Review: The Breach

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

The Breach
Directed by Rodrigo Gudiño
Hanger 18 Media; Lightbulb Distribution;
Raven Banner Entertainment; Strike Media
93 minutes, 2022 / 2023
www.strike-media
https://lightbulbfilmdistribution.com/

This film is so Canadian, it should come with maple cookies (they are so good, eh). It takes place in the small town of Lone Crow, in Northern Ontario (filmed in lovely Parry Sound, Ontario).

Based on the novel by Nick Cutter and screenplay written by Cutter and Ian Weir, the main protagonist is the Chief of Police, John “Hawk” Hawkins (Allan Hawco, main character in the series “Republic of Doyle,” 2010-2014), who is one week from retirement (of course). Was his last name derived from the original version of the Canadian group, The Band, known as The Hawks?

Allan Hawco, Mary Antonini

Speaking of bands, the executive producer this film was Slash from Guns 'N Roses who also supervised the score. And there is more relative to the music world, but I will get to that later.

In a well-done pre-credit epilogue, much like a television show, it takes place on the same day as the post-credit film starts, rather than years before. This is actually refreshing for a film. In this way we are introduced to officer Connie Parks (underutilized Mary Antonini) and appropriately named coroner Jacob Redgrave (Wesley French). The coroner is there to check out the body of physics professor Cole Parsons (Adam Kenneth Wilson) that is found, but I will not give out the gruesome details, though we get to see it pretty up-close.

Emily Alatalo

This leads Hawk, Jacob, and guide/tracker/ex-girlfriend of Hawk and previously Jake (no tension there, right?) Meg Fullbright (Emily Alatalo) to head north into the bush to Links Creek on the Porcupine River to find out what happened to Parsons. This leads, naturally in these days of technology, to the overhead drone shot of the lone car on roads surrounded by forest or a boat on a narrow river, with a somber music soundtrack.

While the trio are off on their adventures, Parks (as in parks her butt in the station) holds down the fort, garnishing information on Zoom from a conspiracy-minded friend, Alex (Alex Lifeson; yes, the guitarist from Canadian musical juggernauts, Rush).

Wesley French

The house is abandoned and looks great for those of us who like deserted buildings that are on their last legs; they are fun to photograph. But there is something going on in this house: doors seem to close or unlock by themselves. The soundtrack does well to emphasize the eeriness and creepiness of the joint.

It gets even stranger with the appearance of Cole’s PTSD-affected wife, Linda Parsons (Natalie Brown), and another unexpected guest, as relationships unrealistically develop. And there is a spooky shadow on the wall… Parts of the upcoming plot points are easy to guess, though the steps to that are thankfully murky until they are revealed.

There is a bunch of films reflected in The Breach, such as From Beyond (1986), Bite (2016), Night of the Living Dead (1968), and especially The Fly (1986), one scene in particular. And yet, there is so much more. I have often theorized that when enough pre-used ideas are combined right, it creates something new-ish. In this case it also includes numerous genres, such as police procedural, body horror, sci-fi, cabin in the woods, and one that was unexpected. This has its foot in many different ones, keeping it coherent – not an easy task as previous attempts have shown – satisfying tick boxes in all of them successfully.

The relationships between certain characters are common to give it a “human” touch and possibly to make the characters more likeable, of course, but are completely superfluous to the actual story and burn up time and distract. Sort of like Hooper’s affair with Ellen Brody in Peter Benchley’s book, Jaws, which wisely never made it to the screen; it just did not matter to what was going on, narratively. This is my one gripe, so not bad at all.

Natalie Brown

I must say the film visually looks great, from the cinematography by award-winning Eric Oh, to the set designs. The blood and gore are fabulous, and the prosthetics and make-up effects by Daniel Baker and Chris Cooper are not the same old same old.

With the power of talent here, much from the world of television, it is no surprise that the acting is spot on. In the out-of-context department, it seems a lot of the cast has appeared, at some point on Canadian police procedural “Hudson and Rex” (a guilty pleasure of my own).

Alex Lifeson (on Zoom)

The director, Rodrigo Gudiño, is the founding editor and publisher of the Canadian horror fiction magazine Rue Morgue, and this may not be his first time behind the lens, but it is his first feature length release. An excellent start.

The Breach is available on Sky Store, Virgin Media, AppleTV, Google Play, and Amazon.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Mad Heidi

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Mad Heidi
Directed by Johannes Hartmann; Sandro Klopfstein
Swissploitation Films; A Film Company; SRF (Swiss Radio and Television); Raven Banner Entertainment
92 minutes, 2022 / 2023
www.madheidie.com
www.facebook.com/madheidimovie
www.instagram.com/madheidimovie/

Before there was Pippi Longstocking (1945), before Laura Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie, 1932), and previous to Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables, 1908), there was Heidi, first published in 1880 by Johanna Spyri. In this story, Heidi has gone from an innocent and yodeling 5-year-old mountain girl into a strong, angry 24-year-old woman. She is a badass.

