Welcome to our last edition of Review from the Horror Chamber for 2012. Sorry for not having an edition of Reviews from the Horror Chamber out last month, as I was busy with other Horrorpalooza activities. This is a very exciting edition, so let’s get started.

Strippers vs. Werewolves

“Strippers vs. Werewolves” takes place at a strip club known as The Silvadollaz. Things get troublesome when Justice (Adele Silva), an exotic dancer uses a silver fountain pen to stab a customer’s eye. Unknown to her, he’s a werewolf. When the pack’s leader finds the customer’s lifeless corpse, he and his hungry boys are out for revenge. Unknown to him, his second in command is dating Justice and he accidently bites her. Now werewolves are out for revenge, but the dancers at the Silvadollaz are ready for them. This leads to a confrontation between low esteem werewolves and strippers barreling shotguns. The film also co-stars Robert England (Nightmare on Elm Street), Steven Berkoff (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)) and Barbara Nedeljakova (Hostel) co-star in the film.

“Strippers and Werewolves” may not be for everyone, but I enjoyed this film. Director Jonathan Gendening does a very good job making the film have an eighties vibe. You can defiantly hear that in the music selections and the way that some of the scenes play out. It made the action fun, which is what you want with a film like this. Gendening also does a good job getting the acting to work with the film’s tone. I enjoyed, how he was able to make the characters fun instead of being annoying. It helped make the film fun.

The screenplay written by Pat Higgins isn’t going to win many awards, but I liked how he told the story. The film had a comic book feel from the main plot of the film to the subplot with the clumsy vampire hunter. It keeps your interest and you’re not feeling bored. He also tones down the amount on nudity in the screenplay. Going into a film like this, you’re thinking that this is the perfect film for an abundant amount of this element. Thankfully, it wasn’t the case. I like this, because this it allows the film to focus on the characters. It makes the characters fun to watch. At the end of the day, I’d rather have that, than have a film that uses nudity as its main drawing point.

“Strippers vs. Vampires succeeds on being a fun comic bookish action/horror film, instead of relying of exploitive elements and being flat out dull

Review Rating: Three and a half Stars

Ground Zero

“Ground Zero” is about two professional cleaners, who are hired to collect a frozen corpse that is located in the high mountains and dispose it in an old warehouse. They soon discover that body that they’ve collected is infected with a virus that brings the body to life, as a member of the undead. Now with a rising corpse and a rising body count, the cleaners must find away to stop the infection before the area becomes ground zero.

“Ground Zero” is a dark and different zombie film. Director and co-writer Channing Lowe does a very good job making the film feel dark. He does that, by using locations that gives you a very creepy feel in your stomach. It also gives the film its gloomy feeling and made the film feel different from other zombie films. The other thing that Lowe does well, he gets the performances that he needs. He does a very good job making the performance fit this film’s dark tone. It helped cover up the boring zombie scenes in the film.

The screenplay written by Lowe, Aaron W. Peterson and Steve Darling was for the most part was good. What I liked about the screenplay, it spends time developing the characters. I was going into this film thinking that it was going to be action packed, but thankfully it wasn’t the case. The writers do a very good job spending time and getting to know the characters, as that made the film interesting. The only problem that I really had with this film was the fact the zombie action was poorly conceived. It felt like every time a character was alone in the room, a zombie shows up and gets bit during a zombie fight. It would have been more interesting, if there were more than one people at time. It really brings the film down a bit, but it’s still worth it for the dark tone and characters.

“Ground Zero” may not be the film for zombie lovers, but it’s effective with its tone and characters.

Review Rating: Three Stars

Speaking of zombies, we have another film that deal with zombies in a fun way.

Zombies vs. Strippers

“Zombies vs. Strippers” takes place in a rundown strip club that is on its last legs. But things are going to get worse at “The Tough Titty”. The club’s owner has been losing lots of money on his business and finally is getting the traffic that he needs to keep the club open. Too bad, the patrons are the living dead. Now he and his employees of beautiful women must fend off these fiends, before they become their next meal.

With a title like “Zombies vs. Stripers”, I thought this would very boring with all the sexual elements. But thankfully, I had a good time. First time director, Alex Nicolaou (son of “Subspecies” director Ted Nicolaou) does a very good job making the film fun for what it’s worth. He does a very good job with the way that he handles the gore effects. They make all the horror violence very bloody and keeps you interested. The other thing that he does well, he manages to get the performances that he needs to make the film entertaining. The cast really brought personality to the characters. It makes the humor and their characters entertaining. It’s one of the better acted in Full Moon films in a while.

The screenplay written by Nicolaou, Nick Francomano and Kent Roudebush does a very good job making the story fun. One of the reasons why it strangely worked was the fact that they did a good job setting up the characters. For a b-movie of this nature, you need likeable characters. This film has it. With characters like a whiney strip club owner to a clumsy stripper, the characters had traits that made them entertaining. They also do a good job balancing the action and abundant amount of nudity. They do that, by making some of the action scenes very gory and they makes the lines very cheesy that it generates laughs. If those didn’t happen, then this would’ve not been fun to watch and the film would have felt mindnumbing.

“Zombies vs Strippers” is fun little b-movie filled with gore effects, nudity and action that keeps you entertained.

Review Rating: Three Stars

Goliad Uprising

The film takes place during a new technology craze, where a gadget known as early
adaptors have been sweeping off store shelves. But for unexpected buyers, they don’t know what the gadget is doing. The only way to get out of being controlled by the corporations is to rise up against them.

I was surprising enjoyed this film considering that this has less action, than your normal conspiracy film. One of the reasons was the way the direction was handled. Writer/director Paul Bright does a very good job making the tone of the film very dark. Whether it’s the way that the film was shot to the tone of the story, he does a very good job making the film very dark. It made it more interesting. The other thing that I liked about Bright’s direction was how he manages to get the performances out of his lead actors. It really makes the film interesting and makes you forget the lack of action. Both Shannon Lark and Aaron Weisinger did a very good job making their characters interesting. It helped keep my interest, as sometimes performances can help a film out tremendously.

Bright’s screenplay was also good. One of things that the screenplays does well, it develops the characters and the situation. I liked how, he spends some time in the story that gets you into the flow of the film. By not rushing things, it allows for everything in the story from the characters to the conflict to be developed. The other thing that this screenplay does well was that it established its tone. This was a very dark film from beginning to end, but what made it consistent was its tone. By making it dark, it allows for all the preachy elements to work within the context of the story and be effective. If this wasn’t effective, then the tone of the film would have suffered.

This film may not be for those sci-fi fans that like action. “Goliad Uprising” keeps your interest in the characters and tells a good story with good lead performances.

You can order this film on the film's official website at: http://www.goliaduprising.com

Review Rating: 3.5 Stars.

Welcome to edition number 43 of Reviews from the Horror Chamber. In this edition, you will be treated to reviews of Charles Band’s latest film “The Dead Want Women”. Pupper Master 3’s David DeCoteau’s latest “Snow White: A Deadly Summer, and the independent horror film “Outtake Reel”.

Let’s get started.

“The Dead Want Women”
Year: 2012
Director: Charles Band
Stars: Shanley Caswell, Maureen McCormick, Eric Roberts
Studio: Full Moon Features
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 72 Mins.

“The Dead Want Women” is about a twenties silent film star who goes on a murdering spree, after she loses her studio contract. Years later, her mansion is abandoned when two realtors buy the house and remodeled it. They soon discover the house’s dark past and the ghosts that reside there. Now, the girls are trapped in a nightmare, where the ghosts are the directors.

