Monday, December 15, 2014

Review: Attack of the Morningside Monster

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2014
Images from the Internet

Attack of the Morningside Monster
Directed by Chris Ethridge
Making Monster Productions / Blue Dusk Productions
Apprehensive Films
93 minutes, 2014
www.afcinema.com
www.mvdvisual.com

The fictional town of Morningside is in New Jersey, and the two top cops are a local (Tom Haulk, played by Robert Pralgo), and one from the Bronx (Klara Austin, embodied by the underrated Tiffany Shepis, who started out in the Troma camp). I really didn’t get a Jersey vibe from the film (it’s based on the more rural Wharton area; I drove through it on 80 more times that I remember) mostly due to the lack of Tri-State accents, but considering it was filmed in Lawrenceville, GA, that’s not surprising. All I’m sayin’ is it goes without sayin’, as I once overheard someone say.

Someone is gruesomely (of course!) killing off some local drug dealer scumbags while wearing a hooded robe and a cool ritual mask (see the DVD cover above). Using various devises such as power slicers and a kind of mace, victims are immobilized and have internal organs removed; sometimes this happens while they’re still alive.

There is nothing exotic or artsy about this film as far as form goes, but sometimes meat and potatoes is just what is needed. Skip the weird shadows, the strange angles, the symbolic lighting, and just get to the “meat” of the matter. Director Chris Ethridge, in his first full length release, cuts to the chase and gives the audience a taut and bloody drama without the bells and whistles, just gristle. Perhaps, over time, this will change, but that’s okay, too. I believe that many directors try too much on their first outing, and find out that it’s harder work than was necessary to advance the action. The fact that this release has won a bunch of awards in festivals shows that it’s definitely reaching where it is needed.

You know what’s a good sign? I didn’t figure out the killer for a while, which is rare. I made guesses, and was wrong on three of them. When I did figure it out, about 20 minutes before the end, I thought “really?”, sometimes the trickiest of all choices is in front of your face.

For a first full feature, Ethridge manages to find some real talent, with lots of credentials. The two leads, for example, are seasoned professionals, with Pralgo being in a bunch of high-level cable shows and major films, and Shepis has a long history in the genre. The big name here, though, belongs to Nicholas Brendon, who was Zander in the popular series Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. Okay, yeah, he’s a pretty one-note actor, but there is no doubt he is known.

For me, the fault that is in the film – and this is true of most genre releases both big and small – is the shallowness of exposition. Why is someone from the Bronx the Deputy Sheriff? What is her background? Who is the Sherriff’s girlfriend (Catherine Tabor)? The bad guy’s wife (more cameo than anything by the lovely April Bogenshultz)? There is, fortunately, some indication of why the Sherriff is so committed to his best bud’s wife (Amber Chaney, who played Avox in The Hunger Games)?

On the flip side, what is great about the writing is that it isn’t cut and dry in that the “monster” is not – er – unhuman (e.g., Jason, Michael). Mistakes are made, and people who should not be involved become victims by accident. I think this is a real bonus and one I’d like to see kept up in other films. Kudos. Also, there is a great red herring a bit over half-way through that is not only well played, but well placed.

Nudity is kept at a minimal, and the gore effects look really good. There isn’t an overabundance of visceral matter, but what is present is nice and messy. Most of it is post-attack, rather than the actual action.

The extras are a couple of trailers and an interesting commentary track with the director/co-producer, writer/co-producer Jayson Palmer, and co-producer Michael Harper discussing the production, actors, and all that. Though I don’t remember who is saying what (one of the problems with three or more people on a track), it’s kind of irrelevant because it’s the info that matters.

I like that the film doesn’t do the usual killer pseudo-teens + sex = death (though there is a bit of a nod to that), and that most who die deserve it, so when those who aren’t “worthy” bite it, it actually makes it more moving. It may be meat ‘n taters, but as I said, sometimes you can get more accomplished by going for why the audience is there in the first place.

 

Friday, December 5, 2014

Reviews: Films based on HP Lovecraft's "The Thing on the Doorstep" and Rudyard Kipling's "Mark of the Beast"

Text by Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2014
Images from the Internet

Discussed here are two films based on short stories from about a generation on either side the turn of the 20th Century. The writers of these tales, HP Lovecraft and Rudyard Kipling, are known for their verbose language and tales of the wild side of life. Free PDFs of the original Lovecraft short story can be found HERE, and the Kipling one HERE. The adaptations are updated to the present, but retain their original pastiches, including first-person narrations.
 
The Thing on the Doorstep
Directed by Tom Gliserman
Handsome Spyder
Leomark Studios
89 minutes, 2014
www.leomarkstudios.com
www.mvdvisual.com

The 1933 H.P. Lovecraft short story, with the same name on which this film is based, although apparently considered one of his lesser literary works, has one of the great and memorable opening lines in 20th Century horror literature: “It is true that I have just sent six bullets through the head of my best friend, and yet I hope to show by this statement that I am not his murderer.”

