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The Monkey

The Monkey (2025) Read More Stephen King Heart Eyes (a film about a serial killer on Valentine’s Day), The Monkey (a Stephen King horror story about a cursed monkey toy), Companion, Nosferatu, and Wolf Man… I think it’s cool, as a horror movie …

We ended up going to see The Monkey, the new film by Oz Perkins, at the Emagine Cinema in Willow Creek, as part of their $5 Tuesday promotion.

The film is based on a short Stephen King story, and produced by James Wan, so you would think The Monkey is a serious horror film… but it is more of a comedy with some disgusting deaths. I was just hoping it was a hardcore horror film… I know Perkins is capable, because he directed the interesting horror film Longlegs last year, which I said I liked.

I guess Perkins took a different direction, and I’m not sure if I like the comedy angle. The film also changed a lot from the short story. For example, the Monkey is a drummer in the movie, but in the book, it is just cymbals. The other big change is that it is about twin brothers.

Anyway, the movie starts out with a comical introduction of the Monkey. The owner of the Monkey is trying to return it to the store he bought it for. Once the hand of the monkey comes down, it ultimately kills the store owner in a most disgusting way. That sets the tone of the film, which is comical and brutal deaths. Then the movie cuts to the twin brothers. You’re told that their father just went out for cigarettes and never came back. The brothers find the toy Monkey and turn its key to activate it… and soon enough their babysitter gets beheaded by accident. Then their mother died. The younger brother dismembered the Monkey and threw it in the trash… only to find the monkey back.

More deaths followed (their uncle got trampled by horses), so the brothers decides to contains the monkey and threw it down a well.

25 years later, the Monkey appears again after their Aunt’s death. Then a series of death… it seems someone was turning the Monkey’s key. I won’t give away the ending, but there some questionable motivations from the key turner.

So yeah, if you’re looking for a comedy/horror-ish film, The Monkey is entertaining… but for true horror fans, this film is just a little too silly for my taste.

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Valentine Horror

You know, with Valentine’s Day coming up on February 14, you would think the movie studios would be releasing romantic comedy films… but this year: it’s a hard no. Instead you’re seeing an action film called Love Hurts, Flight Risk, and Den of Thieves 2… and plenty of horror movies: Heart Eyes (a film about a serial killer on Valentine’s Day), The Monkey (a Stephen King horror story about a cursed monkey toy), Companion, Nosferatu, and Wolf Man… I think it’s cool, as a horror movie fans (after all I love the fact that for the months of October to December, we’re seeing a constant holiday horrors).

Companion (2025) Read More M3GAN The first horror film of 2023 is called M3GAN. To be honest, it’s not really a horror film, more like comedy/horror… M3GAN is from James Wan, who created Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring franchises. …

Companion (2025)
warnerbros.com

In order to enjoy this film, Companion, you have to go into it not knowing what’s it about. If you watch the trailer, it gives away too much.

I’ll just describe the first part of the film. The film starts with Irish and Josh meeting for the first time in a grocery store and it was love at first sight. Then the couple is driving to a remote cabin to meet some friends. The Russian who owns the cabin is a multi-millionaire and sexually assaulted Iris, which resulted in her killing him. That’s when the movie shifts and you find out what is really going on.

Even though I’m dancing around the ‘twist’, most viewers will likely already know or have figured out what is going on. It does work best if you have no idea what the movie is about. Just go in cold. Think of this film as a couple going on a retreat in a cabin somewhere in the middle of nowhere. It’s a romantic getaway, that is spoiled by a little murder.

The movie works because of their two stars. Sophie Thatcher, as Iris, is perfectly cast. She’s a little quirky and plays a very likeable girl. Jack Quaid, I’m only familiar with him in The Boys, plays a nerdy dork. No one believes he could have a great girlfriend as Iris. Later in the film, we find out that the nerdy kid is really a horrible villain. Quaid is great, and I had no idea Dennis Quaid is his dad!

As for the Companion story, I do love all the twists and turns. I do love how smart the film is… despite how illogical some things are. I won’t go into the details, but if you sit and think about it, some things just doesn’t make sense. Don’t let it bother you, just go with it, and you’ll have a good time with the movie. Think of this film as something like M3GAN or Scream.

Highly recommended.

Wolf Man (2025) Read More Ginger Snaps In my final installment of Halloween treats, I'm going to compile some songs about Werewolves. I actually had a lot more Halloween-related posts I wanted to do, but lately I have not been home. …

Wolf Man (2025)
wolfmanmovie.com

Not sure who was asking for a brand new Wolf Man remake/reboot, but it’s 2025, and we have a new film from Blumhouse Productions. I guess this film was originally meant to be part of the Universal Monsters franchise, but since The Mummy failed, the Wolf Man film went into ‘development hell’.

The new film stars Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner (you might remember her from Sin City: A Dame to Kill For), about a couple, and their daughter, going back to husband’s old home in the remote mountains. They’re attacked by a werewolf and ultimately, the film is about Abbott slowly turning into a werewolf, but also trying to protect his family. The story is very straightforward, no plot twists, no reveals. If there was a mystery, I figured it all out just by deductive reasonings. One scene leads to another. Garner is trying to get away from the werewolf with her daughter, and that’s pretty much the film.

I don’t hate the film, but I found it just a little boring.

How you can make a good werewolf movie is that ‘A Werewolf in our Midst’ or ‘Wolf in Sheep Clothing’ mindset… where you don’t know who the wolf is. Wes Craven tried to do this with his Cursed film… where our protagonist, who is cursed with the werewolf blood, has to find out who the master Wolf is, so she can be cured. The mystery and horror, that’s the cool part. With Wolf Man, it is just about a man who is turning into a werewolf, and that’s pretty much all there is to it.

Even the bad Werewolves movie released last year had a better story and concept. In that film, everybody is infected with the Werewolf virus and every full moon (or Super Moon) night, the world turns into a PURGE-style world. Anything goes, it’s lawless, and you have got to survive until the morning. That’s more entertaining than Wolf Man!

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Ash vs Ash vs Evil Dead

5 Mar 2025 Ash at John Peel Centre Read More Ash We love Ash. We've been following the Irish band for a long time now, and a few years ago, they famously said they would "never" release an album. Instead the trio concentrated on just recording singles …

Ash
ash-official.com

We are big fans of the Northern Irish group Ash, formed in 1992 by vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray, before they were legal age! My favorite album of theirs is 1977, the record that spawn such hits as “Kung Fu”, “Girl From Mars”, and “Goldfinger”.

Anyway, Ash announced that this year for Ash Wednesday we’ll be playing a show at the John Peel Centre on March 5, 2025. The show is celebrating local indie record label Fierce Panda turning 31, presenting Northern Irish noiseniks and old Peelie faves ASH live in Stowmarket on the 5th March! Support from Desperate Journalist.