I might be in the minority here, but “The Dead Want Woman was a decent film. The film has flaws, but it kept my interest through its short running time. Director Charles Band does a good job keeping the film moving at a brisk pace. He does that, by making the film feel all comic bookish. From the scenery to the acting, it somehow kept my interest. Speaking of the acting, Band did a good job getting the performances that he needed. The actors and actresses brought personality to their roles. This film wouldn’t have worked for me, if the performances didn’t have personality that grabbed my attention. The only problem that I had watching the film was the fact that it felt too short. It could have used another ten minutes or so to develop the main characters.

Kent Roudebush’s screenplay was for the most part flat. The major grip that I have with the screenplay is the fact that the main characters were under developed. This screenplay felt like it had a first act and a third act with the second act missing. When that happens, you’re hoping that the direction is good enough so that it would end up as a guilty pleasure film. Even though, I liked how Roudebush spends time developing the back story of the film. Sadly, the payoff isn’t that great due to the middle part being short.

Don’t expect much from “The Dead Want Women”, as it has good direction and a good set up, but falls flat on character development and action.

Review Rating: Two and Half Stars

Speaking of Eric Roberts, here’s another film which he co-stars

“Snow White: A Deadly Summer”
Year: 2012
Director: David DeCoteau
Stars: Shanley Caswell, Maureen McCormick, Eric Roberts
Studio: Lionsgate
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 83 Mins.

“Snow White: A Deadly Summer” follows Snow, a troubled teenager who gets caught up in a web of lies and is sent off to a discipline camp. There, things get worse for her. The campers there are being killed by someone unknown to them. Now, Snow must find a way to stop the killings, before she becomes the killer’s latest victim.

I’ve seen a lot of David Decoteau’s films over the years, but this might just be his worse film. I don’t where to start. His direction was just horrible. When you’re filming night scenes that look like they were shot in daylight, then your film has a serious problem. It looked like; Decoteau was taking countless shortcuts with the way that he was directing this film and not paying attention to detail. It hurts the quality of the film and makes it look cheap. Also, there’s no attempt to make any the characters interesting through the acting. His direction made the characters even duller then they already were.

Barbara Kymlicka’s screenplay isn’t much better. One of the things that I didn’t like about this screenplay was the fact that the characters were one-dimension. She doesn’t do anything to make the characters interesting and noticeable. That’s what made the characters boring. The other thing that makes this bad, there’s no tension in the film’s action. Kymllicka doesn’t do anything to create conflict, as I was bored with the story for the entire time.

“Snow White: A Deadly Summer” is no fairy tale, as the direction is horrible and the screenplay is flat our dull.

Review Rating: One Star

Finally in our independent spotlight, the found footage horror film "Outtake Reel".

“Outtake Reel”
Year: 2012
Director: Scott Fienblatt
Stars: Ava Santana, Scott Fienblatt, Jeffery Chaffin
Studio: Backyard Films
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 75 Mins.

“Outtake Reel” is about a behind the scenes filmmaker, who stirs up trouble on set of a horror film. The film’s director becomes very angry with the filmmaker antics. This sends the director spiraling out of control, as it leads him on a deranged journey into madness. Will any one survive the director’s onslaught and make it to the final reel. The film features special appearances from B-movie screen queen Tiffany Shepis and Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman.

“Outtake Reel” is by far the best of the films reviewed in this edition. Directors Scott Fienblatt and Jeffery Chaffin did a very good job using the found footage format to create an intense film. One of the things that made this good was the fact that they shot this film on digital video instead of film. It gives the film its realistic feel, when you’re watching it. It was a combination of faux behind the scenes footage and faux video diaries that help crafted what you’re looking at on screen. The other thing that the directors did well, they spend the time make sure that theirs and lead actress Ava Santana’s performances to feel realistic that your glued to the screen. If the performances didn’t have a realistic tone to it, then this would’ve been a long film to watch. Thankfully, the performances were the best part of the film.

I hate to know what’s going to happen to the main characters, in the beginning of the film. Thankfully, Fienblatt’s screenplay does a very good job maintain your interest through the fact that you know the fate of one of the main characters. He’s was able to keep my interest, by adding a couple of twists that made the story interesting. The twists did a very good job adding to the film story. By doing that, it doesn’t feel like a bunch of characters talking all the way to the last scenes and it makes you wonder where the story is going. It covers up the fact that you already know what happens, as you’re interested in the film’s story.

This film might not be for all horror fans, but this is one of the better micro budget found footage films that is currently out in the market place. “Outtake Reel” shocks you to the last reel.

For information on how you can purchase this film, you can visit the film’s official website at: http://www.outtakereel.com.

Review Rating: Four Stars

A Serbian Film

The first film on this edition is the controversial film “A Serbian Film”. The film follows Milos, a retired porn star looking to break away from the business. His family is going through financial troubles, when a mysterious porn actress offers him a job opportunity. Milos is then introduced to the film’s director Vukmir. He offers Milos a millionaire contract. But what Milos find out that Vukmir is in the business of directing snuff films that involve horrible things. Now trapped in Vukmir’s world, Milos must find a way out for him and his family.

“A Serbian Film” is one of those films that will leave you disturbed from start to finish. Co-writer/ director Srdjan Spasojevic gives "Human Centipede" director Tom Six a run for his money as one of the most disturbing directors out there. "A Serbian Film" is one of the most shocking films to come out of 2011. One of the things that makes Spasojevic's direction shocking was the fact that the images were horrific. Spasojevic never lets up on those aspects, when it got to that point in the film. Thankfully the distributor cut out the truly horrific parts that made this film so controversial or this would have never ever been released here or being considered for review.

The screenplay written by Spasojevic and Alexsandar Radivojevic does a good job building the film's dark tension. I liked the way the writers build up the tension, before it gets into the film's shocking elements. It gives you the uneasy feeling that you need for this type of film. The other thing that makes the screenplay work, the fact that the first act moves slow. Usually that is a bad thing, but its needed for a shock film to succeed.

"A Serbian Film" is one of the most shocking film that you’ll ever see and isn't for the weak at heart.

Review Rating: Three and a Half Stars

Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Boogie

Enough with the disturbing stuff. “Gingerdead Man 3 Saturday Night Boogie” is the latest film from director William Butler, who directed the last Gingerdead Man film and “Demonic Toys 2”. The film follows the Gingerdead man, as he finds a way to escape the Research of Homicidal Baked Goods. There, he finds a time machine inside the research facility. The Gingerdead man finds a way to use it and transport himself to the 1970’s . When he arrives, he stumbles upon a roller boogie contest and begins killing the people there. The only person who can stop him is a young girl, who has a gift of telekinesis. Can she stop him before he ushers in a new wave of terror?

Going into this film, I had the feeling that I was going to totally hate this film. The whole series didn't appeal to me that much like other Full Moon staples. Still, at least the film works on a guilty pleasure level.
Co-Writer/director William Butler does a very good job making this film work as a solid B-movie. One of things that makes that work, the fact that everything is over the top in a good way. From the acting to all the blood splattering gore, its cheesy and absurd enough that it makes the film fun. It's what you want with a film like this.

The screenplay written by Butler and Muffy Bolding does a good job making the story work, as a B-movie. I liked, how they work the crude humor into the story. They do a good job creating the humor that your interested in the film, instead of shutting it off midway through. The writers also develop the main characters. In films like this, I just want the characters to be fun and interesting enough to help my enjoyment of the film. This film does that, because the writers spend the time developing the characters that your going to like and not like. It makes a B-movie like this fun to watch.

If there was one major grip that I had with the screenplay, it tries to spoof too much. There are references to "The Silence of the Lamb", "Carrie" and time traveling films here. To me, it seems like one big spoof than a comedy/horror film. It took away some of the enjoyment of this film. I wished that this was an original story than trying to spoof other classic films.
"Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver" isn't going to win many style points. If your looking for a film that is absurd and enjoyable at the same time, then this film is going to work for you.