Without giving away too much, Daniel (Rob Dalton), the rascally rich lifelong pal of the narrating character, Edward (David Bunce), falls for a mysterious woman named Asenath Waite (portrayed by the film’s writer, Mary Jane Hansen). Asenath has a dark reputation as a hypnotist at good moments, and a necromancer/witch at less forgiving times. Added into the mix is Daniel’s pregnant wife, Marion (Susan Cicarelli-Caputo). This is a major variance from the original story, as Marion is barely mentioned by H.P., but is thankfully given full personhood here.

As time goes on, it is pretty obvious that Edward and Asenath’s relationship is becoming increasingly mystical and toxic. I’m grateful I read the original (see the link in the blog’s opening paragraph) before seeing the film, for a few reasons. The most obvious is that I could compare the two. Also, there were a couple of gaps here and there in the film that were not major flaws, but the story helped fill in. For example, the first couple of pages explain the relationship between Daniel and Edward, whereas in the movie adaptation, which has been modernized to the present, they are friends, but the exposition is kind of iffy.

One of the aspects that interested me is that it is generally known that Asenath is one of the few strong female characters in Lovecraft’s literary camp, but the two points that stick in my craw is that (a) she keeps wishing she were a man because men have stronger brains, and (b) she may only be a woman in meat puppet form. I was wondering how the film would present this men’s vs. women’s argument, which it does, but writer Hansen balances it by having Asenath make the same argument only to be refuted by Marion. I believe bringing up this argument from the book and addressing it in this way was a brave – and somewhat necessary – thing for Hansen to do.

Hansen actually takes some other wise steps, like adding in a psychological aspect on top of the pure mysticism of the original. She does this without losing the power of the story, and considering this is her first screenplay, that’s quite impressive. Asenath’s session with psychoanalyst Marion gives the impression she is talking about Daniel, but there is more afoot that will come to light.

In the book, Asenath is attractive but weirdly bug-eyed (not in those words), but Hansen is quite fetching in a young Blythe Danner sort of way.  She is just one of a relatively strong albeit mostly unknown cast.

Shot in Saratoga Springs, in Upstate Eastern New York, Gliserman gives the film a dated, eerie feeling, making it almost claustrophobic with many close angles. Even an overhead shot of a car on the highway seems limited in space. This is achieved in part by muting the color tones into a sepia-filtered light, so it’s in color, but there are no bright hues. There is also some interesting shots and editing, giving it an arty feel without going into the obtuse. Gliserman did the cinematography, and job well done.

For me, the flaw of the film, as it were, is the title creature, which looked a bit like it needed the touch of someone with a more SFX experience. Otherwise, the creep factor stays high. Lovecraft is hard to adapt, given his language (for which the dialog here gratefully borrows plentiful) and the more than 80 years since its release. Sure, you could just totally revamp it, like Stuart Gordon’s infamous Re-Animator (1985) and From Beyond (1986), but it takes courage to keep it loyal even with the updating.

Extras are chapters and a trailer.

 

Rudyard Kipling’s Mark of the Beast
Directed by John Gorman and Thomas Edward Seymour
Bloodbath Pictures
72 minutes, 2012
www.bloodbathpictures.com
www.mvdvisual.com

Rudyard Kipling was more known for fantastical stories of India, where boys live in the jungle and converse with animals, or brave British/white men fight battles against raging local/Indian wild jungle men. But there is also a darker side to Kipling, who would occasionally write about the more mysterious, dangerous, and supernatural view of life.

Mark of the Beast, in the original 1890 story, also has its loci in the dark wilderness of India, but in this retelling, we are logically and micro-budgetedly moved to (possibly) rural America, where somehow natives (I am assuming they mean Native Americans, though it could just be a cult, it’s not explained well) still manage to worship a monkey god.

The basic premise of the story is that Fleete (genre writer and Film Threat editor Phil Hall) is a drunken lout, and manages to offend the monkey god worshipers by putting a cigar out on its alter. He is attacked by a leper (in the States, while extremely rare, can be apparently contracted from armadillos, I kid you not) or something more sinister for his misdeed, who is known as the Silver Man due to the way the light reflects off his…er…skin. Fleete starts quickly turning into a similar creature, gnarling and gnashing, eating raw meat and attacking others, but that is only the beginning of the story, and I won’t give away much more.

As with many of the fictions of the period, most were written by men about men. In the original short story, there is talk of a nurse, but all the main characters are male. Co-directors Gorman and Seymour not only take a turn at the gender, they have the lead and first-person narration personified by Debbie (in the original story, the narrator is unnamed) voiced over by B-Queen goddess Debbie Rochon, giving yet another top-notch-yet-underappreciated performance; I would arguably say she gives the most naturalistic performance of the lot. It’s kind of a shame that the person who receives top billing, who seems to be there mostly so the film has a name, is the diminutive Ellen Muth, the star of the spectacular Dead Like Me series. It is good to see her work as I certainly enjoyed the AMC show, and she is a superb actor, but she doesn’t really do much here more than be in the shots as a brought-along friend (lover?) of another character (Margaret Champagne) who was not in the Kipling story. Yeah, it’s great they’ve added women roles, as I said, but I would like it to be more substantial than just peripheral characters who are there to scream and panic, or be fodder for… nah, not giving it away.

