Web Series Review: Girt by Fear

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Girt by Fear Web Series
Directed by Yiani Andrikids; David Ma; Madeleine Purdy
Girt by Fear
100 minutes, 2016
www.imdb.com/title/tt6190210/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
https://goo.gl/yPSEkc

Girt by Fear is a six-episode Web series of connected short films from Australia. I first became aware of it when one of the stories was included in a horror anthology called Dark Whispers – Part 1, which collected the works of Aussie women directors. I thought checking out the Web series might be a fun endeavor, especially since all these have a warped sense of humor about them. All the episodes are free HERE. 

Part 1: Nightmare on Australia Street: 4:07; directed by Yiani Andrikids
A man in his 20s (Caspar Hardaker) is trying to invite his dicey friends to the Halloween party to end all Halloween parties. He’s so into getting the invitation online, that he completely ignores the advance of his girlfriend (Pearl Spring Voss). Personally, I think she could do better. Anyway, the Internet goes out and he tries something innovative, to the effect of… well, you’ll have to see. It’s a really fun and quick short, and a great opening shot across the Web.

Part 2: It Came from Outer Suburbia: 8:04; directed by David Ma
Andy (George Zhao) has been invited to a Halloween party (same as the first part). He’s obsessed with space travel and dresses up like an Astronaut for the shindig. His parents are afraid of him becoming “Australianized” and even possibly being – dare I say it – gay. But there is a family secret that will be revealed that is quite fun. The prosthetics are quite well done, though I question the “pink for girls and blue for boys” motif. There are some definite underlying gender politics at play here, which is amplified by it being an immigrant family known for tradition.

Part 3: Only Wankers Left Alive: 7:42; directed by Yiani Andrikids
Flower (Steph Tsindos) and Taylor (Michael McStay) are a couple on their way to an art gallery opening and an act of performance art. They could be considered less hairy hipsters, but they are definitely obnoxious and full of their own privilege. When they come across some scraggy person spitting up blood, they just continue on their way rather than trying to help. That type of self-involved people. It kind of not hard to see where it’s going when they pick up a woman artist from Romania (Sarah Jane Kelly) – you know, Transylvania – for a tryst and a bite. But figuring that out at the half-way point only made me lick my lips for more. And the end was both a surprise and worth the staying around for. I had a good laugh at this one.

Part 4: Little Share House of Horrors: 9:02; directed by Madeleine Purdy
I was going to call this a black comedy, but perhaps a better description might be “green humor.” A young woman, Maeve (Georgia Wilde) gets ahold of a plant from a dicey shop owner (scene stealer Colan Leach) and brings it home to the house she shares with three others, two of whom are hopeless potheads (Travis Jeffrey and Thuso Lekwape) getting stoked before the party. She believes in all things natural as far as food goes, and they are into the natural stuff you smoke. The two doods mock her and suffer the unintended consequences that’s a toss between what the story is named for, and, say, Trolls 2 (1990), but with more credibility and less camp.

Part 5: I Was a Teenage Chogmog: 10:07; directed by Yiani Andrikids
The bog Chogmog is essentially a werewolf. Chas (Abe Mitchell) finds out about the creature from an old and drunkard hunter type known as The Jolly Swagman (Tony Martin) in a bar after Chas cheated his not-so-swift friends (including one with the worst moustache I have seen since 2018’s She Kills) in a game of pool by losing and then reneging on the bet. This is a film more about karma than beasties, but they definitely Zenn Diagram together well. The prosthetics, again, look top-notch, and there is a lesson to be learned by everyone here.

Part 6: It Terror Australis: 13:29; directed by David Ma
Stella (Freyja Benjamin) has an obnoxious girlfriend (Jenna Sutch) who doesn’t hesitate to get her fired for kissing her on the job…and what’s a little bit of shoplifting, eh? Those cheeky lesbians. Like every other story in the series, this is just before the arrival at the party. But for the final episode, we actually get to see the shindig proper. There are themes and characters from each of the previous tales, as people in the earlier bits are present. But as the title of the tale tells, this is a party of terror. Will our intrepid young lovers survive this night of danger? Seeing is, of course, in the pudding, i.e., you really should watch the series.