Ash at the Independent (22 Sep 2016)

We saw Ash in San Francisco in Sep 2016 and wrote, “Out came Ash to the cheers and delight of the audience. Tim grabbed his famous Gretsch Silver Jet as Mark took to the stage followed by Rick, who was wearing a possibly fan made, very bright colored ‘Ash Wars’ hat. (If you're an Ash fan I’m sure you know what that's about.) Tim launched straight into ‘Lose Control’ to kick things off. This set list had no surprises if you're familiar with the 1977 album track listing. They tore through the songs in the exact order of the album with Tim switching guitars between the silver jet, a gold Les Paul and his trademark flying V. They kept the crowd the whole way getting huge cheers when launching into some of their best known hits like ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Angel Interceptor’, ‘Oh Yeah’, ‘Kung Fu’, and of course ‘Girl From Mars’, where Tim stopped in the bridge and asked the audience “Do you still love her?!” Answered with more cheers from the crowd. It was really nice for fans like me to hear the other tracks from 1977 that the band don't play very often. As many times as we've listened to that album all the songs are great. It felt like seeing them in their early days when they only had Trailer and 1977.”

On My Mind by Ash

Ash
ash-music.com

Montreal-based, Cairo-born artist Ash (not to be confused with the Irish band) recently released his new single, “On My Mind,” coupled with the soulful talents of Felukah.

Ash has a rapidly growing fanbase, with over 1 billion streams. His debut album, Self-Discovery came out on February 2, 2024.

Cancelled: Ash at Fine Line (05 May 2024)

Las year, in support of his debut record, he was supposed to play in Minneapolis, at the Fine Line, in May 2024, but the show was cancelled: “THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED. There is no rescheduled date at this time. If you purchased your tickets via AXS online or by phone, a refund will automatically be issued within 30 business days to the card used to make the purchase.”

I do have some concerns about the confusion with the Irish Ash band, because at the time (in May 2024), our co-writers were trying to buy Ash’s concert tickets, thinking it was the Irish band.

Army of Darkness Animated Read More Evil Dead The cool thing is that the game does star Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, with Dana DeLorenzo as Kelly Maxwell and Ray Santiago as Pablo Simon Bolivar (from the television series Ash vs Evil Dead). ....

Ash vs Evil Dead
starz.com

As someone who owns all the Evil Dead movies, including all three seasons of Ash vs Evil Dead, and the remakes and the remake sequel and owns the video game… I LOVE EVIL DEAD.

Bruce Campbell vs Vu at University of Minnesota Twin Cities Bookstore (27 Jul 2005)

I even met Bruce Campbell at a book signing at University of Minnesota Twin Cities Bookstore, in 2005, and had several Evil Dead’s Book of the Dead DVDs signed. I attended his movie screening of Man with the Screaming Brain with Bruce Campbell in the theater with an introduction. Man, that movie sticks.

Anyway, I’m not the biggest fan of Ash vs Evil Dead series. It’s just too outrageous and over-the-top. It’s just trying to be too funny, and while some times it works, I didn’t really enjoy it as much as others.

Last year, Bruce Campbell confirmed Evil Dead Animated Series and two additional Evil Dead films, according to Comicbook.com.

Considering that there is a dead Army of Darkness animated project from 2009, perhaps we’ll never these animated features.

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28 Hours Later

28 Years Later Vu do that Vudu Read More Alex Garland I am a big fan of A24, the film distributor/producer, ever since Alex Garland’s excellent film Ex Machina in 2015. To be fair, I’m a big Garland fan, owning all his films, including Dredd (owned this twice!), 28 Days Later …

28 Years Later (2025)
paramountplus.com

Guys, you know I am a massive Alex Garland fan, and you know I love Danny Boyle. The two have teamed up once again to produce the upcoming 28 Years Later, the two re-united since the original 28 Days Later. The film is to be released on June 20th, 2025. I am super excited to see the story continue… but where is 28 Months Later (what a missed opportunity) or perhaps release 28 Years Later in 2030 (literally 28 years later).

Just to give you a little background on each creator, Garland started his career with 28 Days Later, then went on to produce some of my favorite films: Dredd, Ex Machina, Civil War, and the great television series, Devs.

Boyle is no slouch either in my favorite film department, having directed some of my favorite films: Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, and Slumdog Millionaire.

28 Years Later will actually be a trilogy of films: 28 Years Later, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and a third one not announced yet. The first one directed by Danny Boyle, while the sequel The Bone Temple will be directed by Nia DaCosta. Both films were written by Alex Garland.

I do love the original 28 Days Later, because the story is very good, and it came out when zombie movies were far and in-between. Unfortunately, the film suffers from the technology used to shoot the film in 2002. It looks bad, there’s no doubt about it. I own it on Bluray, but it looks terrible.

So I am really worried that 28 Years Later will look terrible in a few years, simply because the two films were shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max (with the aid of numerous attachments). Look, I own an iPhone 15 Pro Max, while the video looks great, I don’t know if I would make a movie, let alone two movies with it.

Still, watching the trailer for the upcoming film, it still looks pretty good for an iPhone movie.

Trivia: For two years, 28 Days Later was locked up in distribution rights. It was only this year (2024) that producer Andrew MacDonald bought the rights back from Searchlight Pictures and re-sold it to Sony, who only recently made the film available to purchase on digital and rental again on December 18, 2024.

Since I already own the original 28 Days Later and its sequel 28 Weeks Later on Vudu (Fandango at Home), I’ve decided to re-watch it.

28 Days Later Read More 28 Days Later The British horror film 28 Days Later came out at a time (2002) that there was a dry-spell in the Zombie movie genre. This film may have inspired the term “fast zombies” (all George Romero’s zombie …

28 Days Later (2002)
sonypictures.com

28 Days Later is the film that started it all. You have to remember that at the time (2002), zombie films weren’t all the rage (if you’ll excuse the expression)… and it’s often credit as reinvigorating the zombie genre with its fast-running zombies. All that despite the fact that the writer and director dismissed it as zombies. They’re infected with the “rage virus”.

I did end up watching the original 28 Days Later to refresh my memory, and right off the bat, the film hasn’t aged well. The digital technology that they used at the time just looks bad. At least with true film, they have the technology to rescan the original print in higher resolution, resulting in old 70s/80s film looking gorgeous for the modern age. With digital files, you’re pretty much stuck with the resolution that it was filmed at. So yeah, I can attest, the film doesn’t look good.

The film starts with Jim, a bicycle courier waking up from a coma to discover an apocalyptic-style London. Everything is in ruins and empty. He wanders the street in his hospital gown, and is soon chased by rage-induced humans. This opening reminds me of The Walking Dead, which I’m pretty sure writer Robert Kirkman stole this idea. In the Walking Dead, Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to find a world full of zombies.

He meets other survivors and somehow their journey would lead them to a military base. When they eventually make their way to the military base, you find out that these soldiers are only interested in luring women into their base and using them as sexual slaves. This third act of the film, where the bike courier, by himself, rescues the girls … that is the most unbelievable moment of the film. Up until now, I can believe the world is shut down due to a virus … but a bike courier taking out 20 armed military soldiers? Come on.

I thought I read somewhere that the original ending of 28 Days Later was that after saving the girls, they find out that he’s mortally wounded and so they end the film of Jim, on a hospital bed, dying… a nice bookend, circling back to the moment he wakes up from his coma at the beginning of the film. Instead, it’s a happy ending. The two girls and Jim are on a remote cottage and they had a huge banner saying HELLO to a flying airplane. Wouldn’t it make sense to have the banner say SOS or something shorter? Anyway, it’s a happy-ever-after ending.

I like it, it gave us hope that the story is told and done and the infected are all dying, due to hunger, “28 days later”.