One of the comments often made about the original story is that there is a bit of torture thrown in by two of the main characters, including Strickland (Dick Boland) who is a police officer trying to get information, and to help his obnoxious friend (acquaintance?), Fleete, recover. In the original, Kipling skips over this part and a couple of other gruesome moments as the narrator refusing to put it down to writing. But now, we live in a post-9/11, Homeland and 24 world. Many people in the West are having attitude changes towards getting information any way possible because of their fears, real or imagined. For example, the torture report about the CIA under the Bush Administration is released to a resounding “Is Miley pregnant?” attitude. Now, during the commentary the directors say they are against the practice, but there is a bit less of the shying away of Kipling’s to the technique. Here the camera lingers on the gruesome inflictions.

There are some nice additions and touches added here, such as uber-Christian Strickland trying – with Debbie’s help – in an exorcism. Strickland, once realizing that Christianity isn’t going to change anything, and that the monkey god may also have some power in the situation, decides he and Debbie need to take matters in their own hands, with cudgels in hand in a nicely blue tinted day-for-night chase. Going from God loving to torturer seems like a natural progression. And what does one gain if one loses their own soul, is the – er – soul of the story, both the original and this interpretation.

What I find amusing about adaptations like this, where they take a story from another time and culture zone and update it is how they leverage the older with the modern. Even though some of the language is the same, the addition of profanity seems to be a way to say, “Hello! This is now, people, not then!” I don’t believe it’s a good or bad thing, just a bemused observation.

The make-up effects look better than the budget implies, with the blisters and dusky, scaly skin of the leper working into the story. The bite marks left by Fleete look appropriately gory in an almost modern zombie touch, if shown – er – fleetingly. Much of the cast also doubles as crew, including producers and many other hats. That is a sign of dedication that I respect, being willing to work hard on both sides of the camera, and more than just as a cameo appearance (such as the opening party scene), which is always needed in a micro-budget indie.

Filmed around Voluntown, Connecticut, the woods look mysterious and deep, and isolated (the sign of decent camerawork). The footage is color graded to give impressions, such as the previously mentioned blue-hued night shots. Unless used garishly in extremes, such as in, say, Creepshow (1982), if used correctly as it is here, it can convey subtle moods and ambience, pushing those micro-dollars quite a bit further.

I think it’s important to note that the film has added a really nice touch to the ending of the story, beyond where Kipling tread, showing the futility of… well, I’m not going to say. This is definitely a film worth watching, but know that there are squeamish parts because of the humanity/inhumanity of it (unlike, say, torture porn) for those mainstream viewers. For the genre fan, this may actually seem a bit mild in the action, but in the larger picture, it points to the flaws in the way we may think or believe.

The “Making of The Beast” extra is 12 minutes of the first and last day of shooting, and keeps it interesting as we meet the make-up mavens, introductions to most of the cast, and general discussions thankfully on-set as opposed to talking head interviews, which can be fun but are less in-the-moment. Other extras are two of the film’s official trailers, and two winners of a college contest for best editing of a trailer and teaser. They take Sergei Eisenstein’s posit of editing = action seriously, and both are well done. However, the feature itself actually uses very lax editing, using longer than usual shots, which is noted with joy by me in this post music video/mainstream action film world.

Lastly, there is the Commentary Track with the two directors. They had previously directed the Bikini Bloodbath series, so it’s good to hear them talk about the film from various technical as well as personal aspects. They are obviously knowledgeable about cinema history, not just horror, so the pace keeps up. There is a bit less of goofiness between them here, and more actual film talk so I can say positive things about the track, as they take it seriously, but not dryly so. The biggest revelation to me was that they intended this to be vague as far as time and location, though considering the lack of melanin (with one exception in a b-roll cameo, who was also part of the crew) and tans of the cast, I can only say “USA.”

I’ve watched it twice now, and it has kept its integrity throughout, so I say go for it.
 
Thing on the Doorstep trailer: HERE
 
 
 

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Review: Closed Circuit Extreme

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2014
Images from the Internet

Closed Circuit Extreme
Written and directed by Giorgio Amato
Jingai Films / Dania Films / Manetti Bros Films
98 minutes, 2012 / 2014
www.mvdvisual.com

At last, a new found footage film! Haven’t seen one of those in… okay, enough with the sarcasm.

Closed Circuit Extreme is an Italian film shot in English with thick accents (though I had no problem understanding the dialog). Its premise is simple, if not overly logical.

A man, David de Santis (Stefano Fregni) – as in “David of Satan” – is suspected by a college age couple of being a serial killer, and of doing in one of their friends. In order to trap this guy, they repeatedly break into his house and set up a series of five CCTV cameras throughout, and then daily downloading the footage (at his house…guess they don’t have Wi-Fi in Italy, ahem) while he’s at work.