Review Rating: Three Stars

Evil Bong 3: The Wrath of Bong

From one Full Moon series to another. “Evil Bong 3: The Wrath of Bong” is the latest entry in Full Moon’s “Evil Bong series. This time around, the stoners find an alien bong that mysteriously landed in the middle of nowhere. Like the previous films, they can’t help using the bong for their personal pleasure. But once they use the bong, they become enslaved by Alien Bong and the sexy Alien chicks. In order to get themselves out of this mess, they have to enlist the help of Grandpa and the foul mouth Evil Bong, Can the stones stop the Alien Bong, before everything goes up in smoke?

Evil Bong 3” is one of those film where you enjoy it, but feel like that you’re watching the same film. Charles Band does a very good job with the direction here, as he has to try and save this film. One of the things that makes his good, he’s able to get the performances to likeable that you forget that your watching an average movie. I liked, how Band is able make his actors bring personality to their roles. It helps, when the screenplay is lagging a bit. The other that I liked about his direction, he’s able to keep the audience interested. Band makes his characters stand out from the quirks that his characters have to the way that alien beauties come on screen with the different colors on them. Its make the film work on a fun level.

August White, who wrote the first two films is back again as the screenwriter. I thought, the screenplay was the weakest of the three films. One of the things that I didn’t like about it, the film’s story moves at a slow pace. The reason that I felt that way, the story didn’t click with me. The main reason for this, most of the humor. It’s the humor that made the first two film fun. This time, I was bored for most of it. Also, I thought, the new characters were obnoxious and the return of a couple of character in the series felt forced and was there just to please the fans. I don’t mind seeing the characters, but don’t put them out there to make an appearance and that’s it. It feels forced and disrupts the story.

“Evil Bong 3” should have been a fun time considering Charles Band did a good job with his direction, but it screenplay that drains most of the fun out of this entry.

Review Rating: 2.5 Stars

Zombie Allegiance

The final film is this edition is “Zombie Allegiance”. The film takes place in post World War III. It follows a group of survivors living in a world, where the dead out number the living. They must band together to find shelter and a community where they can live peacefully and call home. But what they encounter are a bunch of zombies that are out to eat them or turn them into a member of the undead.

“Zombie Allegiance was one of those films that has everything but a good screenplay. Writer and director Tony Nunes does a very good job with his direction. I liked, how he’s able to keep the tone of the film throughout. It gave me the doom and gloom feel that you need in zombie movie. That what makes the film work, instead of it feeling like a gorefest. The other thing that Nunes does well with his direction, the ability to get the performances that he needs. The performances is what kept my interest, considering the screenplay wasn’t working for me until the end. He does a very good job making sure that his characters have personality. It really helps make a bad film become an okay film, as your interested in the performances.

Nunes’ screenplay lack any action for most of the film. I was getting bored at times, especially in the beginning of the film. One of the things that this screenplay lacks is zombie action. I know that this film is low budget, but the zombies felt like background players and not an important part of the film. It really felt like, I was watching a slasher film at times. It hurts the film’s story, because you want a zombie film to be a zombie film. The other thing that the screenplay lacked is more action. Some of the scenes, especially in the beginning of the film were dull. You barely get any zombie action sequences here, which really left me disappointed considering that I enjoyed his screenplay for “The Disco Exorcist”.

Zombie Allegiance” is one of those films that has good direction, but the screenplay felt dull at times and lacks zombie action.

Review Rating: 2 Stars

For the next three weeks, Reviews From the Horror Chamber will be reviewing the new DVD Box Set "The Basement, which was released onto DVD shelves from Camp Motion Pictures. I'm also going to stray away from usual criticism of the directorial and writing aspects that I usually do for my review and I‘ll give my DVD Extras rating at the conclusion of part three. In other words, I will covering this set from head to toe. Let's start with first film,

"The Basement”. Disc One - "The Basement"

"The Basement"
Running Time: 69 Mins
Director: Timothy O’ Rawe

 "The Basement" is a lost super 8 film that never saw the light of day in the eighties, due to the various problems that the film suffered in post production and the way that some of the film footage looked. The film was unreleaseable, until recent technology cleaned up all the mistakes of the original negative.

The film is about four strangers, who find themselves drawn to an abandoned basement. There, they meet a mysterious person known as The Sentinel. He begins to show each of the strangers their future. Each of the strangers find out that they each commit a heinous deeds in the future and will send them into eternal damnation.

 “The Basement“ is one of those films that you think your going to be in for a horrible movie, after the first segment. The first segment of the film is "Swimming Pool". I won't lie, but this one was hard to watch. Everything from the direction to the writing went completely wrong. The characters were dull, as felt like they came off of an assembly line. It was felt like the characters were introduced and they were killed off two minutes later. It was boring. I really thought, I was going to be in for one horrible film but it gets better as the movie goes on. Writter/director Timothy O' Rawe does a good in making each of the segments after the "Swimming Pool" segment entertaining. One of the things that makes the films good, he's able to make the scenes tense. It make the each of the stories interesting and it's also kept my interest considering that the acting here comes off as cheesy at time. The wrap around segment wasn't that bad, considering its more of rip-off of the original "Tales from the Crypt"film. I just wished that there was development in each of the segments. But considering the problems that this had in post-production, at least the film is entertaining enough to be considered a guilty pleasure.

The disc packs a lot of special features. The audio commentary track for "The Basement" is the first special feature on this disc. Director of Photography Michael Raso and John Fedele. The track goes into the history of the lost film, from the production of the film to the technical aspects and style which Timothy O' Rawe used for this film. It makes the track informative enough that didn't need a short documentary of the film. 

After the commentary track, there is six minutes of outtakes and deleted scenes. Then, there is a six minute news segment on the film, when the production took place from the film. The segment included interviews from director Timothy Rawe and the film's Director of Photography, Michael Raso. It was very that was nice to see that on this disc, as its gave a glimpse to what happened during the film‘s shoot.

The next feature is three episode from an old cable access program called Meadowlands Showcase TV. It was an old cable access that was produced and directed by Michael Raso and John Fedele in the late eighties and early nineties. There is also a commentary track in that section for "The Halloween Takeover" episode. That track goes into the history of the show and the experiences making the show. Overall, the episode weren’t that bad surprisingly, as I enjoyed them.

Wrapping the disc is two short films from director Timothy O' Rawe, The first one "Say No to Drugs. A very gory short that fans of eighties underground horror will enjoy. The other short film is "Vengeance". This film didn't do much for me, considering it had no dialogue and was shot on what it appears to be super-8 video.

Also in this package, a VHS copy of "The Basement", which is a nice collectors item for eighties underground horror buffs.

“The Basement" Review Rating: Three Stars

Check back next week, as I'll review Disc Two of "The Basement" inside the horror chamber.

Killjoy 3
Year: 2011
Director: John Lechago
Stars: Trent Haaga, Victoria De Mare, Al Burke
Studio: Full Moon Features
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 76 Mins













Going into “Killjoy 3“, I didn’t know what to expect with this film. I haven’t seen any of the sequel, so I’m relatively new to the series.

The film is about a group of college students, who find a mysterious mirror on the doorsteps of the house that they’re house-sitting. They decide to open up the package, even though it’s not addressed to the them. Once it’s opened, Killjoy wants to lure the students and have them play in his own realm with his group of friends. Now the students must find out who is Killjoy’s intended victim, before he and his sidekicks have their way with them.

When thinking about “Killjoy 3”, I can’t stop and think about what a wasted opportunity to make a good film. Writer/director John Lechago does a good job with the direction of the film, but the writing was less to be desired. Lechago does a good job with the visual aspects. I liked the way that he and his special effects team made the effects good. It didn’t feel cheesy or bad to the point that it distract you from what was going on. It helped cover some of the flaws in this film. What saved this film from being unbearable, the way that Lechago is able to get good acting from his cast. I liked , how he’s handles that aspect. One of the things that he does, he gets the performances that he needs to make it work. It kept my interest, even though I had problems with the screenplay.