28 Weeks Later Read More 28 Weeks Later The film spawned a sequel, 28 Weeks Later in 2007, and starring Robert Carlyle. In many ways, 28 Weeks improved over the original film - by expanding the original story. Everything in Weeks …

28 Weeks Later (2007)
20thcenturystudios.com

In my original mentioning of 28 Weeks Later in 2020, I mentioned that the film “improved over the original film - by expanding the original story. Everything in Weeks improved, from a bigger story, to upgrading the cheap home camera to widescreen… and felt like they had a point to make.”

There is no denying that Weeks and Days are two very different films with two different messages. While Days is a story about a journey and ultimately survival, Weeks is about the world adjusting to the rage virus.

I didn’t like Weeks as much, because Carlyle’s character is not a likeable character. He’s doing everything he can to live, including leaving his wife behind. The whole time you think this movie is about Carlyle… but it is not. Instead, the movie shifted to his children who arrives in London in a quarantine area. The children broke protocol and leaves the safety zone, only to inadvertently brought back the virus into the quarantined zone and ultimately killing everyone.

You find out that one of the kids are infected-free, he doesn’t show symptoms of the rage virus, although he is a carrier. Somehow, he is the key to finding a cure for the virus…

I think most fans will admit that this sequel wasn’t really necessary. If you had to watch it, it’s so different in terms of filming and direction and story, that it really could be a different film by itself. If they changed the title to Quarantine Rage, it would stand as its own film… but as a sequel to Days, it does pale in comparison. It is a shame, because they had a higher budget, they had higher quality filming equipment, and they had real cast of established actors. Bigger, better, faster… doesn’t always translate to success.

I found out later that the original director, Danny Boyle couldn’t work on Weeks because he was already committed to the Sci-Fi Horror film Sunshine. So, Boyle later hired Spanish filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, to work on Weeks to give it a “fresh new perspective” to the film. As a result, Weeks looked and felt very different from the original film.

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I fell in love with the Video Nasty

Lisa Loeb: Video Nasty Nasty by The Damned Catch the tide at the flood My TV screen is seeking blood My walls, my floors, are red too The night is coming after you I only hear the silver screams of pain He's coming for you again and again There's no escape, there's no way out Catch, catch the horror taxi I fell in love with the video nasty Catch, catch the horror train Freeze frame, gonna drive you insane The axe is sharp, the blade is keen Creature features, spirits on your screen Shadows fall, in all this gloom You're not so safe In the safety of your room All I want is to make a killing To drill a killer might be really thrilling Why are my victims so unwilling You can't be sure that you won't see me Careful with that axe, you meanie Catch, catch the horror taxi I fell in love with the video nasty Catch, catch the horror train Freeze frame, gonna drive you insane Catch, catch the horror taxi I fell in love with the video nasty Catch, catch the horror train Freeze frame, gonna drive you insane Catch, catch the horror taxi I fell in love with the video nasty Catch, catch the horror train Freeze frame, it’s going drive you insane Read More Video Nasty For those interested in learning more about the video nasties, the banned 72 movie titles by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), there is a really terrific documentary called Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide …

With the recent airing of Video Nasty in January 2025, I was treating myself to listening to the original song “Nasty” by The Damned. The original song was written for The Young Ones in 1984, and made its way to the B-Side of their single “Thanks for the Night.”

I’ve listened to it, and it sounds really short and incomplete. Sure, all punk songs are only a minute, but perhaps it was written to be brief, since The Young Ones was only going to use portions of the song. All that really matters is a ‘killer’ chorus, and they absolutely ‘killed’ it with their lyrics:

Catch, catch the horror taxi
I fell in love with the video nasty
Catch, catch the horror train
Freeze frame, gonna drive you insane

As much as I like loud, punk music, I felt the message was better delivered as a soft, pleasant version by Lisa Loeb and Steve Reynolds with their approach and production. Just my opinion, but I felt the Loeb version was a better version. You juxtapose Loeb’s sweet innocent voice with gruesome lyrics drench in blood. It’s pretty swell.

As for the lyrics, it does make some references to some Video Nasty banned films. I have not seen all the Nasties, but I’ve seen a good amount. The walls are red could reference several movies… so if you know the exact reference, let me know. Here are the ones I was that I matched with a movie. Some of them, I’ll admit, is a bit of a stretch! Please post your suggestions or email me, and I’ll add them as a postscript.

The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976)

“Catch the tide at the flood”

The Witch Who Came from the Sea is a 1976 American psychological horror film produced and directed by Matt Cimber and starring Millie Perkins, Lonny Chapman, Vanessa Brown, Peggy Feury, Rick Jason, George Buck Flower, and Roberta Collins. The film centers on an emotionally scarred woman who goes on a killing spree after taking a job as a waitress in a seaside bar.

The film was classified as a “video nasty” by the United Kingdom Department of Public Prosecutions and was considered prosecutable for violating obscenity laws, but the prosecution proved unsuccessful.

The Video Dead (1987)

“My TV screen is seeking blood”

The Video Dead, a 1987 American horror film written and directed by Robert Scott and starring Roxanna Augesen, is actually not on the Video Nasty list - not for the lack of trying! The filmmakers added grisly scenes and gruesome artwork… but unfortunately did not make the Nasty list.

Still, with the plot involving a television set that produces zombies to murder and eat humans… I thought I’d use the film on this Nasty list.

Don't Go in the House (1980)

“My walls, my floors, are red too”

Don't Go in the House is a 1980 American slasher film written and directed by Joseph Ellison, written by Ellen Hammill and Joe Masefield, and starring Dan Grimaldi. Its plot follows a disturbed man who, after suffering an abusive childhood in which his mother punished him with burning, becomes a pyromaniac and serial killer who kidnaps and burns alive any women who resemble her.

Since the line, walls and floors, I thought a movie about a house might fit the bill for these lyrics.

Night School (1981)

“The night is coming after you”

Night School or aka Terror Eyes is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Rachel Ward, in her film debut, Leonard Mann, and Drew Snyder. The plot revolves around a series of brutal murders in Boston, Massachusetts. Alfred Sole was the film's original director, but he passed on the project. Hughes was ultimately brought in to direct, and Night School was his final film.

Originally passed with cuts for cinema. Released with 1 minute 16 seconds cut in 1987.

Scream for Vengeance (1980)

“I only hear the silver screams of pain ”

Scream for Vengeance or Vengeance is a 1980 film about four criminals who murder a jeweler and his family before kidnapping a senator's granddaughter. She and her boyfriend fight back, killing the gang one by one until her final confrontation with the last member.

The film was directed by Bob Bliss and stars Sally Lockett, Nicholas Jacquez, Bob Elliot, and Walter Addison.

Escape from Hell (1980)

“He's coming for you again and again
There’s no escape, there’s no way out”

Escape from Hell, aka Hell Prison, I'm Coming Your Way and Femmine infernali, is a 1980 Italian exploitation film distributed by Variety Distribution. The film belongs to the women in prison subgenre.

While not prosecuted for obscenity, the film (titled Hell Prison) was seized and confiscated in the UK under Section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 during the video nasty panic.

The Last Horror Film (1982)

“Catch, catch the horror taxi ”

The Last Horror Film, aka Fanatic, is a 1982 American horror comedy film produced by Judd Hamilton directed by David Winters and starring Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro. Its plot follows a delusional middle-aged New York City taxi driver who, fixated on the idea of being a film director, visits the Cannes Film Festival where he begins stalking an actress he is obsessed with.