This is a disagreeable couple. Daniele (Guglielmo Favilla) knows the danger they are in, and Claudia (Francesca Cuttica) randomly touches and moves stuff, looks through David’s drawers, all the while he’s yelling at her to stop. For once I agree with the man in the story. Usually it’s the women who are more even-headed. She seems pretty non-pulsed that they are in the house of someone they believe has killed their amica.

The entire film is edited from the CCTV images, which keep cutting in and out and filled with repeated and annoying static noise. This is, I am assuming, to remind the viewer that it is the CCTV they are watching, like anyone needs any hints.

For more than half the movie, we watch the possibly dangerous man as the eats in front on the television, naps on his couch, and goes to sleep in his bed. Truly the banality of evil, you might say.

Sporadically, he interviews possible nannies for a child you never see, for him and a wife you never see, and obviously neither exists. It’s well into the second half of the film when you see David of the Devil for who he really is. His brutality is shown in detail, with some nice physical effects thrown in, though nothing really comes as any surprise.

Part of the reason there is no bombshell is what the failing of the storyline is to me: this is “police evidence,” so as we meet the characters there is an on-screen blurb that tells you the name of the person, where they are from, and the date they die (or not). This takes away much of the suspense, leaving just the killings (etc.). Oh, this person dies. Oh, this one doesn’t die, we learn on the introduction of everyone. Sigh.

The scenes of brutality are few and far between, and the body count on screen is pretty low. There is little gore per se, though we see a lot of blood on clothes and body parts. In fact, this film could have been an hour and it would have been enough.

The extra is the trailer, but what I find confusing, is after the film between minutes of black nothing, we see some silent clips of the film we just saw. Che cosa?

The way in which the film is successful is that it really does show that evil is just moments. Okay, here is a bizarre analogy, so bear with me. When you get a year-end letter, where you read the exploits of someone you know, it seems like the year was filled will events (e.g., “We went on vacation!” “I got a promotion!”), when actually, most of the period was probably mundane and ordinary, when you fill in the gaps. This film attempts and succeeds in showing that kind of “between” moments, which makes the contrast of violence seem more shocking.

Where it doesn’t succeed is, as I said, in TMI by broadcasting outcomes upon introductions.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Review: Rise of the Black Bat

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2014
Images from the Internet

 
Rise of the Black Bat
Directed by Scott Patrick
Tom Cat Films / Brett Kelly Entertainment
80 minutes, 2012 / 2014
www.tomcatfilms.com
www.mvdvisual.com

I know this is going to sound cliché, but I love indie films, especially indie horror films. I also love comic books and superheroes. During the time when I was seven and comics were a dime, my dad would buy a buck’s worth every two weeks for three years for both me and my brother (my brother and I? Screw it) which we would read while we waited in lobby of a convalescent hospital for my parent to visit my grandfather. Batman was always my favorite. Here, this may rattle your cannoli: we had Spiderman #1, Fantastic Four #1, Hulk #1, and so many others, which my dad ripped up because we read them after lights out. But I digress, and please continue after you pull your chins off the floor…

Around the time of Batman’s first appearance in the 1930s (decades before I was born, thank you), there was another character which was similar in a book called, yep, the Black Bat. He looked similar to Batman, as he had the black everything including a cowl, but without the ears, no utility belt, and a long black leather coat instead of the cape (which seemed impractical to me, even as a kid).

This film is based on that other character, rather than the one we know so well. Mickey Spillane-ish hard-boiled District Attorney Tony Quinn (Jody Haucke) is trying to bring down seemingly untouchable Crime Boss Oliver Snate (Leo Frost), so on the verge of getting the bastid, Snate has Quinn blinded via an acid attack. With the help of some guy who for some unrealistic reason has become his servant, Silk Kirby (Richard Groen) and a revenge-minded socialite, Carol Baldwin (Dixie Collins), he goes to “the Orient,” where apparently all medical staff is non-Asian. While there he has a series operations. The result of all this is that he now has the power of sight in the dark as green vision, which we only get to see in use once.

Apparently without any kind of training, he dons the black clothes, grabs a gun, and goes after the bad guys.

You may have noticed my snarky under tone in this. There is a reason for that: simply put, this is a bad film. No, not “so bad it’s good” bad, just bad. The acting is atrocious, that’s true, but the overall fault lies squarely on Trevor Payer, the writer, and especially on Scott Patrick, the director. The dialog is terrible; in fact, there were three separate places where I said what the characters were going to say before they did. It’s that predictable. There are way too many holes in the story, such as lack of training as I mentioned earlier, that the people are unbelievable, and there is absolutely no sense of character development, even with more exposition than action (mostly through first-person narration in trying to sound like, well, Spillane).

The film, which is a mere 80 minutes, with proper editing should have been about half of that. For example, a woman is chased by two muggers down an alleyway for nearly 4 minutes. There’s another scene where a shot on a nurse talking in stilted dialog is seen in a (purposefully) fuzzy unedited one-shot talking to a doctor and not really saying much for another few minutes. Then there’s the 80 shots fired in a short distance back and forth before anyone falls. And that includes a machine gun.

