just watched this recent version I suggest watching ‘Last Shift’ as I believe it is the more scary and interesting of the two as I give this reboot 2 ½ stars.
The Abomination (Blu-ray) – Oh the bloody gory meat puppets in the kitchen cabinet are back in “Blu-ray” glory as some lunatic took the pain staking time to bring us Indy horror loons this rare gem of a film. For those who may not had the pleasure of watching this cult-like Indy film? It is about a woman coughing up a tumor and it hitches a ride with her son then lives under his bed for a bit! Cody is slowly possessed by this monstrosity and feeds on the bodies of friends he hides under his bed. Cody lives to feed this ugly gorefest of a monster! Considered a classic among Indy horror fans as the Bret McCormick film gets the all-star treatment with restoration, commentaries, lots of interviews, a comic book, and stickers that will have us old people remembering video stores and then get pissed they are all but a memory now. This is an affordable fun pick up for horror fans to add to their collection before the slipcase morons start eBaying it for a hundred dollars as I give this glorious Blu-ray 3 ½ stars.
Bloodthirst (Google) – A soon-to-be released film that will remind you the glory days of old school SyFy channel premieres before they became the “Harry Potter network”. Anyhow we have a post-apocalyptic world filled with factions of vampires and humans who are not doing themselves any favors as they war within their factions. John Shepard is a vampire hunter who is trying to restore order in this desolate world by killing one vampire at a time but also carries a secret. Meanwhile our main vamp baddy is played by Robert Lasardo or for at least this film bootleg George Eastman from ‘Anthropophagus’ who wants the world for himself. Lots of action and blood fill this story of vamps and humans trying to fuck each other over at every turn. But we get a little surprise of Tara Reid who plays the “vampire queen” who just embraces the role. An entertaining new post-apocalyptic 90 minute film that proves a loner and certain vamps could want order out of chaos knowing if not they all will go extinct. The locations are cool, the story is a little different from the usual post-apocalyptic fare, and the solid cast brings this film to life as I give it 3 stars. P.S. this has to be one of the cleaner post-apocalyptic films I have ever watched as I was expecting not just vamps but humans to be dirtier?
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