Lechago’s screenplay was bad, as there’s no other way to put it. For the first fifty five minutes, this film felt like a comedy than a horror film. There wasn’t any attempt to generate some scares or intense moments, which really hurts this film. I was waiting for more action, but instead he just focuses on how many one liners Killjoy can get off. It’s one of the reasons that this film fails. The other reason, Lechago holds the majority of the horror action, until the last fifteen minutes. Even then, that isn’t even handled right. There was no suspense or intensity in the action, which made me feel bored. Thankfully this was a seventy-seven minute film or else it could’ve gotten even more worse.

“Killjoy 3” is a film that had promise with the direction, but the screenplay makes this film fall flat on its face.

Review Rating: Two stars.


Resonnances
Year: 2011
Director: Philippe Robert
Stars: Yann Sundberg, Vincent Lecompte, Romain Ogerau
Studio: Synapse Films
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 84 Mins













“Resonnances” is a micro-budget sci-fi film that comes to us from France. The film is about a group of friends, who go away to the French mountains for a fun weekend. On their way there, they come across a psychopath who has escaped from prison. After picking him up, they run into trouble and their car goes over a steep cliff. Now lost in the woods, an ancient creature is listening and waiting for them. Now it’s ready to devour the group and anything in it‘s path, as they look for a way out of the woods before its too late.

I was surprised that I enjoy “Resonnances“ very much considering that this was a micro budget foreign creature feature film. Writer/director Philippe Robert does a very good job making this film work very well with the limited resources that has. One of the reasons that I enjoyed this film, he’s able to keep your interest without resorting to various action sequences. Don’t get me wrong, there are some in the second half of the film. Robert is able to hold your interest, by generating tension among the main characters. It gets you invested in the story, so that your into the flow of the film. I liked, how he does a good job getting the performances to work in the context of the film. It’s something that really needed, if a micro budget film is going to succeed and hold your attention.

Robert’s screenplay also does a good job making this film work well. He does a very good job keeping the film’s dark tone . This is the other reason that I liked this film. Robert is able to keep the tone of the film dark, because the characters aren’t goofy or getting off one liners just to keep the film entertaining. He makes his character very level headed and it works. Never did the story feel cheesy or feel so uninteresting that you wanted to grab the DVD and throw it out into the woods. Robert’s also able to focus on the situation and not come off with creating annoying things just to make this film fun. He does that, by making the characters focus on the situation at head. It develops tension, which you gets you into the flow of the film.

“Resonnances” is an entertaining micro budgeted sci-fi film that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Review Rating: Three and a half stars

Follow Me Down
Year: 2010
Director: Lee Whittle
Stars: Eddie Mahalick, Megan Powell
Studio:8th Ward Entertainment,
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 30 Mins













The film follows Johnny, who has a guilty conscience and finds that everyone around him has suddenly dropped dead. He is consumed with silence, as he figures out what’s going on. But Johnny begins to hear voices and sees someone who doesn’t look familiar to him. As things become apparently different, he finds out that he’s not alone.

I was kind of surprised that I enjoyed “Follow Me Down“, considering that there is very little dialogue spoken in this film. Writer/director Lee Whittle does a very good job making this film entertaining. He able to make it entertaining, by the way the film was shot and making the tone of the film dark and psychological. By using that style, you able to forget that there is virtually no dialogue in this film. It makes the film feel like an episode of “The Twilight Zone”. Another thing that I liked about the direction, the way that Whittle handles the lead performance. He handles that in a way that you couldn’t tell, if the main character is insane and delusional or that he is truly the only survivor of a society that just dropped dead. It makes everything work, very well

The idea of the story was well-executed. I liked how, Whittle created the basis of story. There is little dialogue spoken but the thought of not having much dialogue helps the film to be effective. It’s able generate some tense moments that make this entertaining. This is one of the few rare cases that a film can have little dialogue and is able to keep my attention throughout.

“Follow Me Down” an entertaining psychological horror film that will keep your interest through out.

Review Rating: Three and a half stars

Ticked Off Trannies with Knives
Year: 2010
Director: Israel Luna
Stars: Krystal Summers, Kelexis Davenport, William Belli
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Vicious Circle Films
Running Time: 90 Mins





“Ticked Off Trannies with Knives” is homage to the exploitation films of the seventies. The film is about a group of trainnes, who get attacks by a group of men and left for dead. They soon regain consciousness from the vicious attack and seeing revenge. Now with their new confidence, these divas turn deadly to slice their way to vengeance.

“Ticked Off Trannies with Knives” is a very deranged and entertaining grindhouse film. Writer/Director Israel Luna does a very good job making this film feel like a grindhouse film. I liked, how he makes the picture so grainy and adding missing reel and title card effects. It makes the film stand out, from other revenge films. Oneof the reason that I enjoyed this film, everything was handled well. Luna keeps the action moving without getting too over the top with the action and the performances. It really help the flow of film, as it didn’t chaotic to the point where you lose track of everything. This could’ve easily happen considering that there is missing reel and the fact that there were a couple of characters that looked dead in one scene and very much alive in the next scene. Thankfully, the confusion is only temporary. There’s also enough blood and gore to keep fans of the genre interested.

Luna’s screenplay also provides the shock value that’s needed for an exploitation film. He does a very good job creating a story that’s so weird that it feels original and edgy. If the story includedregular men or women, then maybe it wouldn’t work as well as this surprising did . The other thing that I liked about the film, the way that Luna wrote the dialogue. One minute, the dialogue is dark and sinister and the next minute it’s very humorous. He does a good job balancing those elements very well, as that what makes the film entertaining. If the tone of the dialogue wasn’t balanced like it is here, then this film wouldn’t have been entertaining.

Forget the subject matter, “Ticked Off Trannies with Knives” is very twisted and entertaining film that pays homage to the exploitation films of the grindhouse era.

Review Rating: Four Stars

Bikini Bloodbath Christmas
Year: 2010
Directors: Jon Gorman, Thomas Edward Seymour
Stars: Rachael Robbins, Niki Notatile, Debbie Rochon
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: BloodBath Pictures
Running Time: 71 Mins




“Bikini Bloodbath Christmas” is the third film in the “Bikini Bloodbath” series. Jenny and Sharon are back, as this time they working at a bong shop that’s in a very competitive battle with a Christian deli for holiday business. The girls put there competitiveness aside, when everyone is invited to a big holiday bash at Mrs. Johnson’s house. But Jenny accidentally resurrects the killer chef again and this things start to get crazy. Soon people start disappearing from the party, as no ones knows who causing all of this. Can Jenny and Sharon have a happy Christmas or is it their last.

This film is not your typical Christmas film. Jon Gorman and Thomas Edward Seymour continue to go all out with the way that they proceed with each film, as the direction was solid. The gags are more gross out than the previous two films. Most of the stuff works with the exception for a few bathroom gags that felt repetitive to me. I also liked, how the directors handled the acting aspects. I know, they felt cheesy, but it’s the cheesiness in the acting helped provided for some funny moments.

If there was one complaint with Gorman and Seymour’s direction, it would have to be with some of the death scenes felt rushed. The bathroom death scenes were creative and shot very well, but most of the character deaths felt rushed and so fast that you don’t get the full effect of the scene. This will leave some of the gorehounds disappointed.

Gorman and Seymour’s screenplay was good. This felt like the same film that I’ve seen three times, but it the way that they write the humor that makes these bad movies good to watch. It’s easily accessible for those who haven’t watched the first two films of the series, as there are flashback sequences that ties this film to the first two,. I also liked the way, they created new characters for this one. The character traits of some of the characters were enough to generate laughs. Gorman and Seymour also do a good job with having the film end with a twist ending. I know that Chef Death is a staple of the series, but after a while he just becomes boring to watch. Hopefully, the next film will continue on the twist ending.