All the stories are about change of one kind or another, whether it’s wearing a costume or becoming something. And that’s what Halloween is all about, amiright? This is a really short and enjoyable series, which I completed in under and hour, and was so worth the time. I am looking forward to a possible second season.

Review: No Reason

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

No Reason
Directed by Olaf Ittenbach
IMAS Film Entertainment, Unearthed Films; MVD Entertainment
77 minutes, 2010 / 2021
www.unearthedfilms.com
www.mvdb2b.com    

Bavarian director Olaf Ittenbach is infamous for his gore films. His previous release, The Burning Moon (1992) was so over the top that it was banned for extreme violence (honestly, I have never seen it). No Reason was first released in 2010, and quickly became an out-of-print collectors’ item, often bootlegged. Actually, that says a lot for his reputation.

Der Anfang dieses Films ist ein Heimfilm, der auf Deutsch, aber nicht ubersetzt ist. Leider spreche ich kein deutsch. It certainly seems benign at this point at the beginning of the credits. But what one needs to keep in mind is that the film is being re-released by Stephen Biro’s infamous gore-gore group, Unearthed Films, so you just know this is just to lull the viewer in, and blood and uncomfortable body horror is to follow. Plus, films from Germany are known for their extreme cinema (think Nekromantik, for example).

Irene Holzfurtner

I guess this review is going to be shorter than usual, because the entire film has no translation in the version I viewed. There is some deep psychological and philosophical shit going down, and basically, I missed most of it. There are long stretches of dialog, sometimes shouted, between the main character, Jennifer (Irene Holzfurtner) and a mysterious person in a Lovecraftian Cuthulu-esque mask (though it is pretty easy to figure out, in the words of The Cramps, “What’sBehind the Mask”). 

We see a number of possibilities of Jennifer’s life, from the wholesome to the – err – not. Is she a loving mother and wife, or a drug-crazed bank robbing insaniac? As Queen said, “is this the real life, or is this just fantasy?” Or perhaps this is all a “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” motif?

While there is a lot of general violence scattered throughout, the centerpiece of the film and what will be discussed the most, is Jennifer’s trip through…hell? It’s sliced (pun intended) into four sections represented by primary colors. Each is slightly different, and to get from one to another, Jennifer must make some physical sacrifice.

While in each of these rooms, they represent different “sins,” such as sexual deviations/extreme S&M, or drug-related. Everything is excessive, from close-ups of genital mutilation, a whipping scene that is reminiscent of a part of Irreversible (2002), and yet another “Jesus wept” type SFX from Hellraiser (1987).

There is a lot of thematic playing with time, changing the order of events, sometimes showing events that seem to occur at the same time in another multiverse of Jennifer’s life. There is definitely some confusion on my end, but I honestly do not know because the film was unclear or that I just could not understand the literal language.

Speakers of the German language have a history of really complex philosophies, such as Kant, Heidegger, Schopenhauer, Hegel, Schlegel, and there’s nothin’ Nietzsche couldn’t teach ye ‘bout the raisin’ of the wrist… Even in English, the title of the film has at least a double meaning (as in “someone having no reason to do that” or “not making sense”). Both work, but show the possible intricacies of meanings. Much like Jennifer’s degradation in the story: is it her own, or was it thrust upon her?

Jennifer spends most of the time roaming around full-naked, and there is male frontal nudity, as well. As for the gore, well, it is hyper-realistic. After all, Ittenbach made his name as a practical SFX person, and he proves he is certainly in his element.

I have read a few reviews (hoping to get an inkling of the story that I may have missed), and many of them, even from hardcore horror fans, were uncomfortable with this level of violence and torture porn. In some instances, I agree with them. Please know that I am not trying to restrict Ittenbach’s art in any kind of way – more power to him – but I also believe the viewer needs to know what they are getting into.

