Tag Archives: Tubi

Gross Movie Reviews #714

0
Posted on by

Gross Movie Reviews #714

Venus Die Trap (Tubi) – This independent project attempts to be an intentional B-movie old school style as it mixes old stock film footage with new stuff shot to fill in certain scenes. The story is pretty basic as it centers on a small town in North Carolina where a meteor has fallen to earth in the nearby woods. The residents quickly see weird things happening and blame the meteor out in the woods as venus fly traps have mutated then attack people! The fate of the community rests in the hands of an innocent botanist named Sally. The film has its moments, it doesn’t overstay its welcome on screen, it is a fun homage to movie stuff that if old enough your parents witness these projects at the drive-in as I give is a solid 2 out of 4 stars.

Blood and Rust (Tubi) – In small town Ohio a young man named Lamont believes he is doing the right thing by running his father’s diner and taking care of the transit homeless that wander through from time to time. But Lamont when alone believes he is just a hamster on a hamster wheel running to nowhere especially after he loses his father to a strange animal attack. Enter our other main character Belko the vampire hunter as Lamont learns the hard way vampires are in town to feed and take over. Lamont is all about helping to save this town as long as it helps the homeless and the sheriff doesn’t get involved as the sheriff gives Lamont a hard time. Little that Lamont knows this life changing event can finally help him get off that so-called hamster wheel of life? The concept and how I explain it makes the film sound a lot better than it is… I mean there is a great idea in there I just felt it wasn’t executed well as I give this project 1 ½ out of 2 stars.

Sonny Boy (Blu-ray) – What if I told you there is this bizarre project released in 1989 that stars Paul Smith, David Carradine, and Brad Dourif you would most likely say “I’m in!” To top it off let me just point out David Carradine does the main song and plays a woman in the film. Plus, Paul Smith owns a cannon that he uses to shit people with if they cross him? Those who have seen this understand and respect the bizarre beauty of this film. This oddity of a story begins in 1970 at a remote hotel where Weasel (Brad Dourif) steals a car unknowingly with a baby in back as he brings it to Slue and Pearl as they are a couple criminals who run a desert town with their wheeling and dealing ways. The couple, mostly Slue, raise the child in their bizarre wicked way to help them take down people who don’t agree with their antics. Years go by until the baby is a full grown adult and the small town has had enough of these criminals. This was a film that you would only hear stories of existing for years as I was lucky enough to get my hands on a bootleg tape many moons ago but now has a great cleaned up physical media copy that needs to be seen in order to understand anybody that has described this wild project! If you are a big movie buff and have not witnessed this you need to fix it right now as I give this project 3 ½ stars.

Invisible Shark (DVD-R) – Independent filmmaker Douglas Waltz is at it again with this wild idea that would make you think old school SyFy channel would have made three of these? No they didn’t as Mr. Waltz makes his David “the rock” Nelson picture where a small town sheriff and deputy are forced to believe there is a shark in their waters when a mangled body washes up on the beach. No one sees the attacks but they see the aftermath as this invisible creature attacks residents of Poloniaville! It takes some time but the police figure out because of the killer animal’s invisibility it doesn’t play by the rules of a regular shark which can work to their advantage of saving the residents. This project is truly wild and insane but this rough cut proves Mr. Waltz believes in giving viewers something wildly strange that they might be missing in their movie watching as I give it 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Bone Sickness (Blu-ray) – This somewhat forgotten Indy gem from Brian Paulin in the early 2000s may finally get the credit and kudos it deserves as the movie has found new life in this new special edition. So Alex is a young guy who is terminally ill with a wife Kristen who will do anything to extend Alex’s life or cure him of his terrible disease. Alex’s best friend Thomas comes up with an idea of feeding Alex bone marrow from the recently departed believing this could help him as Kristen is okay with this too. Alex unknowingly is being fed this and begins to go through some sick and gruesome changes that do cause him hunger for blood, nevermind this causing the dead to rise. As Kristen and Thomas believe they were doing what’s best for Alex’s hunger and health, the film slowly turns into this dream-like zombie gorefest that goes way beyond the usual independent zombie stuff we are used to. Paulin’s project is bizarre, gritty, and an absolutely exciting gooey splatterfest that needs to be cherished. Feels like a crazy combo of Meat Market meets Fulci! Rewatching this movie made me appreciate how freakin good it is and many of the filmmakers out there need to watch and rewatch ‘Bone Sickness’ to understand you can do what you do with passion and little money… It can be done! This special edition that is so worth owning has a new commentary with Brian Paulin and Rich George, another commentary from Cult Movie Obsessives, a new location tour segment, and a featurette “The Morbid History of Bone Sickness” along with some of the older extras from the previous DVD from in the early 2000s. 4 out of 4 stars from beginning to end!