If your looking for a campy Christmas horror film to pop up your DVD player this season, then “Bikini Bloodbath Christmas” is for you.

Review Rating: Three Stars

Attack at Zombie High!
Year: 2009
Director: Jennifer Sanett
Stars: Rachele Smith, Carly Lang, Emily Del Giudice
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Insanetty Production
Running Time: 12 Mins




“Attack at Zombie High” is about a high school student, who has a vendetta against Amber, the most popular girl in the school. The student turns to witchcraft, in order to summon several bloodlusting zombies. Now she has unleash them to kill Amber friends, so that her high school sweetheart can’t ask her to the prom. It’s up to Amber to stop her, before the whole high school is overrun by zombies.

“Attack at Zombie High” is “High School Musical meets “Night of the Living Dead”. Writer/Director Jennifer Sanett makes this film a nice “High School Musical” parody. Her direction was good, because this was a fun film to watch. One of the reason that this was fun from on directing perspective, it doesn’t take it’s self too seriously. I liked, how she makes the action entertaining with the dance sequences, which doesn’t turn this into your typical zombie movie. It makes the film fun, and that’s what I’m looking for this type of movie. Sanett also does a good job with the performances, as she really made sure that the characters were annoying. It made some of the film’s funny parts work.

Sannett’s screenplay was very different from what I’m use to seeing from this type of horror genre. I liked, how she has a different take on the zombie genre. What hurts the screenplay was the character and action development. There was none there, as some of the scenes felt like they were just put together and there‘s your movie. In order to make a fun movie, you need to see where that characters are going. Also, I felt there was hardly any back-story to the main characters. It would have been nice to see an extra ten minutes or so going into the backstory. It would have fleshed out some the main characters. But there is a positive. I liked, how she’s able to give her characters good personality traits to help makes this film watchable in a b-movie way and its enough to give this a slightly positive rating.

“Attack at Zombie High” has a good concept and solid directing, but it’s the screenplay that hurts this film from being very good.

Review Rating: Three Stars

It’s back and its better than ever. Welcome to Reviews From the Horror Chamber. This column used to be a regular here on this site back when the site began up until June of last year. Then I personally got back up with site business and also became site administrator too during the gap between editions. But now it’s back, as this column will continue to review some of the latest indie horror films, but now where also adding exploitation and grindhouse type films to the column. I hope every one enjoys this column and support independent horror. Now on to the reviews.


Hard Revenge Milly
Year: 2010
Director: Takanori Tsujimoto
Stars: Miki Mizuno
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Well-Go USA
Running Time: 44 Mins




“Hard Revenge Milly” takes place in a post apocalyptic world, Yokohama City has become the epicenter of violence. The city is ruled by a vicious gang known as “The Jack Brothers”. They leave Milly there to die after they murdered her husband and daughter. Now, she’s out to gain revenge on those who left her there for dead. She begins to learn the art of sword combat to confront these people and get retribution on those who destroyed her life.

“Hard Revenge Milly” is one very gory and bad ass sci-fi flick. Writer/director Takanori Tsujimoto does a very good job making this one of those sci-fi action flicks that’s packed with a lot of action. The reason the action works, the sequences were directed and choreographed very well. The scenes were intense and very bloody, as any of fans of Asian cinema will enjoy. He directs them in a way, so that you canbe invested in the main character and allows time between sequences to get into the story of film.

The screenplay written also by Tsujimoto does a good job providing a story that gives an adrenaline rush that is needed for a film of this caliber to succeed. One of the reasons why this story works for me, he gives the main character a backstory that would make her very dark and morbid. By doing that, it makes the tone of the film dark and not cheesy. It really gets you invested in the character, because without that this would just bea basic shoot em up film. Tsujimoto also blends the sci-fi elements into the story, very well, especially towards the end of the film. It gives an added surprise, as I was going into this film thinking that this would be your typical Asian action film more in the lines of “Mad Max“.

“Hard Revenge Milly” is a bad ass short that packed a lot of action that would make some action sci/fi films look like a Disney film.

Review Rating: Four Stars

Next on the docket, is the film’s sequel, “Hard Revenge Milly“: Bloody Battles.

Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle
Year: 2010
Director: Takanori Tsujimoto
Stars: Miki Mizuno, Nao Nagazawa
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Well-Go USA
Running Time: 71 Mins

“Hard Revenge Milly“: Bloody Battles picks up after the first film, when Haru, a beautiful girl asks her for helpwhen her boyfriend is brutally murdered. Milly ignores her at first, but begins to her thirst for vengeance. She then begins to train her but an admirer of Jack’s are looking for revenge and in the process injures her severe . Can Milly survive this latest onslaught and Haru exact revenge before it’s too late.

“Hard Revenge Milly“: Bloody Battles does a good job picking off where the predecessor left off. Takanori Tsujimoto does a good job keeping the elements that made the short work, while adding new things to the story. I liked how Tsujimoto does a good job keeps this balls out mentality that makes this character worth watching. The blood and the choreographed action is directed in a way that make that gets you into the flow of the film.

The screenplay is what makes the film slightly better from the short. I liked how Tsujimoto does a good job exploring the character through her emotions. In the first film, the character was for one dimensional. Here, there is more emotion which keeps the character interesting. He also does that by keeping this from being a copy of the original, by exploring the character’s emotions and adding more tension to the story by keeping the viewer off guard through the twist and the character development. By doing that, it adds some surprise to the story.

Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battles is an action packed film that packs power. The film can be found on the “Hard Revenge Milly” DVD.

Review Rating: Four Stars

Spirit
Year: 2010
Director: Mark Wagner
Stars: Ashley Bryant, Megan Braithwaite, Kimberley Zagoren
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Tempe Video / St Lindsey Pictures
Running Time: 75 Mins





"Spirit” is about a family have embraced their negativity after years of bad luck. Only their youngest daughter is trying to keep the family together. Soon she begins to question her own faith, when an evil spirit attacks the family. Now, she is forced to stop all the negativity that lies within the family, before there negaitive energy manifests and drags the whole family into the darkness.

I didn’t expect a lot going into “Spirit, but for the most part I thought this was an entertaining chamber drama. Director Mark Wagner does a good job keeping this film from becoming a snooze fest, which it could have become easily. He does that, by moving the action along and getting the most out of his budget by creating basic ghostly images and effects to give the sense that your watching a paranormal horror film. It also makes you forget some of the mistakes with the lighting and everything. The acting here was also good, as it didn’t deter from the story and got me interested in the characters. Wagner takes the time and makes sure that performances are good enough to keep your interest.

The screenplay for the most part wasn’t bad. Screenwriter and Producer David Gwin did an descent job with the screenplay. One of the things that I liked about the screenplay was the fact that it had character development. He does a good job giving the whole family a backstory, as you get to know them which its important as the film goes on as it sets it up some of the situations . The other thing that I liked about it once it got near the end, there is actually some tension which was lacking in the middle part. If the action didn’t pick up near the end, then this would probably be a different review and I would have leaned more negatively towards this screenplay.

“Spirit” is a film that survives on its strong beginning and good acting.

Review Rating: Three Stars

Welcome to Reviews From the Horror Chamber.

Yours truly has been so busy, it’s been unbelievable. But I have a contest that will get your attention. The Film Arcade prize closet is getting cleaned out, I’ve managed to find a couple of DVD that I want to get rid off. I have three, very good horror films that need a home. These films are:

Epitaph



Bikini Bloodbath Carwash



GIMME SKELTER



I'm giving all three of these films away, to one lucky winner. To enter you can email me to horrorchamber@filmarcade.net Please Include your Name, Address. Contest is opened to US residents only. Contest Ends, Monday, June 29th.

If you don’t win that, you will be entered to win one of two copies of “Epitaph” that we have in addition to this contest.