Note that the trailer below does have English subtitles, as does the DVD/Blu-Ray release, but, again, not the version I saw. The full release also contains an interview with actor Timothy Balme, a Making Of featurette, a photo gallery, and some trailers. So, if you are anywhere near squeamish, you may want to pass on this coming attraction, but if not, this is an exquisite package for you.

Review: An Amityville Poltergeist

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

An Amityville Poltergeist (aka Don’t Sleep)
Directed by Calvin Morie McCarthy
Breaking Glass Pictures; 7th Street Productions
89 minutes, 2020 / 2021
www.bgpics.com/amityville-poltergeist /

By sheer coincidence, a few days before this writing, I viewed one of the director’s earlier works, Jesus I Was Evil (2018), on Tubi. It is a silly dark comedy slasher with a pseudo-religious bent that I enjoyed. So, when this one came up, I was glad to get the opportunity to view it. Let’s see if it is worth the watch.

Despite the Amityville name, the film was shot in Portland, OR. I grew up on Long Island, where the original Lutz house still stands and is a tourist trap (which is why it keeps getting resold, more than because of its reputation), but I will not take that personally (smiley emoji goes here, FYI). But the house does have the prerequisite double round-topped windows, so it is kosher…enough.

A shy young man in his twenties, Jim (Parris Bates, giving off a Justin Long/Jeepers Creepers period vibe with a whipsy, high-school ‘stashe) who is strapped for cash (could it be because he’s wearing a Joy Division tee, rather than New Order?), decides to take a job as a housesitter. You can already see where it is going, thematically. But with that title, what else would it be, and if you like this stuff, as I do, that should not matter.

Parris Bates

The house’s living occupant is an older woman, Eunice (stage actor and championship ballroom dancer Rebecca Kimble; is she related to a doctor who is looking for a killer with one hand? Sorry, bad joke…), whose son, Tony, believes her to be a bit messugga, but she warns Jim, in an almost When a Stranger Calls (1979) catchphrase, “I’m not afraid of someone breaking into the house, I’m afraid of what’s already in the house.” She’s seen staying the weekend with her daughter, Donna (Airisa Durand, who also did well as one of the profane leads in Jesus I Was Evil).

Jim has two toxic buddies who are a couple, the annoying pothead and masculinist Collin (Conor Austin), and his cute and oversexed girlfriend, Alyson (Sydney Winbush), who are certain to be phantasm fodder, hinted at by the prologue so I’m hopefully not giving anything away. I write this while still in the first act, so I’m not exactly sure, quite honestly. For example, Collin wears a tee that says “Bitches Be Trippin’” and she cell phones pictures of herself in various sexy attire (or none) to Collin (I notice that one of them is too far away to be a selfie and I don’t see a selfie-stick – is that still a thing? – so I wonder who took it…). Anyway, their personalities are so different from Jim’s, I wonder if they would be friends in real life. Another thing is, as a non-smoker myself, I could tell that these people were puffing, not inhaling. Made me laugh, especially in a scene between Alyson and Jim. That bein’ said, there is a lot of beer, wine and weed that gets absorbed in three or four days.

Sydney Winbush

As the second act starts when Jim is alone in the house which is just when you expect the spookies to start manifesting, and thankfully they do, indirectly at first and then it ramps up, as it should be. Most of the time it looks pretty good, I am happy to report, especially since the obvious budget constraints. Nice move.

There definitely are some serious questions that I have (sometimes I have trouble with reality vs. story), such as the first time Jim sees a Samara-like entity, he is still there the next day, and invites his couple friends to come over. For me? If I would have seen that, I would have pushed right past it, gone out the door, and said screw it, walking home if necessary. In the flow of this story, it’s closer to the first The Amityville Horror (1979) film in that the family obviously stayed too long after the creep factor started.

Jim is a braver man than I, and sticks it out. And throughout, there are a number of really well-done jump scares, be it spirits or soundtrack music, including one that uses kind of a well-worn trope, but still fun.