Amityville Bloodlines (Blu-ray) – Oh I have tracked more down as we go with entry #83 from the young filmmaker Blaize Tudor as he brings this sequel to his ‘Amityville Bloodbath’. The 34 minute film brings in a few independent vets we all know and love to tell the story of Dr. Trevor and his experiment “Skull Face” who has been let loose in Amityville killing all big and small in the town. Because of the curse or legacy of Amityville this evil experiment cannot be killed. Also after listening to some of the commentary from Blaize Tudor it helped me understand ‘Amityville Bloodbath’ as I see this as more of a ‘Evil Dead/Evil Dead 2’ thing of its not a remake but not a true sequel also? Confusing, I know but I believe the young man Blaize has stumbled onto something that he left a lot that could be done with this idea unknowingly? I saw Skull Face as more of the curse of Amityville that could go full serial killer or supernatural killer as this got away from the Amityville house in general… Skull Face could be a ghostly entity that continues the curse of the town? Maybe to make a little more sense so yinz don’t feel like I am completely insane, think “In a Violent Nature” as I give this project 2 out of 4 stars. Also too would like to point out it was cool to hear Blaize in his commentary be somewhat critical of his past project connecting to this as some independent commentaries try to beat into you they made the perfect project. 

Critter Collection Volume One (DVD) – Matthew Mark Hunter digs deep to give audiences eight short films of terror that deal with a boy being bitten by a cricket, a man being haunted by a roach in his motel room, a story about a giant centipede or Dinopede, a man collecting bugs and regrets the aftermath, two segments that were made nine years apart about a rat terrorizing a man, puppet bunnies fearing for their lives as one wants to leave the forest. So if you are not a fan of killer animals or bugs this no budget fun may haunt you as I give the project 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Amityville Webcam (Blu-ray) – Welcome to entry #84 that has been floating around for a bit of time but getting to watch it on streaming or physical media form has only been made available recently. Premise of this entry into the series is about demons webcamming in their time off to play a role playing game where they are humans and deal with a possessed webcam. I give it credit for doing something different for sure but I believe it tells its story in 60 minutes and then just repeats for the next 40 minutes after. Again a solid different concept for the series but goes way too long. Don’t get me wrong this isn’t a ‘Mt. Misery Rd.’ mess as I can only give this entry 1 ½ out of 4 stars.

Last + Last After All (DVD) – An animated 16 minute short film broken into two segments of a possible post-apocalyptic Pittsburgh. The first one is about a person who just recently woke up in this new wasteland only to find out they might be the last human alive. The second segment is an odd pair wandering the wasteland. I would love to say I enjoyed it but to me it felt incomplete? But also I am not a huge animation guy so I could be missing something as I give this 1 out of 4 stars.

Amityville Bed & Breakfast (Blu-ray) – Entry #85 literally goes in a direction I am surprised it took this long to get too? This entry into the series has two brothers buying the haunted property cheap because of unpaid taxes. Their challenge for their streaming house flipping show is to fix up the property to make it a bed and breakfast to help the community get rid of the so-called bad PR the house has had since the original murders. As the Beaver brothers progress into the project and weird things begin to happen immediately they learn through some documents that everything might not be supernatural? The Beaver brothers struggle to deal with the so-called fixer upper as the crew keeps disappearing and cash runs low but they get through it all to accomplish their task in this very entertaining entry into the series as I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