There is no nudity, but there is a four-person bikini contest where they prance back and forth in front of the camera for a reaaaaaally long time while the sound of clapping (obviously looped as you can hear the break) is annoyingly constant. There’s also no blood or SFX despite the occasional shooting, or even redness on the face or eyes of Quinn moments after acid is supposedly thrown in his face. The only effects, other than the cartoonish city overview during the credits, are the flash of the gun muzzles and the sound of the gunfire repeated aud nauseum. Though there is the one time they miss it and the gun just clicks, which made me laugh. No, it was not running out of bullets, because the next shot fires as it is supposed to do.

If this is going to be a franchise, I can tell you now that I am not going to watch any of the sequels.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Review: Isis Rising: Curse of the Lady Mummy

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2014
Images from the Internet

 
Isis Rising: Curse of the Lady Mummy
Written and directed by Lisa Palenica
Tom Cat Films / Platinum Assassin Films
80 minutes, 2012 / 2014
www.tomcatfilms.com
www.mvdvisual.com

That was no lady, that was your mummy! (Sorry…)

Okay, just a few corrective notes before I get into the review itself. The myth of Osiris is one of the most durable from all Middle Egypt, strong enough to replace Ra (sun god) as the main religion of Early Egypt after papyrus was introduced and could carry the story faster and further.


The Isis of myth
Osiris and Isis were not just husband/wife and brother/sister, but were also twins, the children of Nut (sky goddess) and Geb (earth god). Their brother was Set, who was also married to his own twin, Nephyhys (absent from this film). Director/writer Lisa Palenica does get it right that Set kills Osiris and chops him into pieces, but Isis and Nephyhys find all the parts except one (yes, that one), and after shaping a phallus out of mud, she is impregnated with their son, Horus, the most popular god of the period (he has a bird head; the “eye of Horus” is one of the most common cultural symbols to last the ages, along with Isis kneeling with her feathered arms outspread). After Horus is – er – created, Osiris becomes the Lord of the Underworld (not Hades, just death). Unlike the prologue here, Isis is not killed. Hey, it’s the prologue, so get over the spoiler alert, okay?
 


Osiris and Isis (Rai in a painted-on bra) of the film
Yeah, I’m a fan of the myth. Been to Egypt for a college class and wrote a forty-page paper on the changes of funeral traditions as the technology of the writing medium changed (from pyramids to mastabas to papyrus). I’ve even stood in the Temple of Horus in Memphis, so I’m going to be a little bit harder about the myth.

After the prologue, when the modern story actually starts, we meet a bunch of archeology students and their professors as they search for the “black magic” Book of the Undead (filmed at the Mesa Museum in Scottsdale, AZ), which is also what Isis is supposed to use to raise her dead hubby/bro and an army to take over the world. This collection of students includes a couple of horndog jock surfer type dudes (Michael Alvarez, Joshua DuMond), one of whom even wears his baseball cap backwards. Really? Have you even seen an archeology student? They don’t have time for that kinda stuff. Then there are their girlfriends, including one with bleached blonde hair and lots of cleavage (the director of this epic, of all people) and another who is slight and toothsome in a cute way, and equally horny (Shellie Ulrich). Then there is the brilliant older but horny Asian student (Jiang Song), and the shy but horny nerd (Robin Daniel Egan). Mentoring them (i.e., using them) is the horny older professor (Randy Oppenhiemer) and the handsome and not horny prof-head-of-his-field (Seth Grandrud, during his best Fernando Lamas). Add the lonely and horny museum curator (Judith Eisenberg), and the perv voyeur (aka horny) security guard (“bear” porn actor James Bartholet), and you have more hormones floating around that you would think to find at a research project that would normally go to the top of the class, rather than the remedial ones.

 Of course, Isis rises (diminutive porn actress Priya Rai), even though it’s never really explained how. Rai makes some brief appearances here and there with overflowing bras, but mostly she does that cliché thing where she enters someone via mist from her mouth, and takes over their body.

I need to make a comment here, which I know should fall under the view of suspension of disbelief, but when one of the students inevitably finds the Book of the Undead, it is an actual book, with a front and back cover, spine, printed gilt letters on said cover, typeset text and equally sized pages. Of course, this is not possible since books didn’t really exist in this form until after Johannes Gutenberg’s press during the 15 Century, in Europe, not Egypt. Papyrus was the mode of discourse when the story of Isis and Osiris was spread, but at the time when they were supposed to exist, the best it could have possibly been was chiseled on stone walls. In actuality, since they were beings from the beginning of time (not during the Middle Kingdom of Egypt), there would most likely have been no writing at all yet. The Egyptian Book of the Dead in its earliest form (Ra-inspired First Kingdom) would have been wall carvings.

Okay, I think I got that out of my system now, so I can focus on the film itself. Thanks for your indulgence.

With all the sexual tension and implied scenes, there is no nudity, and little bloodletting. There are a couple of cool SFX of limb removals, and kudos for that (done digitally, I’m certain), but the scene where a head is removed looked good except for the edit in the film where it jumps slightly between the head being attached and the head being detached. Still, made me smile.