I am not going to lie, the film seems really slow in spots, and the timeline is at first confusing in a smoke and mirrors kind of way, even with (or because of) title cards with the day and time that pop up on occasion. But when the viewer (i.e., me) gets the gimmick, it is definitely an a-ha moment (no Norwegians involved, though) that makes it all click and the story becomes way more interesting. It is a wise style choice by the writer/director to which I tip a hat and almost insures a second viewing to catch what one missed the first time.

As it should, the third act ramps up significantly, and by the end I was really enjoying myself. Things are explained, origins are clarified and violence is ensured, but certainly not in ways one would expect. The last 15 minutes made up for the previous, though they are somewhat necessary to fully appreciate the outcome, even though some serious editing could have been done to shorten the film. For example, the first act could have been cut a bit, such as most of the conversation of Jim and Alyson sitting on a bed, toking.

A filter is used throughout, that has a bluish hue, sort of like looking at someone in a room where the only light is from an old, black and white television. This makes everything look a little darker. The murkier the tone, the better chance of some spooky action (it is the film’s “tell”). I understand what the director was trying to do, but perhaps it went a little too dim. It’s easy to make out everything, but it is also not as clear as it could have been. For me, this was the biggest flaw in the film, so that’s not bad, despite all my kvetching.

A subtheme of the film is sleep deprivation, and how it can affect the psyche. I know at least two people who have had psychotic breaks from lack of sleep over an extended period. This film plays a bit with that.

The original title was Don’t Sleep, but distributors love to overuse the word “Amityville” for the name (as they do with “Ouija”). I did a quick search and gave up counting at fifty. Sure, it is symbolic for evil ghost by name association, but because there are so many of them, it can easily get lost in the group, which is not fair to the film. And it ends up being time well spent.

 

Review: Massacre Academy

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Massacre Academy
Directed by Mark Cantu
Cineworx
83 minutes, 2021
www.facebook.com/massacreacademy/
www.facebook.com/cineworxproductions/

No matter where you go in the world, odds are that schools are the ultimate caste system; they are brutal, so what better place to focus on cruelty? There are so many films that emphasize on this period, from The Blackboard Jungle (1955) to The Faculty (1998), Murder University (2012), and the recent Blood Pi (2020). For the university in this story, we go to Orrstown, PA (halfway between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where it was also filmed) in 1985 for the prologue, and the main story in 1987.

Jess Ulher

Why 1987? The answer is, in my opinion, two-fold. First, it is a nod to the 1980s era of slashers, which many consider the “golden age” thanks to the inevitable wall of VHS Horror in local video stores. Second, no cell phones, which uncomplicates things.

Make no doubt that there are some splashes of dark comedy thrown here and there and can be missed if you turn away, and a signal of this early on is the reference to a sorority, I Ata Pi. Despite that, during the prologue we meet clown-masked serial killer Henry Lee Palmer (Dave Sheridan), who has just murdered a large number of people (unseen) at said sorority house. There were two survivors, Kris (Jess Ulher), and doofus Kyle (Shawn C. Phillips). Again, this is all before the credits end.

I find it interesting how Cantu shows how even though the massacre was horrific, it naturally and quickly gets folded into various forms of local culture, such as in a car commercial. This is meant to be funny, but it actually is quite a social commentary about news cycles.

With a nice build-up to the present story, Kris is having her own PTSD issues with being a survivor, especially with some of the really obnoxious people around her, like mean girl Lori (Valena Zitello) and jock-strap brawn brain Tanner (Lawrence Karl). At least her sister Maggie (Sierra Mitchell) and friend Becca (Christina Krakowski) have her back, kinda, though are a bit self-centered. But between them and the rest of the sorority and fraternity fodder, Pledge Night is going to be a… well, you know.

After a killer end to the first act that is bloody, brutal and a touch humorous, the police are called in, led by the drunken Lt. Hallenbeck (Rick Dutrow), who worked the previous Palmer case two years earlier. You know after the second act, this will lead to a showdown between Kris, Maggie and Becca and the possible copy-cat killer (hey, just look at the poster, will ya?!).