Amityville Easter (Blu-ray) – Oh entry #86 into the Amityville series goes in the weird but not totally unexpected direction as a group of influencers head to the Amityville estate at the edge of the Amityville community for an interview with a famous widow that could mean more subscribers and money for them. The property besides being owned by a widow was also the site of a famous murder by a deranged half bunny/half human killer. The influencers were only allowed to be present on the property if they would agree to the widow’s terms and all their equipment was turned over to the butler when they arrived but this group is desperate for content. As they spend the night there things immediately get weird for the influencers from seeing the widow looking very sexual (best way to describe it) and the female influencers made to do an easter egg hunt? All this just for an interview that is believed to be a big pay day unless the half bunny/half human can stop killing them all. This project has its moments and I give it kudos for just being odd from the start so if you need to see a rather weird entry into the series? Look no further as I believe this would be way better to watch with a group as I give it 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Any comments or questions you can send to grossmoviereview@verizon.net 

Gross Movie Reviews #711

0
Posted on by

Gross Movie Reviews #711

Fearless Dragons (Blu-ray) – Severin Films brings a 1980 kung fu classic to new life with this special edition of an unlikely duo of con men who are accused of a robbery they did not commit. Now the two find themselves in a pickle and must work together to find who actually did commit the robbery to clear their names. The story has been used many times since but works on so many different levels in this film. The film might be an Abbott and Costello meet Lethal Weapon routine but the final fight between the unlikely duo and the real villain is pure magic choreography-wise and cinematography-wise! Raid: Redemption owes something to this martial arts project. The blu-ray also features a commentary, an interview with the director, but most importantly an interview with one of the leads in Phillip Ko looking back and speaking fondly of this project as I give it 3 stars.

Blood Sisters (DVD) – Alicia seems like a normal thirty-something woman enjoying a great time with her boyfriend Adam and looking to the future with him. But two old friends come knocking at her door as they bash her for changing as these girls want the old Alicia as they are vampires and as you know vampires are not supposed to change but Alicia has. Martin their master was killed during the 80s and since then the three drifted apart until now that there is a chance they could bring back their master. Alicia sees it as a bad idea of course especially after she has to tell her boyfriend the truth who seems to be cool with everything. They bring Martin back to the life of the undead again only to be disappointed in his assery they didn’t see the first time around. This independent vamp film is not terrible by any means and a fun premise but really lacked any punch to get you excited about the project as I could only give it 2 out of 4 stars.

The Deep Dark (Tubi) – A French creature feature of a mine where some weird stuff happened several decades ago with no answers. The mine is still open but it takes extra money to get a select group of coal miners to take a professor down a shaft to get samples from the so-called “hellhole”! The miners requested to blow a hole in the floor of the cave to go beyond the 1000 meters for the professor to get these samples. The deeper the group goes into this cave the weirder things get as they are surrounded by complete darkness but find some clues of what happened years ago. After a cave-in and the men scrambling to find a way out, that is when the hidden creature goes hunting. The film feels a bit clunky but maybe a better version of ‘The Boogens’ for some horror fans as I give it 2 ½ stars.

Sharks vs. Mermaids (Tubi) – A guy named Derek is committed to an asylum and has come home after several months as he has this strange feeling of returning to the beach his girlfriend disappeared from. When the moon goes full Derek turns full manshark and murders people on the beach aka puts on a shark mask as he runs around like a lunatic while some mermaid sings or yells in the distance. Confused Derek is saved one night by one of these mermaids from other mermaids as there really isn’t any fighting between the two which again if that is the title of your movie “WTF” are you doing but anyway… The biggest mistake from scene one of this film is it going full seriousness not even trying to give it a few laughs as it just ends up as a large boring mess I give 1 out of 4 stars too.

Horror House on Highway Five (DVD) – A super weird 1983 independent flick that has students sent out in the field to do research on scientist Fredrick Bartholomew and his hand in the work of the V2 rocket for the Nazis. What goes along with weirdness is two brothers who lay claim to Bartholomew as they say he lives in their basement and should not be disturbed. Lets not even talk about the bizarre habits of the brothers as bodies are piling up because an individual wearing a Richard Nixon mask is killing people. The movie is either gonna be seen as brilliant or one of the most incoherent things you ever watched as I just go for meh giving it 2 out of 4 stars.

