Blood Feast (4K/remake) – I had no expectations going into this film because just like a lot of horror movie fans I felt this had been done already… ‘Blood Diner’ anyone?! Hell even ‘Blood Feast 2’ made a decade or two ago? But of course that didn’t stop anyone as an American family the Ramses headed to Paris six months ago to start up an American restaurant/diner thing. Owner Fuad Ramses and his diner are having tough times so he has been working a second job as night security dude at a museum. One morning Fuad has lost his pills which are critical to his health (according to Caroline Williams, the wife) and that night he witnesses Ishtar. Ishtar fascinates Fuad so much he goes to the library to do research on the goddess. Thus his research makes Fuad believe he has found the answer to his failings in Paris and it all starts with preparation for a giant feast that upcoming Saturday night with his family. Not only is he feeding on those he is killing but his family will also feast all in the name of Ishtar! There is no doubt the film went out of its way to be gory as hell. The cast and structure was great as Robert Rusler stole the flick with his performance that felt like he should have been in the 1963 original film as Fuad. Also it was great seeing an appearance of H.G. Lewis doing a YouTube thing giving backstory to Ishtar, a very tasteful gesture of a cameo. But my original stance on the film is still 2 out of 4 stars. Let me explain: If there was no original H.G. Lewis I think myself and other horror fans would have celebrated this release as soon as it was announced because this remake is solid and wonderful. But the biggest problem for any filmmaker is you are tackling something “historical” not only in minds of horror movie fans but just fans of “cinema”. So at least for me as I watch this version (as good as Robert Rusler was) I cannot get that original out of my mind let alone the over the top greatness called “Blood Diner” from the 80s. Hell, there is still a large portion of horror fans still learning of the legend of H.G. Lewis? This film I believe falls under the category “of it will be appreciated by horror fans in a decade or so after its release…” Also with this 4K version is the uncut version of the film, a ‘making of’ featurette, music video, red carpet premiere in 2018, promo teaser, and Scare cam. The full package itself I give 3 out of 4 stars and can be found through www.synapsefilms.com .

Desert Shadows (Tubi) – This little weirdo creature feature has Mitch Pileggi as Donnie who has lost his brother out in the desert when hunting one afternoon. Donnie has this crazy story about a monster or Baru in this case has taken him. With no one believing him he finds a Professor Ridley at a university who does believe and knows of a possible experiment that had rumored escapee at an old shutdown government facility near the disappearance. With the help of the professor’s assistant Morgan, Donnie and her go back and look for clues in hopes of finding Donnie’s brother? Instead they find some aftermath of victims of the creature which it might be a parasite that cocoons its victims to change them, mold them. Come on people, weird creature, government facility, and the bad ass dude that played Skinner on X-files! Gimme this shit all day as I give this fun creature flick 2 ½ stars.

Hair Metal Shotgun Zombie Massacre (You Tube) – After a few years of trying to track this one down for my list (yes for those that pay attention I have a massacre list just like an Amityville list and we are now under eight movies to find on my massacre list out of like 220) I watched this on You Tube on some kind of channel that is a virtual theater??? Anyway, this film takes place somewhere in Texas after 1989 it claims where four desperate metal heads and their drummer screw up with an evil book. The band is struggling to make it and to record an album but finally get their chance at a studio that was placed inside a cottage in the middle of a cemetery that was used to bury rapists and murders. Yes indeed, that is Metal! Of course after getting the booze and drugs going they find the evil book in the basement of this studio and decide to use it for their music. Thus of course brings forth the dead in this rather gory little Indy film that has zombies crashing the recording session. Surrounded by the undead and even with their flame throwing guitar there is nothing to do but pray to Satan for help who is played by none other Tom Araya, who shows up to make the film worth the watch just for this moment! The 83 minute Indy film has its moments and is a definite must watch if you were a metal person in the 80s and early 90s as kudos to the filmmakers for keeping that vibe throughout the feature. The only thing I could of maybe added to this is if they would have gotten W.A.S.P. front man Blackie Lawless to show up with Tom Araya or one be god and the other to be Satan now that would have been wonderful? But fun times with this metal zombie chaos as yeah it could have been edited to probably 70 minutes but it has some great gore, good music, and fucking Tom Araya from Slayer as I give this 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

Pot Zombies (DVD/You Tube) – An Indy film from the early 2000s I remember being advertised at some of the horror conventions I use to go to at that time. This quick flick directed by Justin Powers has some locals secretly placing radioactive material into the weed seedlings. So now whoever smokes the weed turns green and has the munchies for human flesh! There really isn’t an ending to this movie but there is a sequel I plan on checking out soon and if you look up this film you will come across my favorite person of all time T-shirt Joe Garcia of www.fastcustomshirts.com making shirts and talking about the film as I give this no budget flick 2 out of 4 stars.