Valena Zitello, Lawrence Karl

The second act is mostly a cat-and-mouse game, ending with a reveal, but it is far from over as the third act picks up the pace of the inevitable chase through a dark building (blue camera lens indicates the time of day).

There are quite a few subtle moments and nods, such as when the machete-carrying killer steps on a Jason-style hockey mask. But despite the elbow in the side and some giggles, this also has some really effective jump scares and some adrenaline inducing scenes. Warning, though: a horrifying toothbrushing scene. Sorry, it’s a pet peeve. Moving on…

There is a bloody mix of “indicated” murder (i.e., off-screen) and visceral gore (on-screen). Not much of the realistic kind, but movie magic in SFX analog form for the fun of everyone. As the film increases, the body count kind of goes down a bit, but the gore level goes up, making up for it.

Sierra Mitchell, Ulher

One of the big positives about this film for me is that it is filled with strong women characters, while it is mostly the men who are bumbling fools (e.g., the Kyle character). There was no need for the lead to have a rescuing boyfriend or even a love interest. That was cool. And none of this running around and tripping over their own feet to let the killer catch up. The masked one gets a fair licking along the way, as do most of the characters, which actually makes it all the more exciting. It’s one of the few slasher films I have seen of late where you might actually root for the victims as much as the murderer. That is impressive.

The acting is pretty good for a lo-bud, I’m happy to say. No one is going to win the Oscar, but they all emote well, though the Lori and Tanner characters are a bit stereotypical (this is not a comment on their acting chops); one of the things I liked about the film is that it was brave enough to use accurate looking people (e.g., not a room full of models, male and female), with normal body types; even the adored prom queen is a clumsy roller derby aficionado who is just a bit on the chunky, realistic side.

Christina Krakowski

Delightful cameos include iconic Ferrisa Rose, comedian Jackie Martling who rose to fame on the early days of the “Howard Stern” radio program, and the omnipresent kameo king, Phillips doing his hyper-talk, this time mostly about mammaries. I’d also like to say a nod to a short-lived, but memorable character who I thought was great, Riot Ronnie (Ray Cygryus).

Stick around for the credits, because they are by far the funniest thing in the film, especially Rose’s turn as a newscaster who cannot believe what she is reading. She even lets her New York Italian accent slip in beautifully. It is a perfect sum-up for a really strong slasher indie entry.

Review: The Long Way Back

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

The Long Way Back (aka Pacing the Cage)
Directed by EB Hughes
EBFilms; Breaking Glass Pictures
72 minutes, 2020
https://www.facebook.com/The-Long-Way-Back-552584021456390/

The opening shot is not only beautiful in a harsh way, but sets up the mood right from the start. We see a close-up of barbed wire on a wall, with a clear blue sky, the sound of the wind howling and the soundtrack piano plinking.

Denny Dale Bess

We are at first silently introduced to the protagonist of the story, Max (Denny Dale Bess) as he gets out a prison just west of Atlantic City after six months, and heads back to his old haunts in Alphabet City, on the Lower East Side (LES) of Manhattan. I remember once driving around there with a member of the Dead Boys and his new band, in the early 1980s, and he made me stop and jumped out so he could cop (I found that out later). That’s the kind of neighborhood we are talking about. Max is a seriously flawed human: an addict who is still using, but he claims he is trying to straighten up as he moves into a fleabag hotel. There he meets a neighbor on his way in, Sara (Reyna Kahan).

Mark Borkowski, Ron Rey

Max wants to “move forward,” but there are things holding him back, such as his addiction, and the fact that he ripped off his supplier, “Uptown” Lucius (award-winning playwright Mark Borkowski, giving off a Harvey Keitel vibe) for 20 grand just before he went to jail. So, you can see it is like that iconic line from The Godfather: Part III (1990), when Pacino laments, “Just when I thought I was out, they pullme back in!” Violent and controlling, Lucius has sent out his right-hand man, Johnnie (Ron Rey) to “fetch” Max to settle the score.

The main thread is following Max and Lucius as they spin around each other, with the connection being Johnnie. As the film goes on, the revolving gets tighter and tighter, until they start to collide, as one would expect.