Lonely Joe
Year: 2009
Director: Michael Coonce
Studio: Nufilm Entertainment
Stars: Erica Leerhsen, Peter Speech, David Fine
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 96 Mins
Official Website: http://www.lonelyjoethemovie.com/


"Lonely Joe” is inspired on a true story. The film is about a female reporter (Erica Leerhsen), who returns to hometown ten years after her brother murdered near the railroad tracks by a serial killer. She returns there, to investigate what happened to her brother and the disappearance of thirty people, since her brother’s death. Her attempts to find the truth are constantly impeded, by a local sheriff (Peter Speech). He’s hiding details about the rash disappearances and wants to keep it quiet. He sends his deputies to try to get her leave, but she’s desperate to find out the truth

As she attempts to find out more about the truth, she begins to question her own sanity. Now the deeper she gets into this local legend, she discover what’s haunting these railroad tracks that may provide answer to her questions or drive her to the breaking point.

For a horror film that has an actress that has been in such films as “Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows” and “Wrong Turn 2”, this didn’t feel like the horror film that it was advertised to be. It felt like a dull and unsuspenseful film.

“Lonely Joe is a boring horror film that plays out like procedural disappearance film. Director Michael Coonce doesn’t do anything to make the material interesting. His direction was bland. He doesn’t do a good job adding any life to any of the action that goes on. I felt like, I was watching the same scene over and over again. It really felt like one of those films that was made for lifetime or something, because those film have the same tone that make it boring to watch. The acting was also made for TV like. All the actors in the film didn’t seemed interested with this material. There was no life, in these characters. They all have the same tone that made disinterest, in their characters. You can’t have it, in these types of films. That’s why, “The Alphabet Killer” wasn’t that good, and it’s also why this film wasn’t that good.

The Screenplay written Michael and Michelle Coonce was very dull and convoluted. One of the main reasons for that, there is no attempt, on their part to make the main character engaging. It hurts the film, because nothing happens for most of the time to the point where it was going nowhere. I would have liked it more, if it went into her family life or the legend about the roadtracks. It would have been better instead of every scene featuring the lead character being intimidated by the cops. Also, the ending was very bad. It would have been nice, if they fully explained the lonely Joe character fully, during the course of the film. By the time they fully explained it, I lost interest in the character. That’s why, if you want to fully develop a clearer picture of your legend, you do it, in the beginning or the middle of the film. It just feels misplaced.

Lonely Joe is a dreadful horror film that goes the route that other horror films based on true events do, where the characters and events aren’t interesting enough to grap your attention.

To purchase a copy of this film, you can goto: http://www.lonelyjoethemovie.com/

Review Rating: One Star

Cowboy Killer
Year: 2008
Director: Jason Baustin
Stars: Paul Bailey, David L. Buckler, Chris Kennedy
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Cacchiotti Productions
Running Time: 80 Mins
Official Website: http://www.cowboykillerthemovie.com/


"Cowboy Killer” is the first feature film from director Jason Baustin. The film is about Roy, a cowboy looking for a lady for one last hurrah. Along the way, Roy begins to lose his mind and everything that he imagines becomes a runaway seed, as he goes on a killing spree. Now, there are a lot of angry people that want to get their hands on old Roy. They include cops, cable guys, serial killer, stripper, bartender, waitress and an old man that want to take the law into their own hands before more chaos happens. Roy is now forced to into a showdown with these people, if he wants ride off into the sunset.

There are some horror films that I review this site, where I say that a film really deserves distribution and being viewed by a wider audience. This is defiantly not one of those films, as this falls into the category of films that makes no sense at all.

“Cowboy Killer”, from start to finish is a poorly acted and poorly conceived film.. Baustin falls into the trap that many first-time directors go though, as this felt like an amateur film at times. He doesn’t do a good job with the pacing of the film. The film’s pacing moves too fast, as it becomes quickly one of those hack and slash films, where the violence and the T & A becomes the central focus of the story, while the story itself becomes nonexistent. That just makes a film, very hard to sit through. If that weren’t the least of Baustin problems, the direction of the actors was just awful. He really needs to hone in on the actor’s performances next time around, as it comes off, as very amateurish. You had actors and actresses that were not bringing any personality to their characters, as I was not buying any of the performances.

The screenplay written by Baustin, Ben Solenberger, and Jaymes Camery was just horrible. There was no attempt to create a coherent story or character development, as the screenplay just focuses on how many deaths that they can cram into an eighty-minute film. But the major problem with this screenplay was the way into spends too much time with the ultra violence and horrible dialogue. Both of those were major turn offs for me. The violence got overly redundant, as it didn’t help advance the story. It was just there, so that people who love watching gory movies, will get a kick out of it. The dialogue was just poorly written, as it made all the characters stupid and the villain, very annoying. I’ve seen better grindhouse type films then this.

Cowboy Killer is a film that should stayed in the barnyards, as it felt very amateurish and there was no attempt for an entertaining story.

The film is now available On Demand. Check your local cable company.

Review Rating: One Star.

How My Dad Killed Dracula
Year: 2009
Director: Sky Soleil
Stars: Daniel Roebuck, Neil Hopkins,
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Tell Tale Productions
Running Time: 14 Mins
Official Website: http://www.hmdkd.net/

“How My Dad Killed Dracula” is a family short film that takes place on Halloween night, where a group of young kids are hanging out at a cousin’s house. The father (Daniel Roebuck) of cousin tells the kids that he had an epic encounter with the legendary Dracula. The kids not believing him, ask him to dig the hole, where he buried Dracula’s remains. Soon, this turns a family tradition of Halloween practical joke into a comic night of terror, or does it?

Family films are usually a hard sell for me. But “How My Dad Killed Dracula” is a funny and entertaining family horror film, for everyone. One of the reasons is the way that writer/director, Sky Soleil makes everything seem fun. His direction was very good. Soliel goes a very good job with the pacing of the film, as it doesn’t get too boring or too kiddish to the point that I would be hating on it. Soleil also goes a good job with the direction of performances. The performances helped made this film fun. Daniel Roebuck, who has been in previous film like “The Devil’s Rejects” and the upcoming “Halloween 2”, really helps make this film fun, as he makes his character, very loveable, which helps the flow of the film and makes enjoy the character.

Another thing that I thought contributed to the film’s success, the way the screenplay does a good job making the action seem fun. Soleil achieves that, by creating the main character, as someone who would be considered as someone, you would not think could actually kill a vampire icon, let along a vampire period. It makes the film funny and makes you entertained. Also, there are some twists to the story. Those twists provided some good background information and a couple of scares near the end. That in return, makes the film fun and enjoyable.

“How My Dad Killed Dracula” is film that you will probably hear more of, when the Halloween film festival season hits. This is a very fun and entertaining short for the whole family.

Review Rating: Four Stars.

If you’re a filmmaker and interested in having your horror film reviewed in the horror chamber, you can reach the Chamber Keeper himself at horrorchamber@filmarcade.net or if you have any film in any genres that you want Film Arcade to review. Send us an email at screeners@filmarcade.net.

Until then, have a frightening day.

Welcome to Reviews From The Horror Chamber. The chamberkeeper is in. It’s been a couple of weeks, since the last edition and things have been busy me. But there is one thing that I have to talk about. It’s been a while since the last edition, but here is my State of the Horror Genre Address.

This address has to do with the fact that remakes are really dumbing down all the creativity, in this genre. The reason for this tirade came, when I came across an article on Dread Central around the time right after the last edition, with the headline Band is remaking “Puppet Master in 3D”. My first thought after reading this, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! We don’t need another remake of a classic horror film. It’s bad enough that I had to go though all alleged rumors of a Re-Animator remake, which didn’t pan out, thankfully. Seriously what’s next in the remake department, “The Exorcist”, “Escape from New York” or lets start remaking all the great horror films of the nineties, like “Scream” or “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. There is no creativity on the big studio level and it’s hurting the genre.