The Last Horror Film is praised for its unique blend of self-reflexive horror, humor, and inventive filmmaking. Critics highlight its avant-garde approach, using the Cannes Film Festival as a backdrop for a slasher plot that cleverly reflects on the film industry.

Night Train Murders (1975)

“Catch, catch the horror train”

Night Train Murders, aka Last Stop on the Night Train and Late Night Trains, is a 1975 Italian revenge horror film directed by Aldo Lado and starring Flavio Bucci, Macha Méril, and Irene Miracle.

This film combines the plot of two other films: The Virgin Spring and The Last House on the Left. The film is about two girls riding a train on Christmas Eve, when they are brutalized by three criminals who eventually end up lodging in their parents’ home.

Originally refused a cinema certificate in 1976. Released uncut in 2008.

NOTE: This film’s title is often mistaken for Terror Express… which was seized due to the similarity to Night Train Murders.

Frozen Scream (1981)

“Freeze frame, gonna drive you insane”

Frozen Scream is a 1981 American horror film directed by Frank Roach, produced by Renee Harmon, and starring Harmon, Lynne Kocol and Thomas McGowan. Harmon also co-wrote the story with Doug Ferrin. Its plot follows two scientists whose experiments in unlocking the secrets of immortality result instead in the creation of black-robed zombies who must be preserved at very low temperatures to continue functioning.

Principal photography of Frozen Scream began in Los Angeles in 1975. Although it did not receive a theatrical release, it was made its way to home video in 1983… where it was put on the Video Nasty list.

Axe (1974)

“The axe is sharp, the blade is keen”

Axe, aka Lisa, Lisa and California Axe Massacre. Originally passed with cuts for cinema. Released with 19 seconds cut in 1999. Released uncut in 2005 with an 18 certificate.

Axe is a 1974 American independent horror film written and directed by Frederick R. Friedel and starring Leslie Lee. Its plot follows a trio of criminals who lodge at a rural farmhouse where a teenage girl resides with her disabled grandfather. After one of the men attempts to rape her, she enacts revenge.

Night of the Bloody Apes (1972)

“Creature features, spirits on your screen”

Night of the Bloody Apes is the title of the 1972 English language version of the 1969 Mexican horror film La Horripilante bestia humana ("The Horrible Man-Beast"), also known as Horror y sexo ("Horror and Sex") and as Gomar—The Human Gorilla. The film was directed by René Cardona and is a remake of his 1962 film Las Luchadoras contra el medico asesino ("The Wrestling Women vs. the Killer Doctor"; U.S. title Doctor of Doom), the first in a series of films blending elements of the lucha libre and horror genres.

The Black Room (1982)

“You're not so safe, In the safety of your room”

The Black Room is a 1982 American horror film directed by Elly Kenner and written and co-directed by Norman Thaddeus Vane. It stars Stephen Knight, Cassandra Gava, Jimmy Stathis and Clara Perryman, and features Christopher McDonald and Linnea Quigley in small, early roles.

The plot concerns siblings who lure swingers to their Hollywood mansion, kill them, then - with long scenes of blood transfusions - drain their blood. Though there is no classical vampirism in the film—in the sense of supernatural beings or blood drinking—the plot's focus on draining blood to prolong life has led to many sources considering it a vampire film

The Killing Hour (1982)

“All I want is to make a killing”

The Killing Hour, aka The Clairvoyant is a 1982 American psychological horror film directed by Armand Mastroianni and starring Perry King, Norman Parker, and Elizabeth Kemp. The plot follows a New York City detective and his friend who pursue a mysterious "handcuff killer" with the aid of an artist who sees—and draws—the killer's crimes before they are committed.

While not prosecuted for obscenity, the film was seized and confiscated in the UK under Section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 during the video nasty panic.

The Driller Killer (1979)

“To drill a killer might be really thrilling”

The Driller Killer, a 1979 black comedy slasher film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Ferrara (credited as Jimmy Laine), Carolyn Marz, Baybi Day, and Harry Schultz. The plot concerns Reno Miller, a struggling artist in New York City, turning insane from stress and killing derelicts with a power drill.

When the film was released on video cassette in 1982, its graphic packaging drew complaints which landed the release on a list of "video nasties" that were banned in the United Kingdom under the Video Recordings Act 1984.

The Driller Killer – Released with 54 seconds of pre-cuts in 1999. Re-released uncut in 2002.

The Headless Eyes (1971)

“You can't be sure that you won't see me”

The Headless Eyes is a 1971 American exploitation horror film written and directed by Kent Bateman.

The film depicts an artist named Arthur Malcolm who sneaks into a woman's bedroom and tries to steal the money off her nightstand to pay his rent. Mistaking the thief for a rapist, the woman pushes his eye out with a spoon from her evening tea and knocks him out the second-story window. After being gawked at with his eye dangling from his head and the ultimate loss of his eye, Arthur becomes a serial killer and uses his victims' eyes in his artwork.

Absurd (1981)

“Careful with that axe, you meanie”

Absurd, aka Anthropophagus 2 and Zombie 6: Monster Hunter is a 1981 English-language Italian slasher film directed, lensed and co-produced by Joe D'Amato and starring George Eastman, who also wrote the story and screenplay.

This film is wacky. Lots of gore, for those interested in this sort of thing. The ending of the film features a beheading using a medieval knight axe. When the cops arrive, they find the lead actress standing, covered in blood, and holding a severed head.

Read more Horror.

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Weekend Gamer: Scorn

Scorn Read More Diablo With the announcement of Diablo IV’s first expansion Vessel of Hatred coming out October 8, 2024, I’ve decided to go back to the game before the expansion is released. As you know, I’ve been playing the game since March 2023 ..…

If you have Amazon Prime, they’ve been giving away a ton of GOG (and some Epic Games) titles about three months ago. If you haven’t gone there recently head over to gaming.amazon.com and pick up about 50 free video games!

For October, Amazon has a ton of spooky free games, including Scorn. This survival horror game came out in October 2022 and was inspired and based on H. R. Giger (famous for creating Alien) and Zdzisław Beksiński.

I originally bought the game, according to Steam on Oct 17, 2022 (a few days after its original release date) and played for an hour before never looking back. I love the art style and I think I really just wanted to try it on the Steam Deck (which I bought Sep 2022). I don’t think it ran that good on the Steam Deck so I just never looked back.

What I love is the art style and art direction... but unfortunately, the game is too puzzle-y for me. I thought it was more like a shooter, but it’s not fast pace at all…

Now that it’s free on GOG, I may return to the game over the weekend, just to give it a second chance.

Game synopsis:

Scorn is an atmospheric first-person horror adventure game set in a nightmarish universe of odd forms and somber tapestry. It is designed around the idea of "being thrown into the world". Isolated and lost inside this dream-like world, you will explore different interconnected regions in a non-linear fashion. The unsettling environment is a character itself. Every location contains its own theme (story), puzzles and characters that are integral in creating a cohesive world. Throughout the game you will open up new areas, acquire different skill sets, weapons, various items and try to comprehend the sights presented to you.