Shellie Ulrich and a dude
Most of the time, the writing is actually okay, but every once in a while, it totally works, such as after one of the bodies is found legless. The acting here is thin, but Ulrich comes out as the cream of the crop. She freaks out, but not in a cartoon or wooden way. By far the best actor in the batch. Actually, Song does pretty well, too. Among the worst? Well, Rai comes across as fake as her boobage, but shhhh, we won’t talk about that.

Come to think of it, I am wrong. The most wooden actor in the batch is the one who plays Set (Wilman Vergara Jr.), who performs like one of the extras in an Italian sword and sorcery film from the mid-60s. Over the top and yet emotionless all at the same time.

But let’s talk about the shell of the film. Considering most of the cast and some incredibly fakey looking painted brick walls, this is a pretty well shot feature, and for someone of Palenica’s age, experience, and tongue ball, she actually does pretty well in telling a story. A bit of text editing may have been helpful, but there are a few really fine moments of dialog that not only forward the story, but show some promise of things to come. Yeah, she needs to dump some of the cliché characters that are hard to like (the testosterone macho assholes for example), and the overt sexuality that doesn’t really lead to anything, but with the right guidance, Palenica could be quite good for the genre.

Director / actor Lisa Palenica
A large-ish central cast isn’t just blood fodder; it works better if the viewer has some connection or care for a character. And some of the tones just need some tweaking to help with that. I applaud that Palenica has a history of having porn actors do straight roles, and I applaud expanding niche acting to cover numerous genres.

The only extra is the trailer, below.

As time goes on, I get the feeling that Palenica may have a career. As well as editing, I would also like to humbly recommend she AD under a more seasoned director, even an indie genre one, and get another perspective. It could help her grow. For example, I know of a singer who wanted to play guitar, and the advice she received from a well-known, international musician, was to practice scales, and ask any guitarist she met on tour to show her one thing, and one thing only. By that means she has built up a series of moves that makes her a tremendous guitarist now. I’m thinking Palenica could use that from other directors to build upon. Then, hopefully… watch out!

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Review: Skinless

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films Blog, 2013
Images from the Internet
 
Skinless (aka The Ballad of Skinless Pete)
Directed, shot, edited and scored by Dustin Wayde Mills
Dustin Mills Productions
80 minutes, 2013 / 2014
www.Facebook.com/DustinMillsProductions
www.DMPStudios.com
http://dmp.storenvy.com

On many different levels, this film is a bit of a turning point for Dustin Mills Productions. Up until now, the releases by director (among other titles) Mills has either been a horror comedy or has strong elements of humor. This film is different in that it is serious, from the first minute on. There is still a few (meant to be) moments of uncomfortable titter, but this film is done straight.

Essentially, this is a four-person piece, at least three of them we get to see full frontal, but I’m getting – er – ahead of myself. Of the foursome, three have appeared in previous Mills productions. The newest is Allison Egan (not to be confused with Brit actor, Alison Egan). The first shot starts right off with her in the altogether as Olivia, the girlfriend of the soon-to-be-skinless titular character. As with many of Mills’ female cast members, she’s tattooed and looks like she could beat the shit outta you and enjoy it, but remains attractive. Her character has little back story, but her screen time is limited, so onward.

Returning for a third time is Dave Parker, also known as the horror vlogger, MrParka (yes, one word). He was in Easter Casket, and also Bath Salts Zombies as an addicted stoner, but in this more serious role, he does fine. His role of Neil, who controls the money to be meted out to scientists in order to insure profit for the shareholders, is pivotal, but again, not much screen time. Parker looks a bit young for the role which he is portraying, but I’m okay with that (like I deserve to have a say, right?).

Erin R. Ryan
The female lead is Erin R. Ryan, who also starred in Mills’ last film, Easter Casket. She’s still-full-skin Pete’s roommate Alice, and less-than-secret love interest. She is also a scientist and is, in fact, research partner with him. Ryan is an attractive woman with a firm jaw and is capable of being both strong and vulnerable in the same scene.

Pete Peel (really? Peel?) is the protagonist anti-hero, strongly played by Mills’ hetero-life/work-partner and recurring lead actor, Brandon Salkil. Petey is looking for a cure for cancer because his shoulder has a ridiculously large melanoma (looks like a silver dollar sized hole). Not sure why the girlfriend, Olivia, never noticed it. As Nirvana once said, “Oh well, nevermind.” The important thing is that he’s on a literal deadline to find the cure, and he thinks he may have found it in a worm whose secretions melt, well, you know. And despite threats from Alice and Neil, I don’t think I’m giving anything away (read the title of the film) by saying that he injects the experimental serum into himself.

So far, the story is going along strongly, we’re somewhat emotionally tied to the two lead characters in a star-crossed lovers way, and you just know the big bang is coming. And as always, Mills does not disappoint.