Shot By Night: The Byron C. Miller Collection (Blu-ray) – This collection is eight SOV shorts from Mr. Miller’s middle and high school days he shot with friends. The short films are introduced by a guy trying to scare kids with stories about werewolves, a mummy, zombies, creatures, slashers, etc. Never heard of the dude but it is a fun look into the innocent times of an aspiring filmmaker that should be passed to others in the future to understand this can be done and for fun as I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

Demon Squad: Tooth and Claw (Tubi) – Nick Moon aka bootleg Michael Madsen is a locally known paranormal investigator with a great assistant in Daisy who has stumbled across a monster, more specifically a werewolf or Dogman. The duo is known among the humans and supernatural entities and trusted. Think of a generic Dylan Dog (which I loved). Nick gives into a fake psychic to help him track down this dogman and maybe find a relationship as I give this project 2 out of 4 stars.

Creatures of the Night (Tubi) – No not the Kiss album many of yinz don’t remember but many debate on who actually played on it? This is more of a simple film where a hitman named “Goose” is paid handsomely to show up to a mansion to protect an old man for the evening until 3 am. The crazy old man, excited by the presence of Goose, convinces him to tell stories of monsters, zombies, demons, etc., or read between the lines of the newspapers. An anthology done with a little flare than usual comes off as an old school British sequel to Tales from the Crypt of sorts. Maybe not the cream of the crop anthology but something I wouldn’t sleep on as I enjoyed the wraparound as I give this 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Broken Innocence (DVD) – Another project from filmmaker Chase Dudley who crafts some interesting big budget ideas on a small budget with great cinematography and talented casts. This project isn’t my usual cup of tea about a teenage girl who has been sexually abused over the years by her father who still wants her to be ‘his little girl’. It’s a slow burn of the girl Lilly just not interested in her father touching her or watching her constantly but most importantly she may have broken as she practices manipulation and killing to get what she wants as it all leads up to her losing her shit on her father. Again not my usual viewing choice but impressed with Chase Dudley as he doesn’t stick to one genre, my only concern of his projects is the running time as this goes 110 minutes and in my opinion just like other projects I have watched could use editing down as I give this 2 out of 4 stars.

Popeye Returns (Tubi) – What is this? Number five, six Popeye films out in the past year or so but doesn’t matter as this tries to be a sequel? Anyhow, this time around apparently Popeye is actually a British government experiment that isn’t dead like in the last film that the experimental formula ‘SPN-X’ was used on the man to make him a mutant killer. Five years have passed since he went on a rampage and now he has escaped the black ops facility to go murder the shit out of a summer camp! The first time around was sort of fun, the second time around feels forced and eventful but don’t worry kids they did leave it open for another entry soon as I give this 1 ½ out of 4 stars.

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!  

Gross Movie Reviews #710

0
Posted on by

The Time of Their Lives (DVD) – A fun Abbott and Costello film from 1946 where they don’t play as the duo like they did in most films and also one I never had the pleasure of watching. For the duo this is an odd but interesting ghost flick as Costello plays a character who dies during the Revolutionary War who was trying to help a woman tell people about Benedict Arnold, others, and their plans. The two are shot then thrown into a well at a mansion only to be believed as traitors so their spirits won’t rest. Abbott actually plays the real traitor during the war then his great great grandson shows up again in 1946 at said mansion. The ghosts haunt and will always be considered traitors until they can prove otherwise. Wonderful paranormal film to introduce young viewers too but also the fun of Abbott and Costello as I give this piece of entertainment from yesteryear 3 stars.

On the Edge (YouTube) – Mr. Brocklehurst from across the pond is back at it again with another short film that deals with a man on the edge of sanity. As usual this short film will make you think as this kind gentleman has the ability to churn out great stuff that is outside of the box of usual short films as I give it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.

The Monsters Among Us (DVD) – A super underrated filmmaker Jason Burke is back at it again with his latest effort taking place at Halloween and horror fans this project is quite a treat! Actually a very simple premise of a couple exchanging traditions of Halloween and the repercussions of what happens when you don’t follow them. Again this project is simple, well shot, but most importantly the chemistry between the couple makes this excellent scare work as I give this short film 4 out of 4 stars.