P.S. Witch It and Ghostwire: Tokyo are free on Epic Games this week, meanwhile Return of the Phantom is free on GOG.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Crime Time: The Horror Edition

Read More American Horror Story I recently bought American Horror Story Season 1 and 2 on Bluray (my favorite season is still the third season Coven), and was listening to the Ryan Murphy's audio commentary for the pilot and noticed this brief Morrissey appearance. ....

Grotesquerie
fxnetworks.com

I have been enjoying Grotesquerie on FX (via Hulu).

The show is about Detective Lois Tryon trying to solve a series of gruesome murders. She unexpectedly teams up with a Catholic nun and journalist, Sister Megan. I like that they’re from very different worlds, but it’s the difference between church and state that can catch the serial killer.

The first few episodes are like something taken from the film Seven, because it’s some of the vilest and grossest murder you’ll ever see or heard described.

Although the show tells us that Tryon is an excellent detective, it’s kind of hard to believe because her character is so unprofessional and her personal life is often in her way of doing her job. She’s an alcoholic, her husband is in a coma, and she’s often in trouble with her boss. She’s not a likeable character, but it doesn’t matter, because she solves all her cases - and that’s what counts.

The first half of the series is very good, because it’s mostly about the murders and trying to catch the killer. Then it started turning to the supernatural or it seemed like a weird dream… That’s when the show started losing me.

If you stick to show and keep watching, the final episode will explain it all and it’ll suddenly make sense. Oh, that’s why she’s a terrible cop, oh that’s why the weird fire is following them, oh that’s why that thing was so fantastical… etc. All your questions will be answered and it’s a good twist of an ending.

The show was created by Ryan Murphy, who you may remember is the same guy who created American Horror Story series. I am a fan of those AHS shows, but sometime I feel like they have one good idea and the show struggles to maintain that idea for a whole eight or nine episodes. I think that’s why Murphy re-named the series to American Horror Stories, with each season contain several horror stories and ideas.

Anyway, if you like AHS or Seven, I think you’ll want to check out Grotesquerie.

Read More Silence of the Lambs Anyway, the Clarice show is based on the characters from the popular movie (and book) The Silence of the Lambs. We’re following the further development of FBI agent Clarice Starling. …

Longlegs
neonrated.com

There’s a serial killer loose. He’s murdering multiple families throughout Oregon… but how is he doing it without leaving any trace of being at the actual crime scene. These murders are horrific, and they only happen every twenty years or something weird like that.

FBI agent Lee Harker was asked to work on the case with agent William Carter, because of she demonstrated some psychic abilities. Through Harker’s skills, we find out that all the murdered families have one thing in common, that they all had a nine-year-old daughter born on the 14th day of the month. And it goes crazier and crazier as the film goes on.

For example, when Longlegs shows up in the movie, he looks like a crazy old man. What a weirdo. How is this the mastermind behind all the murders?

To me, the film works better as a cop chasing serial killer … and that’s when I am really enjoying the film. It’s the weird supernatural stuff that are introduced in the film that takes me out of the movie.

I think where it goes wrong is when it started introducing more supernatural elements into the film. It might work better if writer/director Osgood Perkins didn’t really have to explain the murders. Maybe it’s just better leaving it up to the viewer’s imagination.

The film came out in July 2024 and is Neon film’s highest grossing film (the highest-grossing independent film of the year) and it came out on Bluray and UHD on ‎ September 24, 2024.

Read more Movies and Television.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: June 11 to June 13, 2024

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

06/11 Zach Seabaugh at 7th St Entry Read More Zach Seabaugh Zach Seabaugh is a rising star in the Nashville indie-pop scene, with recent track “Maybe We Do." Co-written by Seabaugh, Melissa Fuller, and Brett Truitt, the song explores the uncertainty and excitement of a new relationship … The Voice NBC's The Voice explained. Lara is addicted. Smash show, who is it for? Fox's Glee domination in popular music! Read all the crazy numbers. …

06/11/2024 Tuesday

Zach Seabaugh
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Indie singer/songwriter Zach Seabaugh is headlining the 7th Street Entry this June 11, 2024. When he was 16, he appeared on The Voice to play “Take Your Time” on national television.

We previously wrote in Oct 2023: “Zach Seabaugh is a rising star in the Nashville indie-pop scene, with recent track “Maybe We Do." Co-written by Seabaugh, Melissa Fuller, and Brett Truitt, the song explores the uncertainty and excitement of a new relationship.”

Tour Dates:

May 12, 2024 Hollywood Theatre Vancouver, BC

May 14, 2024 The Fillmore San Francisco, CA

May 16, 2024 Belasco Theater Los Angeles, CA

May 17, 2024 House of Blues San Diego San Diego, CA

May 18, 2024 The Van Buren Phoenix, AZ

May 20, 2024 Meow Wolf Santa Fe, NM

May 22, 2024 The Echo Lounge & Music Hall

May 23, 2024 House of Blues Houston Houston, TX

May 24, 2024 Scoot Inn Austin, TX

May 26, 2024 Smith's Olde Bar Atlanta, GA

May 28, 2024 Cat's Cradle Carrboro, NC

May 30, 2024 Jammin Java Vienna, VA

Jun 1, 2024 Mercury Lounge New York, NY

Jun 2, 2024 Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia, PA

Jun 4, 2024 Sonia Boston, MA

Jun 5, 2024 Higher Ground South Burlington, VT

Jun 7, 2024 Drake Toronto, ON

Jun 9, 2024 HI-FI Indy Indianapolis, IN

Jun 10, 2024 Beat Kitchen Chicago, IL

Jun 11, 2024 7th St Entry Minneapolis, MN

Jun 15, 2024 Winnetka Music Festival Winnetka, IL

Jun 20, 2024 Manchester Music Hall Lexington, KY

Jun 21, 2024 Cannery Hall Nashville, TN

06/12 Arkansauce at Turf Club

06/12/2024 Wednesday

Arkansauce
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Newgrass Arkansauce (featuring Tom Andersen on bass, guitarist Zac Archuleta, Ethan Bush on mandolin, and Adams Collins on banjo) will be headlining the Turf Club in St Paul. Each member sings lead and harmony parts as well as contributes to the lyrics.

Tour dates:

May 23 - May 26, 2024 Rooster Walk 2024

May 30 - Jun 2, 2024 GoldenGrass Music Festival

May 10 - Jun 2, 2024 Power Progress Festival 2024

May 30, 2024 Pueblo, CO Brues Alehouse

Jun 11, 2024 Madison, WI The Bur Oak

Jun 12, 2024 St Paul, MN Turf Club

Jun 14 - Jun 15, 2024 Sol Grass Music Festival

Jun 15, 2024 Green Bay, WI Badger State Brewing

Jun 21 - Jun 23, 2024 Kaw River Roots

Jun 21, 2024 Columbia, MO Rose Music Hall

Jun 28, 2024 North Little Rock, AR Argenta Plaza

Jun 29, 2024 Tulsa, OK Venue Shrine

Jul 10, 2024 Wilmington, NC Brooklyn Arts Center

Jul 11, 2024 Virginia Beach, VA New Realm Brewing

Jul 12, 2024 Fayetteville, WV The Outpost New River

Jul 13, 2024 Bristol, TN Brewstillery

Jul 25, 2024 Fayetteville, AR Gulley Park

Jul 26, 2024 Oklahoma City, OK Beer City Music Hall

Jul 27, 2024 Wichita, KS WAVE

Aug 17, 2024 Rogers, AR Railyard Live

Aug 22, 2024 - Aug 25, 2024 Creekside Revival 2024 Livingston, MT

Oct 2, 2024 - Oct 6, 2024 Hillberry Music Festival 2024 Eureka Springs, AR

Oct 11, 2024 - Oct 13, 2024 CaveFest 2024 sPelham, TN

06/12 Free Throw with Slow Joy with Heart To Gold at Green Room Read More Free Throw Chicago's Dowsing and Nashville's Free Throw are both touring together, starting next week. Dowsing are out in support of their 2013 debut LP, I Don't Even Care Anymore and Free Throw are out in support of their 2014 debut LP … Heart To Gold If there is a place to be, it’s at Heart to Gold’s very first headlining show at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on December 6th. This is right before the band heads out on a national tour with Born Without Bones (which starts 12/08 in New Jersey). …