Nightmare Alley (DVD/remake) – A recent remake of a film that was unknown to me as I mostly check out horror flicks and such but anytime the name Guillermo Del Toro is attached to it you got my attention. This is a period piece that starts I believe some time after the first World War about a man Bradley Cooper playing a drifter who hooks up with a carnival one evening. As he stays and learns the ins and outs of the carnival lifestyle he meets a young woman named Molly that he cannot keep his eyes off of. After a while he convinces her to leave with him and two years later they have a mentalist duo act that caters to the rich. Bradley Cooper or Stan is warned of using these powers too much or for not so good things as they will lead to trouble? But as he starts to believe his own bullshit seeing the money getting bigger and bigger his life begins to crumble around him. This is a great telling of the Freakshow business in the first half of the 1900s. Again this isn’t a horror movie as much as an interesting drama as I give it 3 stars.

Willard (DVD) – Food of the Gods, SyFy Channel, etc., owe a lot to this classic that doesn’t get talked about much these days that also not only had a sequel of sorts but a remake with Crispin Glover that was dark and wonderful. It is always fun to go back and revisit something like this 1971 classic about a young man Willard, who is stuck in a terrible job where he is overworked and overwhelmed by his controlling mother. But things are about to change for Willard as he makes friends with a rat outside of his mother’s home and the friendship blossoms that helps Willard come out of his shyness. But just when things are beginning to look great for Willard, his mother dies, he is about to lose his house, and that ignorant boss of his has just fired him causing friction between Willard and his new rat friends. Fun horror stuff that is kind of light hearted by today’s standards but was definitely the template for future “animal attacks horror films” and “rat horror films”. Just as equally good is the remake with Crispin Glover which I believe is a more sinister and darker version of this film also worth checking out as I give this 3 stars.

Hold that Ghost (DVD) – A 1941 film that has Abbott and Costello in their second film ever as the comedy act play relief waiters who get fired the first night on. They then become gas station attendants to make ends meet. Trying to explain jobs that don’t exist any longer for those who don’t even know this was a job long ago? Anyway these two somehow get mixed up with a mob man Moose Manson and are with him when he dies so they get to inherit supposedly a haunted hotel. From there as someone is murdered and two guys claiming to be detectives but disappear as the hilarity ensues. This is just a fun reset for horror fans that are looking for that movie to help cleanse the palate before doing another deep dive in cinema as I give this 3 stars.

Blood Gorge (You Tube) – I received a screener of a 40 minute independent horror film from a new name to the scene Victor Gabriel who wrote and directed this slasher film that takes place around Halloween. Victor gets right to the point in this straight forward Indy slasher where a masked man is slaughtering his way through a group of young people with some fun unique kills. The cast is likable, Victor was sure to keep this tight so the story doesn’t grow dull (it’s hard to bring something new if anything to the slasher genre), love the Faces of Death jacket to engrain that 80s horror feel, but the surprise good thing of this first effort out is the effects as they are just delightful to see! Victor and company are not reinventing the wheel here but this has that “let’s see if we can accomplish this first before we do what we really want to do next” kind of film feel. An experimental project if you like to say as I believe they have succeeded with flying colors! Great stuff from a new name to me in the Indy world and look forward to seeing what is next as I give this project 3 out of 4 stars.

Saltville (DVD/You Tube) – From the mind that gave us Indy lovers “Music Store Massacre” comes an independent drama about racism still existing in a small mountain town of Virginia and the past coming back to haunt those who are corrupt. You know me this isn’t my usual cup of independent film tea but always enjoy getting to see stuff from a filmmaker that is completely off the beaten path. A brother returns home after twenty some years after a disappearance of their sister in the mountains that still haunts them. They disagree on just about everything including the new ski resort that is going to be built on the mountain but requires removing or forcing people who have lived up there out of their forest homes for hundreds of years. Sleazy lawyer, sinister plans to remove people, inbred blue people, racism, a missing sister, and using the Civil War as a back drop for this drama makes for an interesting project as I got give this film 2 ½ out of 4 stars.

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