Brandon Salkil
From here, though as enjoyable as the film is, and it truly is, there is some resemblance to Cronenberg’s version of The Fly (1986). First healing strength leading to the body disintegrating yet still strong, twitching, bodily fluids to melt food and people, and of course the love interest trying to reconcile with the whole thing. While Cronenberg had a budget of $15 million, Mills does damn fine with a few thou and opens it up in ways that are new, partly by slowly closing the story into a tight knot.
Let’s talk about that last part. One of the things I truly like about Mills’ work is that he knows how to make a small budget go a long way. For example, nearly all of this film, with the exception of one scene¸ takes place in a single house, and mostly in the attic and the basement. This works well with giving the mild yet palpable feeling of claustrophobia, a device that syncs well with what is happening to Pete, as his world gets smaller.

Everything feels increasingly intimate, with a large percentage of the dialog between the two leads, Pete and Alice, the Invisible Man style clothes and mask Pete wears, and much of the surroundings being quite bare and stark. I’m not sure if it was budget constraints, the house they managed to get to for the shoot, or a director’s choice for mood, but it works.

There obviously isn’t a very high body count with a cast of four (though if you look at it in percentages, that’s another story), but the gruesome effects for all involved is incredibly enjoyable. Sherriah Salkil (Brandon’s spouse who also contributes to the films in various roles) and Mills do a great job with the make-up. It looks way better than the budget implies, and I would say this filmmaker’s best gore effects yet. Still stringy rubber innerds¸ but the blood and masks look way ahead of past films, and that’s saying a lot considering how accomplished they looked before.

Since this is a Mills film, there must be a discussion of the one thing that is recurrent in all his releases: puppets. He keeps it down to a minimum, being a worm, a dog (or what’s left of it), and melted bodies. Sure, the dog looks similar to the one in Bath Salt Zombies, but it kicks butt (or bites leg?).

 If there was any one complaint on my part (as I am wont to do), it is that when Brandon wears his mask, it is sometimes hard to make it out. If a bigger budget was on the table, I would say re-dub the voice.

The visuals are quite compelling. The editing is tight, the cinematography sharp (and HD), and even the lighting is solid. And the gore level is high and sticky. Mills has a talent for making fake blood (too many films are the wrong color or consistency), and he is not afraid to apply it.

The one true piece of comedy that appears in this film is over the credits, in the song “The Ballad of Skinless Pete,” by Mike Fisher, an inappropriately folksy ballad that is the opposite of the metal shards that usually accompany a Mills release.

Microbugets can either put a crimp in a film’s style, or it will present the opportunity to be creative with what one has. This film definitely falls into the latter category. That being said, if you’re a band and you need a music video and can pay for it, or just want to support the genre through an up-and-comer, checks out Mills site above and help finance his next project, called SpiderClown. I am already anticipating it.
 
Red Band Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DBt17RMoM0

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Reviews: Hillbilly Horror Show (Vol. 1); The Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2014
Images from the Internet

I put these two reviews together because… hell, if you can’t tell why, then yer dummer than a a mitten-wearin’ redneck at shoe-tying contest.

 
The Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher
Co-written, filmed and directed by Joaquin Montalvan
Sledgehammer Films
Whacked Movies
99 minutes, 2012 / 2014
www.sledgehammerfilms.com
www.legendofthehillbillybutcher.com
www.mvdvisual.com

Most of the time when the world “Hillbilly” appears in the title, the film may be fun, but it tends to be a bit on the silly side, especially in this genre. For example, there’s Hillbilly’s in Haunted House (1967), Cannibal Hillbillies (2003), and Hicky: The Hillbilly Vampire (2014). This one, however, is very serious, despite a few moments of mirth that peek through.

We are introduced to the titular Carl Henry Jessup in a wraparound by a granddad telling this “based on a true story” tale to his three gran’chillrin. It should come as no surprise that the favorite food of Jessup (Paul Respass, d. 2014) is “long pig,” aka human flesh. After all, as someone says to him in the film more than one, “Your bloodline is cursed, Carl Henry.”

To be served on a plate, all you need to do is be someone he doesn’t know and show up on his property, poachers, or if they just piss him off, such as date-rape the woman who is his half-sister.

The main part of the story has a retro 1970s-‘80s grainy, washed out look with pock marks and scratches, reminding me a bit of part of the classic slasher Mother’s Day (1980). As we look deeper into the mind and thoughts of Jessup (which we hear in an overdub), there are flashes of arty camerawork and editing that elevates this to more than just a typical slash a burn (or cook) slice-em-up.

Early on, we meet the zaftig Rae Lynn (Theresa Holly), Carl Henry’s deep blue eyed neighbor and half-sister who cooks for Jessup. Whether she knows what (or who) she is cooking is unclear for a while. On some level, Jessup loves her, but not as much as his moonshine or his “daddy’s special” gravy. She’s also the only one who can stand up to him without fear. And it’s pretty obvious that she has a much deeper hankering for him, but he’s “kin.” Instead, she takes a shine on their dumb-as-a-stump moocher friend, Billy Wayne (Chris Shumway).

Poor Carl Henry really misses his Momma and evil Papa, and is willing to sell his soul to bring them back “alive and in the flesh.” Even though he recants his wish, is that possible, and how much of it is “real” or in his mind? What about the drunk ‘billy roaming around throughout the story (played by the director), and how does he fit into the story? Of course, secrets are going to be revealed and violence will ensue.