06/12/2024 Wednesday

Free Throw with Slow Joy
with Heart To Gold
at Green Room
greenroommn.com

Nashville’s Free Throw is out touring with Dallas based, New Mexican born Chicano artist Slow Joy (solo project of Esteban Flores) as support. The two bands will stop in Minneapolis at the Green Room… a new Uptown venue that opened up on January 28, 2023.

Slow Joy’s upcoming EP Mi Amigo Slow Joy is due June 7, 2024, via Mick Music.

Heart To Gold (06 Dec 2022)

Local band Heart To Gold to open. We saw the group at their sold-out show in Dec 2022 and wrote, “Now, on to the stars of the show, Heart to Gold. I’ve been wanting to see a local band pull off a mosh pit with ease. A sold-out show at the 7th Street Entry with rabid/die-hard fans causing quite the scene and crowd participation. They even had a ring leader of the mosh that would climb on the pipes on the ceiling and surf back into the crowd. Fans would climb on stage and jump right in for crowd surfing, including the bandmates from Gramma on the encore.”

Slow Joy Confirmed Tour Dates:

June 1st @ So What?! Festival in Fort Worth, TX

June 4th @ Blueberry Hill in St. Louis, MO

June 5th @ HI-FI in Indianapolis, IN

June 6th @ Ace of Cups in Columbus, OH

June 7th @ Pike Room in Detroit, MI

June 8th @ G-Man Tavern in Chicago, IL

June 10th @ Raccoon Motel in Davenport, IA^

June 11th @ X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, WI^

June 12th @ Green Room in Minneapolis, MN^

June 13th @ West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg, MB^

June 15th @ Buckingham in Edmonton, AB^

June 16th @ Modern Love in Calgary, AB^

June 18th @ The Pearl in Vancouver, BC^

June 19th @ Mission Theater in Portland, OR^

June 20th @ The Dip in Redding, CA^

June 22nd @ Harlow’s in Sacramento, CA

June 24th @ The Black Sheep in Colorado Springs, CO^

June 26th @ Reverb Lounge in Omaha, NE^

June 27th @ The Rino in Lawrence, KS

September 7th @ Ohio Is For Lover Festival in Cincinnati, OH

^ Supporting Free Throw

06/13 Shannon and the Clams at Fine Line Read More Shannon and the Clams Shannon and the Clams, who I was previously impressed that they have a large fanbase at a live show. The 'Clams are also promoting their new record called Dreams in the Rat House …

06/13/2024 Thursday

Shannon and the Clams
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Shannon and the Clams will be headlining the Fine Line, in Minneapolis, on June 13, 2024. The group have been enjoy newfound popularity, thanks to endorsements from The Black Keys.

Shannon and the Clams (28 Oct 2015)

We last saw the band in Oct 2015 and wrote, “The trio (Shannon, Cody, and Nate) came on stage a little after 11pm with Cody wearing what looked like a gold cape. He actually had a little trouble putting it on the right way, so their set was a little delayed. Most of their set included brand new songs from their latest Gone By The Dawn (Hardly Art Records), including "The Bog" and "It's Too Late".”

Tour dates:

May 23, 2024 Ace of Cups Columbus, OH

May 24, 2024 Spirit Hall Pittsburgh, PA

May 25, 2024 The Concert Hall Toronto, ON

May 26, 2024 Les Foufounes Électriques Montreal, QC

May 28, 2024 The Sinclair Cambridge, MA

May 30, 2024 Warsaw New York, NY

May 31, 2024 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA

Jun 1, 2024 Black Cat Washington, DC

Jun 4, 2024 Cat's Cradle Carrboro, NC

Jun 5, 2024 The Orange Peel Asheville, NC

Jun 6, 2024 Terminal West Atlanta, GA

Jun 7, 2024 The Basement East Nashville, TN

Jun 8, 2024 The Caverns Pelham, TN

Jun 10, 2024 Off Broadway St. Louis, MO

Jun 11, 2024 Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL

Jun 12, 2024 Majestic Theatre Madison, WI

Jun 13, 2024 Fine Line Minneapolis, MN

Jul 19, 2024 - Jul 20, 2024 Grrrl Camp Festival

Jul 27, 2024 Tom McCall Waterfront Park Portland, OR

Oct 3, 2024 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA

Oct 4, 2024 The Observatory North Park San Diego, CA

Oct 5, 2024 Nile Theater Phoenix, AZ

Oct 7, 2024 Sunshine Theater Albuquerque, NM

Oct 8, 2024 Gothic Theatre Englewood, CO

Oct 10, 2024 Soundwell Salt Lake City, UT

Oct 11, 2024 Shrine Social Club Boise, ID

Oct 15, 2024 Rickshaw Theatre Vancouver, BC

Oct 16, 2024 Neptune Theatre Seattle, WA

Oct 19, 2024 Fox Theater Oakland, CA

06/13 Puppeteers For Fears presents - Cthulhu the Musical! at Turf Club Read More H.P. Lovecraft It has everything going for it - based on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Thing on the Doorstep”, produced by the scream queen Barbara Crampton, it’s the successor to Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator and From Beyond… …

06/13/2024 Thursday

Puppeteers For Fears presents - Cthulhu the Musical!
with Blunderbusst
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Oregon’s premier rock’n’roll puppet troupe Puppeteers for Fears is bringing their Cthulhu the Musical! to the Turf Club, in St Paul.

The feature-length musical comedy adaptation H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror classic, “The Call of Cthulhu”, will be done entirely with puppets, backed with a live band.

The show is written by Josh Gross, and directed by Katy Curtis. Starring Forest Gilpin, Alex Giorgi, Hunter Prutch, Alyssa Mathews, and Owen Webb. The show will also feature special musical guest, Blunderbusst.

NOTE: Attendees should be aware that though this is a puppet show, it is NOT a children's show. The material is R-rated, and children should be brought only at parent's discretion.

The last time we saw a full puppet show was at the Kid Koala’s “Nufonia Must Fall” show in 2016, and I can tell you it is a very unique and captivating experience.