Enough is enough. This is why original films like “Splinter”, “Inside” and “The Signal” get little to no theatrical release. It’s because you the horror fan support this remakes. Don’t worry, I’m guilty of this too, I went to see Friday the 13th remake (for Free), or the fact that I’m looking forward to “Halloween 2”. But, when you have remakes of “The Eye” or the upcoming “Nightmare on Elm Street” remake. It’s films like this that’s killing the genre; because it’s us horror fans that are willing pay our hard earned money to see it. It’s just all the great horror films are heading straight to DVD. For a person, who loves watching them in theaters, it saddens me. I want to see these movies with an audience.

This is why I personally started writing reviews. I care about the Splinter’s, The Signal’s and Inside’s finding an audience. It’s films, like those that I hope someday will bring back the horror genre to its glory days.

Now, on to the reviews.


Swamp Devil
Year: 2009
Director: David Winning
Stars: Bruce Dern, Cindy Sampson, Nicolas Wright
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: RHI Entertainment
Running Time: 90 Mins




“Swamp Devil is about a woman (Cindy Sampson), who returns home after finding out that her father (Bruce Dern) that she hasn’t seen for years is on the run for the string of bloody murders that are occurring in a small town. As she finds out more about her father’s past, a sheriff get murdered in the swamp. Soon everyone in the town will begin to discover that an unstoppable monster is responsible for all this. Now it’s up to her and her father to stop it, before it wreaks havoc on the town.

Sometimes, you get a feeling that you’re going to be in for a bad movie, ten minutes into the film. That’ the exact same feeling that I had with “Swamp Devil”, as the tagline for this film should be changed to “Bad Movie Lies Beneath the Surface”.

“Swamp Devil” is a film that very predictable and very made for TV like film, as this really felt a film that you would see on the Sci-Fi Channel. Oops, I ment “SyFy”, as that’s what network wants to be ridiculous known as now. The directing for this film felt one of those made for TV movies. The direction seemed lifeless, as I was really bored watching this film. Director David Winning, doesn’t do a good with action in this film, as this film felt like it had no suspense, whatsoever. He doesn’t do a good job with the material that he given to even make this a mindless fun film. I was not having fun watching this film, as kept wanting it to end. Winning’s direction of his actors weren’t even good. It was like; the actors were really bored, considering the script that was very bad to be with. That again that’s what happens, when you script that has characters that are clichéd and lifeless with a story that’s predictable.

Speaking of the screenplay, it was every bit as bad, as one of those made for cable movies. Screenwriters, Gary L. Dauberman and Ethlie Ann Vare never cared about making a film that has suspense and twists, because everything was predictable. That’s what made this film sink into the land of cable television. It was like, you knew who are the bad guys are and the upcoming twists, fifteen minutes into the film. The screenplay doesn’t do anything to make this film fun, as they don’t develop any of the film’s characters or the fact that the story has this lifeless and convoluted tone, which makes you lose interest quickly. Combine that with the fact that some of the dialogue felt so cheesy, you have a film that is uninteresting, unentertaining, and painful to the point that you keep waiting for something shocking to happen, when in all honesty, it doesn’t. That’s not how you make a fun b-horror film.

“Swamp Devil” is a film that should have been a film left for cable television and SyFy, not on DVD or in my collection.

Review Rating: One Star


Blood Scarab
Year: 2009
Director: Donald F. Glut
Studio: Frontline Entertainment / Tempe Video
Stars: Monique T. Parent, Brink Stevens, Del Howison
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 81 Mins.

“Blood Scarab” features two of Frontline Entertainment popular series together for the first time, “The Mummy’s Kiss” and “Countess Dracula”. Elizabeh Bathory the infamous blood countess is the widow of Count Dracula, who travels from Transylvania to Los Angeles after Dracula dies. When arriving in Los Angeles, she begins to look, for a way to walk around with the mortals during the day. She then, stumbles onto an ancient Egyptian secret that has the power to grant her that. Bathory enters into a blood path with an Egyptian goddess, which involves three victims and a living Mummy. This leads to the climax for both of these franchises.

One of the reasons for taking this film was that I like both the Countess Dracula and Mummy’s Kiss series, but I had reservations with this film, as I didn’t the combination of the two series would work. Amazing, I think that this film is the best in both of these series.

“Blood Scarab” is a surprising fun and bloody vampire film. Director, Donald F. Glut’ s direction was very good. He does a very good job using various elements of exploitation to make this very erotic and bloody at the same time. The production value looked. very good. Glut does a great job making the presentation of the film seem like one of those European horror films. But made this direction work, the way he is able to get his actresses to be interested, in the little source material that this film has. The film also has a very good villainous performance from the film’s star and veteran exploitation actress Monique T Parent. Her performance makes most of this film work, as her character Countess Elizabeth Bathery comes off as very wicked. It helps make this film very interesting, as it just doesn’t turn into one of those softcore flicks with no story and hot women.

Gult, who also wrote the film’s screenplay, does a very good job creating a story that keeps your interest, as most of these films don’t do it very well. I liked how, he manages to connect the two series together, as when you combine two series together, it usually never works for the better, but surprisingly, the film brought new life to both of them. Another thing that Glut’s screenplay does well, it balances the sex and the horror aspects very well. The reason the elements were balanced well, the plot of the film doesn’t get lost or traded in for more of these elements. There’s not an abundant amount of either, which helps the film’s screenplay focus on the story, not how many long sex scenes we can fit in or having needless amounts of blood on screen. That’s how a film like this works. Also, I liked how it goes back into the mythology of both series. By doing that, it makes the film’s story and characters accessible to those who haven’t seen either of these series, before seeing this film for the first time.

“Blood Scarab” is an entertaining B flick that will entertain those who are looking for some fun grindhouse horror and blood biting entertainment.

To purchase this film, you can goto: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Scarab-Monique-T-Parent/dp/B001D98U5O/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1240455223&sr=8-14

Review Rating 3.5 Stars

The Bloody Ape
Year: 1997
Director: Keith J. Crocker
Stars: George Reis, Paul Richichi, Chris Hoskins
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Wild Eye Releasing
Running Time: 77 Mins
Official Website: http://www.myspace.com/thebloodyape

The Bloody Ape” is a take of Edgar Allen Poe’s “Murder in the Rue Morgue” The film is about a carnival barker, who’s having problems with his life to the point that it’s reaching his boiling point. Soon, he loses his mind and begins to unleashes terror in Long Island. He does that, by letting his 400-pound gorilla go on a rampage that leaves a very bloody trail. Now it’s up the police, to stop this ape, even though, they seem to be not interested. Will anybody stop this ape?

“The Bloody Ape” is a horror film that’s not shocking or not entertaining, it’s just boring. Co-Writer and director Keith J. Crocker really tries his best to deliver a fun film, but the direction felt lifeless to the point that this felt like a homemade Super-8 film. The reason for that was the pacing. This film was very slow moving, as I never was interested in any of the action of shock value, which the director was trying to attempt. It’s supposed to be a grindhouse film, where you’re going to be shocked. Instead, I was just bored and dumbfounded at times. Most of it had to be the way that Crocker directed his actors. The performances came off as annoying or not energetic to the point that you’re interested in the film.

But most of the problems lie in the screenplay, as Crocker and George Reis didn’t good job. The story felt like a collection of exploitation scenes, since the screenplay doesn’t bother with any development whatsoever. There was no shock value to them. The reason for that it, the writers didn’t set it up the characters and the action very well, as the only thing that was shocking about this film is that there is no setup to it. When you have a villain doing things that don’t make sense to what he’s supposed to do, then everything in the story becomes stupid and boring. Also, the story structure felt out of whack, as some of the things, the characters were doing made no sense to me at all. That’s what made this very painful to watch.