Reyna Kahan

However, expectation here is wisely kept so the viewer (i.e., me) has one anticipates where the film is going, and then, where it actually does follow. Meanwhile, Max keeps trying to improve, and Lucius continues down into the spiral. Also following these men are their relationships, which reflect their current positions. It is all very engaging, watching this cat and mouse game and how it affects those around it.

New York City is practically one of the characters in the story, sometimes appearing beautiful, others leaning more towards how it looked and felt in Taxi Driver (1976). I marveled at how beautiful and ugly the city can be, having moods just like a person. There are some keynote locations used, such as the Landmark Tavern, deep in Hell’s Kitchen. While I have never been inside, I have passed it many a time.

In the neither-here-nor-there rhetorical question department, why is it that nearly any movie that shows someone walking “uptown” (e.g., Upper East – or West – Side), at some point they will be walking under some building scaffolding? Also, in the Special Thanks section of the credits, it is nice to see my old Jersey-based fanzine publisher/editor/writer acquaintance Chip Lamey listed. But I digress…

It is easy to tell the director was heavily influenced by the early, gritty works of Martin Scorsese, such as Mean Streets (1973); there is also a hint of the up-close-and-personal unflinching of Abel Ferrara’s The Bad Lieutenant (1992). Like those, this film is more character based than anything else, with subtle violence and reactions that get under the skin.

Sayra Player, Rey

There are a few interesting secondary characters, such as the manager of the hotel and Max’s friend, Ziggy (Don Striano) and especially Lucius’s tweaking coke-head girlfriend, Mona (excellently portrayed by Sayra Player). She had a stand-out scene with Johnnie that, to me, is an anchor example of good acting and writing in the film. That is not to say the rest of the cast is slacking in any kind of way. Everyone does a bang-up job, which is a rarity in independent, low-budget cinema. If this was released in the ‘80s, it could have easily had played at either art house or mainstream cinemas.

Cinematographer William J. Murray is worth noting, as well. This is especially true in the lighting, such as in Lucius’s apartment, a beautiful mix of shadows and light.

This crime drama is understated in what one might expect, and I liked it even more for that. Rather than an overladen, too long ego-trip, it is short, succinct, and gets the job done. Like I said, it’s more based on the personality of the characters than anything else, which is quite refreshing.

Review: Hoodman

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Hoodman
Directed by Mark W. Curran
Pacific World Pictures; Nightwatcher Films; Indie Rights Movies
96 minutes, 2021
https://www.hoodman-movie.com/

Sometimes, based on previous work by the director, I look forward to getting a chance to review a film, as was with this one. Curran’s IMDB is short and sweet, with one documentary, and a film that took me by surprise in 2015 called Abandoned Dead. 

This time he is taking on an Urban Legend about a hooded killer. Again, this is not an unknown trope, but Curran has proven to be familiar with taking a wearisome storyline and exploding it with his own touches, like fingerpaints on the wall of your eye.

Madison Spear

Our hero is young widow Ariana (Madison Spear), who is driving home out in the country on a dark night, and the end result of someone/something in the road is that a crash puts her in the hospital. There she is told that her infant, Joshua, who was in a baby seat in the rear, did not make it. Investigating the event is Detective Lenny Briggs (Brock Morse, looking more like Lenny Briscoe).

Being a genre film, especially, Ari is convinced that Joshua is still alive and has been kidnapped by an ancient Urban Legend, the titular Hoodman (i.e., a person or spirit in a hooded robe). Her parents, her therapist, her spirituality-centered New Age-y bestie Tawnie (Ellie Taylor, nee Kellie Crowder) try to make her come to her senses, including a next-door neighbor and ex-high school chum, Paulie (Zachary Rist), who creepily hits on her; I really wanted to smack him upside his head. This takes up most of the first act in a slow burn that is kept interesting by dreams, editing and other filmmaking skills by Curran. In his two films, this seems to be his MO for the start of his stories, but again, it is in the genre category, so you know it’s going to start ramping up.