Lifeform Phase One (Tubi) – Yes folks I was giving another Dustin Ferguson project a chance but as usual I came away disappointed. The film is set in 2030 where scientists have discovered an organism deep in space but it escapes to earth to kill people in the woods of L.A. I would be down for the creature called Violentus and all the AI if it didn’t only fill about 12 minutes of the 46 minute running time. But when most of the other time is used for credits and a beginning roll of story that tells you exactly what happens you do find yourself asking “why did I watch this?” I could be mean and I am sure many critics have been but I feel the best thing to say here is I am just disappointed in Mr. Ferguson as he claims to have all these resources to make movies now as I give it 0 stars.

Sting of Death (Tubi) – Who knew? A killer jellyfish movie made in Florida from 1966… kind of. A marine biologist is working hard on his research in Florida on jellyfish only to have his daughter showing up to have a college party at his resort. Time that with missing fishermen and an assistant who is scared but hellbent on proving everyone wrong you get a weird mix of beach party bingo meeting a creature… sort of with a wild Scooby-Doo style ending! This was a wonderful find as this feels like one those flicks that were just made for the drive-in as I give this 2 stars.

Gone with the Witch (DVD) – This Indy chaos comes from the mind of Damon Foster who has a history of making offbeat horror films if that makes sense. Twenty minutes of this would have been just fine, but 90 minutes makes you wonder if it is time to try shrooms while watching this long lost episode of Saturday morning television from the early 90s that is literally a mish mash of everything. The story is somewhat about bootleg Joan Jett aka Siouxsie Nikki Jett who is looking for a roommate. But between her getting a magical wand and her love for Turkish rip-offs it sets up for a headache of flying monkeys, bad fights in front of a green screen, random knowledge of Turkish movies, telepathic abilities, as nothing is off limits. The movie feels it beats you over the head with weirdness instead of allowing you to be invited in for the adventure as I can only give this 1 out of 4 stars.

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!  

Gross Movie Reviews #704

0
Posted on by

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.

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!  

Gross Movie Reviews #703

0
Posted on by

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.

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!  

Gross Movie Reviews #702

0
Posted on by

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.

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!  

Gross Movie Reviews #700

0
Posted on by

Nightmares Unleashed (DVD) – The newest project to come out of MMH Productions where this kind sir goes out of their comfort zone to bring something I would perhaps call “Fantasy horror”. A young woman has just gotten a new VHS tape called ‘Cult of the Scarecrow’ and quickly finds herself sucked into the movie by an evil jester called, “Joseph the Clown”. At first being a huge horror fan the young woman believes it is just wild to be standing near the cult members and be in the movie but then it all becomes too real as the cult members want a virgin! She is saved for now by a young man Matthew who has been looking for his sister. Together Raven and Matthew must cross several movies to fight off witches, zombies, tree monsters, a demented scientist, vampires, a summer camp killer, and a fun house to escape Joseph as he has created in this movie world a prison for him to play with people who watch these obscure horror films. Raven and Matthew’s goal becomes saving the kids to defeat Joseph but that only sounds good in theory. The project dares to be totally different, has a ‘Funnyman’ kind of vibe to it, and the Joseph the clown character keeps the film creepy yet alluring at the same time and for that I gotta give this interesting piece of cinema 3 out of 4 stars.    

Deathboard (DVD) – This 2020 Brad Twigg horror film may have gotten overlooked as a lot of projects did during that year revolves around a young woman buying a beautiful house cheap. Once a group of friends come over to help celebrate she lets them in on how she got it so cheap and couldn’t pass it up. As she explains the house used to be the home of a brutal psycho four years ago but has since passed. Of course Val and friends go investigate the basement that even when buying no one looked at? But they find an Ouija board and kiddingly try to conjure the spirit of the brutal killer of Psycho Cyrus. After a scene of pizza eating, dealing with sexual harassment pizza guy, too much drinking, too much sharing about their sexual encounters, we get to the good stuff as the killer wastes no time slaughtering their way through the friends. But wait there is more… what comes with this cool little project is not just the great ‘Slumber Party Massacre’ and ‘Sorority Babes in the Slime Bowl-O-Rama’ vibes but a cool ending that ties some things together as I gotta give this little known Indie feature 3 out of 4 stars.