I really hope that Crocker’s second film “Blitzkrieg: Escape From Stalag 69”(which has been getting a lot of positive reviews) will make me forget about this mess. “The Bloody Ape” is a good attempt at exploitation, but really fails miserably, in the shock value development departments.

Review Rating: One Star.

If you’re a filmmaker and interested in having your horror film reviewed in the horror chamber, you can reach the Chamber Keeper himself at horrorchamber@filmarcade.net or if you have any film in any genres that you want Film Arcade to review. Send us an email at screeners@filmarcade.net.

Welcome to the first edition of Reviews From the Horror Chamber for 2009. I do apologize for not having at least one edition, in the last two months, as yours truly has been busy working on other stuff on the site, like DVD news and the startup of the Film Arcade.net Newswire and Youtube page. I have a lot things planned for this column, this year, which I’ll talk about more in the State of the Horror genre address that I have planned for this weekend on the site, so stay tuned.

Also, we have a contest going on, where filmarcade.net is giving away four copies of Epitaph” (which is reviewed in this edition). For more information, you can goto: http://www.filmarcade.net/2009/02/film-arcadenet-is-giving-away-four.html

Contest ends this Friday.

With any more further explanation, on the reviews.

Epitaph
Year: 2009
Director: The Jung Brothers
Studio: Danger After Dark
Stars: Kim Tae-Woo, Kim Bo-Kyung, Jin Goo
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 101 Mins
Language: Korean with English Subtitles




“Epitaph’ is a film that goes into depths of obsessive love and heartbreaking sadness. The film takes place at hospital, in the 1940’s, where a set of strange occurrences takes place. First, a medical student is assigned to the hospital morgue, where he begins show affections of love to a recently murdered young girl. Then, a young child, who survived an automobile accident, is haunted by visions of her dead parents who perished in the accident. Finally, a couple working at the hospital investigate a series of gory murders that involved soldiers and the employees at the hospital. This film that has many twists that leads to it’s shocking ending.

“Epitaph” is a visually captivating supernatural horror film that has many twists and turns. The Jung brothers are directors that fans of Asian cinema should be on the lookout for, as their direction was very visual and frightening. The duo did a great job making the visual very dreamlike and frightening. They did that, so that the images were those that keeps your eyes glued to the screen. It also makes the film have artistic value that most films of this genre, don’t have. Another that the Jung brothers did well, they made the scares and bloody effects work. They make it work, by making most of the ghosts look frightening and bloody. That helped make some the scares work. What also made the scares work was the fact that the Jung brothers had a dark and frightening score to accompany their vision. The film score was very dark and gothic. They also did a very good job directing their actors, as the performances here were very good. The Jung brothers made sure the performances were very dark and emotional, as it helped make the action, interesting.

The Jung brothers also wrote this very good screenplay. One of the things that made me liked his film, the fact that it had a Pulp Fiction, like structure for most of the film, as each of the three stories intersect with the each other. The main reason, why that structure works here. You have three stories taking place in that one hospital setting. It makes it easier to connect all the main characters to these strange events that are occurring in the hospital. They also did a great job building the suspense, for each of the stories. But what made the twists and turns work was the last fifteen minutes of the film, as all of the three stories became one. That’s when this film became a five star film, in my opinion. The twists turned the movie upside down, as the events that I thought was happening weren’t happening and the end result made sense.

“Epitaph” is truly a gem to come out of the Asian film market, as this is a visually and suspenseful film that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Review Rating: Five Stars

Circulation
Year: 2008
Director: Ryan Harper
Stars: Sherman Koltz, Yvonne Delarosa,
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Cinema Epoch
Running Time: 88 Mins
Official Website: http://www.circulationfilm.com/




Circulation is a surreal horror film about reincarnation and a world where the dead are human and everything looks the same. Soon, some of these people start to develop strange animal like behavior. While all this is happening, a retiree (Sherman Koltz) is vacationing and learning all the behaviors of a spider. During all this, he picks up a woman (Yvonne Delarosa), who is on the run from her ex-husband. He begins to find out that she is destined to reborn as caterpillar as this film examines, the world where human and animal instances live as one.

Circulation was a very dark and surreal horror film, but at the same time, the film was very effective, in what it was set out to do. Ryan Harper’s direction was good. The film moves at a very slow pace, but it’s one of those films, where it has to move at a slow pace, so the images are surreal and dark. He captures the Mexican landscape, very well, as it felt like another character, in the film, as most of this film takes place in these deserted areas. In a film, like this, the acting has to be good, as most of the film, at times had no dialogue or only the male lead talking. The acting was very effective. Harper does a good job, in making sure that the performances fit the surreal-ness that this film had going, for itself, as the performance fit the level that the story is going for.

Harper’s screenplay was also very good, as it’s very weird and original. One of the things that the screenplay does right, it allows the surreal imagery grab your attention, while not taking much away, from the story. He allows the imagery to grab your attention, by slowing the action down. It allows, for some strangest images to come across. This is what helped get you through all the slow moving action that this film has. The screenplay also does develop the major characters and the strange world that they live in. He does that making sure that each of the leads has a conflict that is ongoing throughout the film, as you had one character on the run from her weird ex-husband and you had the retired tourist, who’s burned out and constantly living on the road. It made for an odd pair, but this story is weird.

Circulation is a film that has a lot of images that grabs your attention while you’re caught in the surrealness and horror, of the story.

Review Rating: Four Stars.

Fall to Pieces
Year: 2009
Director: William Young
Stars: Ashleigh Vanden, Sean Scarlett, Kelly Beaubien
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Illusion Productions
Running Time: 53 Mins
Official Website: http://www.falltopiecesmovie.com/





"Fall to Pieces" is about a young man, who is going through the breakup of his girlfriend. He still feels that they can be together, as he begins to feel a certain obsession for her. His obsession will take him down a dark path, after realizing that she no more feeling for him and wants to move on. She falls in love with a member of their school’s track team. Soon, the young kid’s obsession will descent into madness, which could turn his obsession into a modern love tragedy.

“Fall to Pieces” is a film that I enjoyed for the most part. One of the reasons that this was enjoyable, the direction was good. Co-Writer/Director William Young's direction wasn’t that bad, as the look of the film looked good, and the mistakes wasn’t that distracting, even though there were a couple of them. The film also has a couple of good scares, which helped this film, even though the story is pretty much predicable. The death scenes for the most part were bloody and eerie, which also helps. The acting wasn’t that bad here. Young get his actors, to make their performances come off as very dark and mature, which fits the subject matter, in which the story is trying to tell. The film also has a good soundtrack that features underground bands like, “The Devine Madness”, and “Without Tomorrow”. It helped give the film its dark and gothic tone.

If there was one problem that I had with this film, it was the fact the story was predictable. The Screenplay written by Young and Cory Garrett, at times felt predictable, but the action kept my interested throughout. I liked how they did a good job exploring the topic of relationships gone wrong and the fact that one of persons is still obsessed with the other. It does a good job developing the main character’s obsession with the girl that dumped him. Even though the action was good, it could have been more suspenseful, as the outcome and the twist was predictable. The twist was probably the problem that I had the most, as I got it right away, which hurt the film, but I enjoyed enough to this a positive review.

Fall to Pieces is an interesting characters study that outweighs the mistakes that this film has.

Review Rating: 3 Stars.

If you’re a filmmaker and interested in having your horror film reviewed in the horror chamber, you can reach the Chamber Keeper himself at horrorchamber@filmarcade.net or if you have any film in any genres that you want Film Arcade to review. Send us an email at screeners@filmarcade.net.

In the next edition of Reviews From the Horror Chamber, which won’t be two months apart. I’ll be finally be getting to “Resurrection County” and Tempe Video’s latest release “Blood Scarab”. Until then, have a frightening day.