Tour dates:

June 13: St. Paul, MN…Turf Club

June 15: Madison, WI…The Bur Oak

June 16: Milwaukee, WI…Shank Hall

June 18: Chicago, IL…City Winery

June 19: Indianapolis, IN…Irving Theater

June 20: Westland, MI…The Token Lounge

June 23: Pittsburgh, PA…Crafthouse

June 24: Buffalo, NY…Buffalo Iron Works

June 26: Concord, NH…Capitol Center for the Arts

June 27: Providence, RI…Fete Music Hall

June 28: Lowell, MA…Taffeta

July 1: Brooklyn, NY…The Meadows

July 2: Asbury Park, NJ…House of Independents

July 3: Richmond, VA…Canal Club

July 5: Raleigh, NC…King’s

July 6: Greenville, SC…Radio Room

July 7: Charleston, SC…Music Farm

July 9: Atlanta, GA…Smith’s Olde Bar

July 10: Nashville, TN…City Winery

July 11: Louisville, KY…Zanzabar

July 13: Knoxville, TN…Open Chord

July 15: Kansas City, MO…Record Bar

July 16: St. Louis, MO…City Winery

July 18: Denver, CO…Meow Wolf

July 20: Salt Lake City, UT…Urban Lounge

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com ♥ bsky.ap

Holiday Horror 2023

There’s a slew of horror with a holiday theme that was released in 2023. There are probably more, but these are the ones I checked out for this review.

Thanksgiving (2023) Read More Halloween Legendary horror film direct John Carpenter is currently on tour, can you believe it ? He’ll be stopping by the Myth, with a full live band, to play some of his film scores… including the very popular theme song for ‘Halloween’. ....

Thanksgiving (2023)
sonypictures.com

First of all, I hate the title, I understand it’s in the tradition of Halloween, the horror film named after the holiday. Thanksgiving, does not have a ‘horror’ association, so I would have liked the title to be renamed to Thankskilling, or Bloody Thanksgiving in some markets.

Like the previous Machete and Hobo with a Shotgun, Thanksgiving was originally a badly made trailer for Grindhouse in 2007. That old joke of, “they made a movie out of the trailer” is absolutely true to these films… a 16 year old film in the making.

First of all, I feel the trailer is probably the best bits, expanding it to two hours was not a good idea.

The first part of the movie (the setup) is about a bloody Black Friday. A year later, the same department store is holding their annual Black Friday sale … and it sets in motion a series of murders from a mysterious killer wearing a John Carver mask and pilgrim costume. The mask thing brings up numerous slasher comparisons, like Halloween, Scream, and Friday the 13th.

I do not think it is a very good film, but despite my negative reaction, the general public seemed to love the horror film, grossing over $45.8 million on their $15 million budget. The money is so good that Sony Pictures have greenlit a sequel for a 2025 release…. So expect to see John Carver resurrected for Thanksgiving 2025.

Silent Night (2023) Read More Silent Night, Deadly Night The latest Vestron Video release is Silent Night, Deadly Night (3-Film Collection), which came out December 13th. I found it at Walmart for $17, which is a great price for three remastered films. …

Silent Night (2023)
lionsgate.com

Not to be confused with the 2021 British apocalyptic black comedy film or the Silent Night Deadly Night series about a murderous killer Santa… this 2023 Silent Night is an action thriller, with a Christmas background.

This film was directed by legendary director John Woo, who I am a big fan of his “heroic bloodshed” Hong Kong films like A Better Tomorrow (1986), The Killer (1989), and Hard Boiled (1992). Unfortunately, when Hollywood came calling and had him direct his American films, I wasn’t as thrilled… maybe something is lost in the translation. His last American film Paycheck was 20 years ago… so seeing him back with Silent Night was exciting.

Again, this was a miss for me. I think the concept is pretty cool, a whole movie without any dialogue. I think it might work better as a one-off television episode (like Buffy’s “Hush” episode), or one-off comic book in a series (like GI Joe’s “Silent Interlude”)… but in a two hour movie, it just felt long in the tooth. Okay, I get it, there’s no talking. You really, really have to pay attention to the screen with your eyeballs, so all the storytelling is showing you things and events and you just have to figure out what is going on. You really have to work to enjoy this film.

So, I didn’t like the film, but I think it’s a cool concept… but maybe in a short form, not a full-length feature. I suppose if you are hearing impaired, this is an amazing film.

‎

There's Something in the Barn (2023)

There's Something in the Barn (2023)
stage6films.com

There's Something in the Barn is a new Norwegian comedy/horror film about murderous gnomes, trolls or elves. You know those cute garden gnomes ? Imagine if those things are real and out to kill people…

The film starts off with a comedy punch, about an American family face to face with a killer Moose.

You find out that they inherited a house in Norway, so the whole family moved to the country, around the Christmas time. The family is ignorant of the history of the country.

Anyway, they want to turn the old barn into a hotel, but apparently there are evil elves that lives there. It’s a good setup for film, a little bit too silly at times.

Besides from being too silly, I also found the elves to be small and “cute” to take very seriously. At one point, the elves started throwing a party when they discovered bottles of alcohol.

No one in the film is taking the movie very seriously, so that is also the mentality you should go into seeing this film.

Nightmare on 34th Street (2023)

Nightmare on 34th Street (2023)
twitter.com/darkdreamline

This low-budget British anthology film Nightmare on 34th Street, obviously played off of Miracle on 34th Street.

You really have to appreciate low-budget films, you know with bad special effects, amateur acting, and poor audio. You can get past all that, you might like little anthology of stories: The first is about a killer Santa Claus gang and their torture and murder spree through the holiday. I’m not quite sure how this murder spree is able to go one for five years. Are the British police really bad at their job?

Then there is a killer, who has a snowman puppet. It doesn’t make any sense; he just goes around murdering people with an ice pick… followed by a brief story about Krampus and the mother who kills her children… followed by the one about a serial killer priest who buries his victims alive.

All the stories are tied together to reveal the secret origin of a Killer Santa in the making.

Read more Films and Christmas.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Best horror films of 2023

I’ll spotlight some 2023 films that I saw this year and what I like about them. Keep in mind that I have not seen everything.

Description James and Em enjoy a perfect vacation at an island resort. until a tragic accident leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime: be executed, or, if you're rich enough, watch yourself die instead. Read More Cronenberg One of the goriest, most disturbing films of all time, Possessor came out on 4K/Bluray/DVD earlier in October 2020 … but I finally bought it recently. Wow, I would agree with Film Threat …

Infinity Pool (2023)
neonrated.com

No, it’s not a crossover of Infinity Gauntlet and Deadpool… this is a Sci-Fi/Horror film called Infinity Pool. This dark film follows novelist James Foster (played by Alexander Skarsgård) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) on holiday in a fictional country called Li Tolqa.

They meet another couple, and immediately got the attention of Gabi (Mia Goth), who is a fan of Jame’s only published novel. The tourist couple broke the rules and left the resort grounds and accidentally killed a local by hitting him with their car.

From here, the film takes a very sharp crazy turn.

You soon find out that the penalty for killing someone is death at the hand of his victim’s firstborn son. It’s already mental, but it gets weirder when the authorities offer a way out for James Foster for a fee. You see, this country has perfected cloning, so what they can do is make a copy of you, and your copy gets killed in your place.

After the clone is killed, it just gets crazier and crazier. There’s an orgy. There’s more killing. There’s hallucination… It’s as if the whole thing was fueled by drugs.

I have my own theory for the film, and the film was smart enough to bring it up too. I believe that when the clone is killed… that in actuality, the original is killed. The clone is the one that survives. At least that’s my theory.

In the end, this is Brandon Cronenberg’s third film, and I’m fast becoming a fan. His first Antiviral came out in 2012 and was okay for a debut. 2020’s Possessor that I was blown away… and with 2023’s Infinity Pool, he’s batting 2 for 3.