Creep Footage 3: ‘Night Nurse (DVD) – Didn’t even see the first two films, hell didn’t know they existed but when did that ever stop me from watching sequels out of order? Anyway, this 23 minute short that is done like a cool History channel-style documentary of sorts about a character ‘Nurse Candy’. This said Nurse Candy who interacts with a dangerous patient ‘Apple’ in asylum is the direct cause of an evil event Halloween 1988. The person Apple was already a danger but the actions of Nurse Candy led this Apple character to an evil night of bloodshed. Documentary, found footage stuff I will leave it to you what you think but great people involved with the short and glad a great young actor pointed it out to me as I give it 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

The Priest: Thanksgiving Massacre (Tubi) – You know me kids if I am not tracking down Amityville flicks I gotta keep that ‘massacre’ list going as many years ago a priest commits a terrible sin then doubles down on it by committing suicide. Now present day a family is spending an awkward holiday at a secluded cabin in the woods together. We learn because of dad’s porn star girlfriend using the steam room too much it awakens the undead priest from under the floor boards of said cabin. They all believe it is the son trying to be creepy and watch his sister undress in the crawlspace even though he finds the journal of the undead priest. But it is all set into motion as this undead bastard can smell sin in the air! Once after the journal is found and looks like this film is going to be a lot of awkward fun it comes to a screeching crawl of waiting for this undead bastard to kill them all which of course doesn’t happen. People yinz had something here and yinz let go to waste as this was barely a massacre so I can only give it 1 star.

Amityville Aliens (DVD) – So entry #77 has come into our lives as a 75 minute project that is a project that featuring shorts put together in a way that connects to Amityville? The film begins with legendary Donald Farmer intro that leads into the films we are about to watch were confiscated from a Black Ops shelter in New Mexico about alien encounters in Amityville, New York. The first short takes us into a post-apocalyptic war between aliens and residents of Amityville. The second short film is Martian Girl Massacre which is a delightfully gooey mess about a young woman being possessed by a giant pink alien in the backyard that causes her to slaughter friends in return her prize is being slaughtered horribly by the alien. Third short film is a black and white throwback where Galactic Samurai Schoolgirls visiting Amityville to gather men but instead find some mobster underlings. The fourth short film takes place in 1928 Amityville where an older woman and her shotgun have an encounter with a stop motion werewolf in armor. Oh by the way nevermind the Miller High Life box you’ll see in the cupboard at the beginning, remember its 1928… The fifth short comes off as an old paranormal public access show tackling aliens in Amityville and they reveal the main cause of the horror in Amityville is the space fungus in the soil? This entry is quite entertaining, hell hilarious at times but two things here: first I would have arranged these shorts very differently because I would have ended the project with the post-apocalyptic short instead of opening the film with it. This just throws off the vibe of watching these “so-called” confiscated films plus I felt that project was a terrible lead into Martian Girl Massacre which is a fun watch on its own. Second the two highlights that will have Amityville fans clamoring for more are the Martian Girl Massacre and Galactic Samurai Schoolgirls. These two projects are the most polished but most importantly felt like they were the most versatile as they could be put out there in the world on their own but at the same time they fit perfectly into an Amityville space anthology. I would go as far as maybe these two projects overshadow the others but hey I just review these things as I give entry #77 into the series 2 ½ out of 4 stars. P.S. you can always send me your Amityville arguments or comments.

Bionic Ninja (YouTube) – Well apparently someone was bored again on social media as they declared “this movie is the worst of all time”. Of course you now have my attention just because of the title but I hate when people do this because I hate to say it “you are usually wrong”. It’s just an opinion kids. This 1986 film has a secret tech film stolen in Hong Kong that has the KGB and CIA fighting over possession of it. Sadly there aren’t any cyborg ninjas but there is a bunch of non-stealthy ninjas employed by the KGB who want the film. Beginning to end it is filled with ninjas, fights, car stunts, and even the Miami Vice theme song?! Even though the whole film is based on which world power will get this secret it feels like this film was all about random ninjas being non-stealthy unlike some of the other early 80s ninja films that are classics. Sorry kids go back to social media claim some other bullshit because this movie was far from being the worst as I found it quite entertaining at times as I give it at least 2 stars. Also have yinz ever watched Hereditary? Now there is at least an argument to throw out there on your Google machines…

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!  

Gross Movie Reviews #699

0
Posted on by

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.

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!  

Gross Movie Reviews #698

0
Posted on by

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.

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!  