The gore is aplenty and looks great, though the blood is occasionally too gooey. I’ll forgive that since everything else looks so good (e.g., real pig intestines were used). The editing is superb, and the throw-back look works well.

Part of what makes this enjoyable is that Montalvan gets such good performances out of his actors. There is the occasionally moment of woodiness, but mostly they manage of embody the characters, or more accurately, let the characters embody them. The three main leads are especially strong. Paul has Carl Henry go from raging to befuddled to scared (about making his pact), to nostalgic and annoyed in the wink of an eye without being confusing or seeming to give conflicting messages. Shumway has his way with being creepy in a very subtle manner. Theresa is also well versed in creating mood without saying a word. The scene at the table where Billy Wayne asks her out, you see her face go from flattered to “what the hell am I thinking” to sad as she looks longingly at Carl in an entirely natural and fluid way that is a joy to watch.

Even without the supernatural aspects, this would be a good film. That being said, it does add a touch that makes it differ from most backwoods slitters. In fact, this low-budget exercise was more enjoyable to me than the more popular Jug Face (2013), another backwater bloodbath with a mystical message. In other words, this was even better than I expected. Thanks!

Lots of juicy extras are included. Yeah, three different versions of the trailer is great, and I say that without a whiff of sarcasm, but the centerpiece is the hour-long Making Of documentary titled “Gutting da Hillbilly Butcher.” Most of the cast is interviewed, including most of the crew, who discuss the aspects of their contribution to the project, as well as how it was working with the film as a whole. The director shines a light on many aspects including that part of the production was shot in his back yard in Pasadena (the rest in a busy nature preserve). Even some of the neighbors are talking heads here, a nice choice. However, it is S.E. Feinberg, who played the narrator of the wraparound that steals the show. I’m going to have that “Gimme that Long Pig” song stuck in my head for hours now.

Also, there is a 30-minute Internet interview with the director and two leads, on “The Horror Happens Radio Show” hosted by Jay K (www.horrorhappens6.wix.com/show). The cast is on camera via computer so you get to see their reactions and hear lots of stories. It’s a nice addition, especially with Paul (possibly the last piece of film of him) being beardless and looking quite different and non-menacing.

More than once during these extras, Montalvan mentions an earlier short film titled Razor Blade (2012), which is also included. It’s experimental, reminiscent of Luis Bunuel’s Un Chien Andalou (1929) in visuals and editing, and a bit of content. Montalvan definitely has an eye for the arty side of horror.

As for The Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher, stick around until after the credits, by the way…

 

 

Hillbilly Horror Show (Vol. 1)
Directed by Sharif Salama
Leomark Studios
Filthy Fingernails Productions
60 minutes, 2014
www.mvdvisual.com

When dealing with a horror anthology, I understand the need for a wraparound story, or some usually humorous and/or sexy host to present it. Think Rod Serling in Night Gallery, or Elvira. This collection of indie shorts is presented by three RV trailer trashees: backwards cap wearing and fully bearded everyman Bo, mumbling professor Cephus, and the “smo-kin” Daisy Duke/ripped tee-shirt clad Lulu. The box cover makes it look like it’s going to be lascivious, but this group is pretty PG, television ready rated stuff (even with the slight hint of stereotypical cousin incest).

Perhaps it’s because it’s the first hour-long version of this “Hee Haw meets Creepshow” (the PR description), but I didn’t find much personality with the trio here, as with, say, Ollie Joe Prader or Larry the Cable Guy’s crowd. Pretty harmless, though, but not as funny as the writers seem to think it is. Hopefully that will improve, especially with the hype and commercial attention this is getting, and I’ll hopefully be watching future episodes to find out. And I know there are at least two more in 2015.

The first story, “Franky and the Ant,” is a pretty solid crime/revenge tale that is well acted and written, though it borrows quite liberally from the film (not television version) Fargo (1996). It’s short and sweet. This is followed by an insane slasher piece called “Amused.” We watch a woman being chased through very The Shining type weather. I saw the ending coming early on, but it was still – er – amusing to watch. The actors all seemed committed. That’s part of why I love indie films.

An interesting piece of animation that cuts to the bone is “Doppelganger,” which is reminiscent of one of my idols, Ray Harryhausen. I found this one especially disappointing despite the excellent stop-motion photography.

Clearly the centerpiece is the final short, “The Nest.” We meet a mother and son that run a remote diner in farm country, who have a bit of a twisted relationship (no, not that kind). Known for their award winning honey, the duo is at odds with the local government man (a decent actor who is totally too young for the role) and rancher. The latter sets up a series of events that does not end well for nearly anyone. This is by far the best of the batch, and is well done from beginning to end, including some nice effects (though the gore level is at a minimum, which is actually true across the board in all the films). My only comment that could be taken negatively is to question why it is called “The Nest” and not “The Hive.”

I can certainly see it as a series and I would enjoy watching it, getting the opportunity to see some decent indie shorts. As with any anthology, there is a mixture of quality, and this is no exemption, but it is (in my humble opinion) a fun way to spend an hour.