I’m definitely looking forward to Brandon’s next project called Super-Cannes. It’s in the television format, and it’s based on a book by J. G. Ballard.

Description Single mom Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) and kids Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), Danny (Morgan Davies), and (Nell Fisher) were having an uncomfortable visit from her pregnant sister Beth (Lily Sullivan) when an earthquake shook their L.A. apartment building. Danny's exploration brought him to an unearthed copy of the Book of the Dead-and the stay would get a lot worse, in this effective spin-off for the storied fear franchise; Mirabai Pease, Richard Crouchley also star. Read More Evil Dead I have just seen an advance screening of the Evil Dead movie. The movie is officially release to the public next week, April 5, 2013. Although at the time of screening …

Evil Dead Rise (2023)
warnerbros.com

It’s been a long time since we saw the last Evil Dead film in 2013. Ten years later, the sequel Evil Dead Rise continues the franchise (which originally started in 1983).

The best part of Evil Dead Rise is that you do not need to watch any of the previous five Evil Dead films to follow the story. This is a brand-new storyline, with brand new characters. The only thing that ties them together is the Book of the Dead and the demons.

The story takes place in Los Angeles. There’s an earthquake and these two teenagers found old record vinyls in a hidden chamber. One of the teenagers, Danny, is a DJ, so he was immediately curious about playing the records … and in doing so, unintentionally summons demons.

Before you say anything, I had the same question: why would old monks put recordings on wax? When you think about it, it had to be on records because the tape technology didn’t exist back then. I guess it had to be done this way, in order for the story to take place.

Once the demons are in the picture, it’s utter chaos, as they try (and succeeds) in killing everyone. I previous Evil Dead films, you were stuck in a cabin, in the middle of nowhere… or in the dark ages. Evil Dead Rise is in an urban environment… however it is still isolated in the apartment building.

Personally speaking, I don’t really consider this film (and its previous 2013 film), as truly part of the originally Evil Dead series. To me, it’s not an Evil Dead movie, unless it has the Ash character. As far as I’m concern, the Evil Dead series ended with Army of Darkness.

I am planning on picking up Evil Dead Rise on Bluray, just to have it in my collection… but I’m not rushing out to buy it at full retail price. I’ll wait for a sale.

Description The producers of M3GAN and The Black Phone bring the terrifying horror game phenomenon to life as a blood-chilling film. Recently fired and desperate for work so that he can keep custody of his little sister, Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. But Mike soon discovers that nothing at Freddy's is what it seems. Mike's nights at Freddy's will lead him into unexplainable encounters with the supernatural and drag him into the black heart of an unspeakable nightmare. Read More M3GAN The first horror film of 2023 is called M3GAN. To be honest, it’s not really a horror film, more like comedy/horror… …

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)
fivenightsatfreddys.movie

Based on the popular video game series Five Nights at Freddy's, this film takes the security horror game to the silver screen.

Despite all the critics saying how awful the film is, I actually really enjoyed it. I think you also need to have a mindset of a child, as the film is never truly “horror.” I was surprised at the ending, particularly the reveal of the main boss.

Despite premiering online on Peacock at the same time as the film came out in theaters, it is one of the highest grossing film of 2023 … earning over $137.1 million in the United States and Canada.

The fans loves the game and they showed up in theaters in costumes and in large groups.

So… about that plot. It’s pretty dumb. I know it’s based on the video game, and, in the video game, you play a security guard at an abandoned Chuck E Cheese-type place. The goal is to survive “five nights at Freddy’s” as the game title implies. After the fifth night, if you survived, you win the game.

In the movie, it’s about a struggling young man, who desperately had to take a job at the nightguard to Freddy’s. Soon, you discovered that his brother was taken by some serial killer when he was very young and have been trying to discover who took him through “dream therapy” or something. He meets a young policewoman, who seemingly have nothing to do but hang out with him at Freddy’s.

Obviously, you all know the animatronic bears comes to life and murders people… but because this is somewhat of a family-friendly film, they don’t appear to be so horrific, despite the serial killer who preys on young children storyline.

In the end, the film has a happy ending … and I’m somewhat interested in seeing where they take this franchise in the second film. What else do you have to talk about now that everything is resolved?

Description When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. Read More A24 I am a big fan of A24, the film distributor/producer, ever since Alex Garland’s excellent film Ex Machina in 2015. To be fair, I’m a big Garland fan, owning all his films …

Talk To Me (2023)
a24films.com

Technically, Talk to Me actually came out in 2022. The film didn’t officially came out in the USA until 2023, via my favorite A24 distribution (and Lionsgate on Bluray). As I have already previously mentioned, I love A24, they have some great horror films under their belt, including Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019), and X (2022).

What sets Talk to Me apart is that it’s actually an Australian film. Everyone speaks with that Australian slang and accent… but you get used to it. They’re just like Americans, only the teenagers are so wild!

The plot takes its time to get going. There’s a lot of clues and building up to the actual embalmed hand. This supernatural severed hand will allow the user to talk to the dead. And if you invite them in, they can take over your body.

It’s all fun and games until someone stab themselves in the head, right? What doesn’t make sense is that even though the kids knew about the suicide incident that started the film, they continue to use the severed hand. I guess it’s all about getting the social likes.

Most of the sessions are for laughs, but when a 15-year-old boy Riley decided to give the hand a try… it turned dangerous. I won’t go into details, but it’s brutal what happens to him, and now Mia, who was responsible for allowing Riley to use the hand, is trying to save him.

Another thing to note is that this horror film is the directorial debut of “RackaRacka”, the two twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, who started on YouTube. From what I’ve seen, they’re actually really good at directing a movie and I’m definitely looking forward to their next project: Street Fighter and Bring Her Back.

Description Psychiatrist Elizabeth Derby becomes obsessed with helping a young patient who's suffering from extreme personality disorder. However, it soon leads her into occult danger as she tries to escape from a horrific fate. Read More Re-Animator I also think it’s one of the better films, thanks to Brian Yuzna (who is famous for Re-Animator, From Beyond, and Warlock). The last of the Vestron films …

Suitable Flesh (2023)
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Before you read any further, Suitable Flesh is not a good film. I wanted to put the film on the list, because most horror fans have overlooked this body-swapping film.

Suitable Flesh tries to pay tribute to those Lovecraftian 80s horror film, but unfortunately, it doesn’t quite get there. It has everything going for it - based on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Thing on the Doorstep”, produced by the scream queen Barbara Crampton, it’s the successor to Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator and From Beyond… but it doesn’t have the over-the-top horrific gore, or the full-frontal nudity, or much action. It seems to miss the mark that makes every great about those old Gordon film.

The plot of this movie is about a psychiatrist Elizabeth Derby (played by Heather Graham) and her relationship with a young patient. You find out that the young patient’s father is a demon who can swap bodies with a human. There’s the rule of three, which means if you swap bodies three times, it’s permanent.

Anyway, the demon gets possession of Elizabeth’s body and apparently, it’s never been in a woman before. I guess hilarity ensues.

Like I previously mentioned, it has all the formula to make for the next Stuart Gordon’s Lovecraft movie… but it just doesn’t live up to the originals two films. If anything, I want to go back and re-visit the original Re-Animator.

Read more Horror and Bluray.

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