Gross Movie Reviews #696

0
Posted on by

You’re All Doomed (DVD) – Mark Polonia showing no signs of slowing down brings in the usuals for his no budget slasher quickie. In 1986 at Camp Hollow a maintenance guy neglects a gas line and blows himself up as he receives the nickname “Crispy” because not only he survives but still to this day looks all charred up. A few years go by as Crispy returns to said camp to exact revenge which because of this the camp shuts down, now it moves to present day. Owner of the camp brings in a cleanup crew of four to do what is needed before they bulldoze the place for a new shopping center. But Crispy decides it is time to escape the asylum and have one more killing spree! The movie doesn’t waste any time telling the story here as if you are a slasher fan or completest yinz are going to want to view this project as I give it 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Dropbear (Tubi) – You had me at ‘Killer Koalas’! A group of tourists get scammed by a bootleg Steve Irwin or Steve-O. Literally they named the character after the crocodile guy in this Aussie film; anyway the tourists follow this dude into the outback for adventure. But the sad adventure gets real interesting when their asses walk right into a lair of killer koalas that have mutated from government experiments. The topper there is one mutation the government cannot find and it’s this massive leader that is pissed they have ruined his home years ago and apparently is immune to gun fire. This film could have been better but also could have been so much worse so I say just go into it just enjoying the corniness as I give it 2 stars.

Night Fright (DVD) – This fun monstrous oldie comes out of 1967 where an object falls to the woods one near Satan’s Hollow. A young couple investigates more like trying to make out and see a flash of light only to become victims of a mysterious creature. The sheriff baffled by the outcome and the government already closing off the area still investigates other attacks away from the crash. Soon it becomes clear the creature isn’t an alien but a mutation from the government who sent up in a rocket many months ago to study space travel only for it to crash land back on earth. Now said project is pissed and mangling humans when they cross it. A fun flashback to B-movies at the drive-ins we have heard so many stories about as I give it 2 ½ stars.

Cocaine Roach (Tubi) – This one is way late to the party after ‘Cocaine Bear’ but it beat out ‘Amityville Cocaine’ (yes it was a real project up until December 2025 when it finally got taken off IMDb) . In this hilarious adventure a couple of middle aged dudes lose their jobs and they are in need of money and drugs. They are con into working for their drug dealer along with an associate and a girlfriend to head to the drop house that automatically locks once inside. The only one with the key is the money man who will only show up at the time that was given. Things go from bad to worse when one gets shot and the cocaine fueled roaches that live there eat the person. Not a great film by any means but wasn’t all horrible if it made me laugh several times throughout as I give it 2 out of 4 stars.

Dummy (Fawesome) – Again Polonia busy as ever and working at break neck pace releases a tale of a retiring ventriloquist who bombs at his last performance with his puppet ‘Chucklehead’. Archibald the ventriloquist had a long career that seen a lot of ups but now a long downward spiral sees the only option is suicide. (I did enjoy the reference to “That’s Incredible” by one character explaining Archibald the Great.) Archibald’s suicide causes his spirit to go into Chucklehead and begins his reign of terror over the hotel patrons of where they were staying after the last show. Whether you enjoy the film or not the thing I respect and enjoy was the use of same locations for multiple things and ideas Corman style as the legendary Mark Polonia keeps writing his own story in his own style of independent filmmaking as I give the project 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Bears on a Ship (Xumo Play/YouTube) – The major airline unions have gone on strike which sucks for a rich newly married couple who want to leave Mexico after honeymooning. So they hitch a ride on a large vessel that many others have also since the airline industry is not moving. So in a drug hazed bad decision after it’s learned that there is a bear on the boat this individual lets the bear out of its cage. Nevermind the first almost 40 minutes of filler that wasn’t needed, come on people we just want killer bears! Anyhow, the bear that is some kind of special animal from the Mexican jungle and can be barely seen throughout the film runs amok as the vessel barrels towards the states. This movie makes ‘Grizzly 2’ look like ‘Grizzly’. Honestly this had potential but they filled the story with character filler instead of just dropping money into practical or better computer effects of the bear killing people? I mean you did call your movie “Bears on a Ship”, we degenerate horror fans expect a fun mess to enjoy, and not filler as I can only give this project 1 out of 4 stars.

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!