Jack James

Ari is doing her research, and by act 2, is deeply investigating, including tracking down Frank (Jack James) who had a similar fate 15 years earlier, and is still being harassed and bullied by Briscoe… I mean Briggs, who it turns out is an A-hole.

The Hoodster, with his Grim Reaper cowl and cape, absorbs the essence of the most vulnerable (i.e., children), but most do not believe in his existence, even with hundreds of kids vanished. Again, being a genre film, there is more to be expected, as it has seemed to have followed Ari, and is haunting her dreams, as well as her much younger sister as she is now living at her parents’ home, Missy (Skye Roberts). You can see these elements colliding a mile away, but it is hard to turn away. What is especially nice about some of the dream sequences is that viewer is never really sure if what is happening is real, or a dream.

One of my pet likes (as opposed to peeves) is the old “is It real, or is it imaginary?” This film plays a lot with that, especially in the second act. As rightfully expected, the questions and events become deeper, swirling around each other until it is even harder to determine. And will a séance help? Well, of course, I’m not going to answer any of these questions. I will say this, and it is probably the most profound thing about a history of watching genre films, as much as I do not believe in the actual supernatural, including religious beliefs, I will never participate in either a séance or use a Ouija board. True story: someone gave me a board once as a present, and I chopped it into pieces with an ax and burned it after he left.

Brock Morse

Random thought: why is it in so many genre films, there is a hobby or carousel horse in an attic?

There is some really nice imagery, such as an upward, tilted shot of Ari taking a medication with a ceiling fan twirling above her head (it is in the trailer, below). In fact, cinematographer Jack Parker really does deserve a nod for his work here, as he plays with light and shadow so well. Some the picture is a bit on the dark side, but most of it is stunning, such as the lighting during the séance.

I had an idea of where the film was going about a third of the way through, and was convinced of it with a slight addition two-thirds in, but I’m happy to report that I was wrong on both counts, as this does nicely include some delicious red herrings.

Spear, Skye Roberts

For an indie, as with Curran’s first film, he gathered a really talented crew, from behind the camera to the front. The cast did really quite well, especially Spear and James. For most of the actors, there is a lot of experience behind them. Even young Roberts has more IMDB listings than most in genre films. Surprisingly, though, this is James’s only listing, and he did so well.

My only real gripe, and I say this often about genre films, is that it could have been edited tighter and made a bit shorter. It is definitely a bleak film, and Curran does well in the writing in that there is enough of an exposition for some of the characters that help the viewer empathize, though it leaves enough of a mystery as to leave this open for a possible origin story for the Hoodadoodle. Meanwhile, it is available right now on Amazon Prime.

Documentary Review: Underground Horror

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Underground Horror
Directed by Tony Newton
Tony Newton Productions
119 minutes, 2021
www.facebook.com/TonyNewtonFilm/

Before the term independent – aka indie – was commonly used for low budget cinema not produced by a major studio, especially if it fell under the genres of art, transgression, exploitation, sexploitation, or blaxploitation, it was known as underground. The reason for this is that they were generally shown in showcases that were dives, such as along 42 Street or across America in what is known as Art Houses.

This could be anything from Andy Warhol’s early releases like Empire (1964) and Chelsea Girls (1966), or the likes of Hershell Gordon Lewis’ The Wizard of Gore (1970) and The Gore Gore Girls (1972). This also include nudie flicks like those done by Doris Wishman, such as Bad Girls Go to Hell (1965).

Stylistically? Well, as one of the opening quotes in this documentary by director/writer/actor Phil “Chip” Herman states, “The difference between underground and mainstream movies is balls.” That can be taken both figuratively and literally. Jim Towns, the director of House of Bad (2012; reviewed HERE), essentially states that underground cinema is not bound to studio interference. This is true, as most indie films are created by the directors and writers directly, rather than through a third-party studio. This started to happen in the 1960s as underground films fought the Hays Office gatekeeping and theater monopolies, by going all the way to the Supreme Court, thanks to law suits due to the lack of distribution of a non-genre Italian film called Ladri di Bicilette (Bicycle Thieves; 1948).

Through the use of talking head interviews, this documentary on independent/underground horror is broken up into unofficial segments, such as defining what exactly is underground cinema, and how the interviewees, all of whom are in the field, began their careers and manage with such tiny budgets.

A large segment is about what they consider to be the most extreme film. The three that come up the most are no surprise, though they are not all, and their explanations about the films are interesting. They include Salo, or 120 Days of Sodom (1975), Nekromantik (1987), and the winner apparently is A Serbian Film (2010; reviewed HERE), which is being rereleased uncut soon by Unearthed Films. Writer and director Dane Keil gives an excellent analysis of it. As Tony Newton, this documentary’s director understandably says – and I agree – “It didn’t scare me as much as shocked me.”

Another topic is pondering the future of underground films. Surprisingly, this was not the last question. The general consensus was, and again, I agree, is that the future (and somewhat the present) is DIY: Do It Yourself. With the proliferation of technology for films, editing, etc., being made easier (many mention cell phones), it is only natural that the river of beginning filmmaking would flow that way; in my opinion, that started with Super 8mm and expanded with VHS. One thing not mentioned is that the process of homemade cinema has exponentially exploded with people staying home due to COVID. Not only has it lit a fire under the cause of homegrown filmmaking, but it has created new genres around social distancing and software such as Zoom; for example, this film this one, where no two people are in the same frame, and check out Zoë Bell’s “Boss Bitch Fight Challenge” on YouTube; reviewed HERE). 

Fortunately, the future for indie films looms positive, as is somewhat discussed within these parameters. Progression from outlets for these films have gone from dodgy cinemas to owning VHSs and DVDs, and now to streaming services, from specialists like Shudder, to bigger outlets like Amazon and Netflix, to finally the smaller venues, like TubiTV.

Another relatively surprising segment is about a film I have not yet seen, Circus of the Dead (2014). Fortunately, one of the stars of the film, Parrish Randall, and its director, Billy Pon appears among the present crowd. Amusingly, there is an 8x10 photo of Bozo on the wall behind Pon.

Speaking of which, most filmmakers are also collectors, and it is always fun to look behind the person speaking to see what films they are displaying on a shelf. Most collectors may need to watch this a second time without being distracted (a good thing) by the “Got it. Got it. Need it. Got it” consistent with the collecting bug. For example, Dustin Ferguson, the owner of SCS, now the U.S. Division of VIPCO Distribution, has numerous Tony Newton releases on a shelf behind him, such as VHS Lives and VHS Lives 2 (both 2017).

As with all of Newton’s documentaries, he has gathered his buddies to state their opinions and tell about themselves, such as filmmakers Jim Towns, Phil “Chip” Herman, Peter Goddard, Matthew Fisher, JD Ellenberger, Tim Ritter (Truth or Dare: A Critical Madness; 1986, reviewed HERE), the great Todd Sheets (such as Bonehill Road, reviewed HERE, but I have also reviewed others), and bringing up the Italian end, David Pesca and Domiziano Christopharo (Red Krokodil, 2012, Reviewed HERE; one of three of his features reviewed on this site). Others include writers/reviewers Martin Unsworth from Starburst, and the omnipresent Shawn C. Phillips, who has his own podcast.

Smartly, the talking heads are broken up with clips from numerous films, from the underrated Dreaming Purple Neon (reviewed HERE) to the more obvious ones like Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). There are also some behind the shoot scenes from Circus of the Dead during its section.

The only real drawback, in my opinion, is that this is a complete testosterone fest, as there are no female filmmakers included. Like the porn industry during the reign of the video nasties of the 1970s and ‘80s, the women are the draw, but they get the (no pun intended) short end of the production side credit, even though they were there.

The last section is about what the directors are working on now. It may be dated quickly once those works are released, but over time, it will be a fun nostalgia piece to look back upon.

Newton is quite prolific with his documentaries and his writings (including horror-related poetry), so I am looking forward to the next release, which should not be too much longer, especially as the COVID isolation continues.

Trailer TBD