From the moment I saw the trailer for Mad Heidi, I knew I wanted – perhaps needed – to see this. Filmed in Switzerland, this is apparently a new subgenre being referred to (by its producers) as Swissploitation. Gotta love it. Mostly in English, there is minimal Swiss German, as well.

Alice Lucy

So, this grindhouse release cannot – and should not – be taken seriously, as it is an extremely broad and violent comedy. Just what the doctor ordered. Films of this nature tend to be called “cheesy,” and in this case, it is quite purposeful, as I will explain later. The film goes out of its way to give it a 1980s release feel (a good start!), right down to the opening credits, and relying on a bunch of different genres throughout, some of which will be noted below in brackets.

Through the prologue and credits, we learn that Switzerland is taken over by Nazi-esque (right down to the Swiss Cross red armband) regime of President Meili (Casper Van Dien, of 1997’s Starship Troopers, sporting a comically-German accent) – aka, “Our Very Swiss Leader” – a cut-throat dystopian dictator who is not afraid to quash a protest through armaments. He also owns the only permissible cheese factory in the country, with the slogan, “Strength through Meili’s Cheese.” Any other brand is illegal, and burned, while the sellers are executed in the street. He is brutally aided by Kommandant Knorr (Max Rüdlinger) – sometimes the “K” is not silent – who says, as he is torturing someone in a dairy-related way, “I love the smell of cheese in the morning!”

Casper Van Dien

There is an interesting mix of Nazi-ism, and what is going on in the States right now. For example, there is a negative “other” branded on the lactose-intolerant who cannot eat cheese, reflecting what is going on with the LGBTQ+ and Trans communities. Republicanism is reflected a lot here, not to mention Meili’s tendency to wear all red clothing. His plan is to take over the world…cheese market.

Meanwhile, there is a grown-up Heidi (relative newcomer Alice Lucy), living in the Alps with her grandfather, Alpöhi (David Schofield). While Heidi seems to be unaware of what is going on in the village, gramps is more conscious. Part of Heidi’s distraction is her love interest [sexploitation], the godfather of illegal cheese, Goat Peter (Kal Matsena). He is pimpin’ his goat cheese in bricks in his white fur coat [blaxploitation] to underworldly figures. See, purposefully silly and smile worthy.

David Shofield

After some tragedies, our feisty heroine is arrested, and sent to a stern prison with Klara (Almar G. Sato), run by an even sterner warden, Fräulein Rottweiler (Katja Kolm) [women in prison] and her sadistic right hand who really enjoys giving a cattle prod, Lutz (Rebecca Dyson-Smith). In the Mengele-ish role is Dr. Schwitzgebel (Pascal Ulli), the Chief Cheese Scientist, out to rid the world of the lactose intolerant (reminiscent of Scott Atlas, Trump’s anti-vax COVID advisor). Naturally, the only food there is cheese (reminds me of a line said by Maude on “All in the Family”: “It’s Cream of Wheat and cheese; it’s light but it binds”). His goal is to form a “perfect” cheese to create a cheese army (think of zombies or Orcs).

Of course, after Heidi escapes and does some kung fu training, she becomes a warrior that is bound to influence a whole bunch of Halloween cosplay outfits. And rightfully so. I will not go into any detail about the fight to save Switzerland, but man, it is bloody and fun. And I mean some really nice albeit cartoonish gore that will have any gorehound cheering.

Max Rudinger

While there is a timeless feel to the film, such as “the new,” Goat Peter referring to Heidi as “Babygirl,” and “the old,” dial phones, it is definitely steeped in the ‘80s, with cassette boom boxes, mad scientist laboratories, explosions, bizarre opening animation and CGI, and everything being excessive.

The scenery is nothing short of stunning. Mountains, switchback roads with enormous drops, green valleys, bridges, and the like. So beautiful.

Kal Matsena

Goofy, but smart and obviously made by a group that are hardcore cinephiles, with influences and reflections of the likes of Scanners (1981), Cool Hand Luke (1967), High Anxiety (1977), the subgenre of The Big Bird Cage (1972), The Human Tornado (1976), Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns (including some of the score sounding like Ennio Morricone), Star Wars (1977), Crocodile Dundee (1986), Spartacus (1960), and, of course, The Sound of Music (1965). I am sure there are some I missed.

The acting is also reflective of the period it is honoring, with over-the-top dialogue infusing the over-emoting and facial expressions (Van Dien, especially and purposefully). Plus, there is one speech that sounds like it could have been pointed directly to the information deprived MAGA followers.

Katja Kolm

One of the notable aspects of this film is that it is completely independently funded, shot, and distributed. The contributor section of the acknowledgements is almost as long as the rest of the end credits.

Damn, this is a fun film. I highly recommend it to those who like ‘80s cinema, Tarantino, well-written action comedies, and just a need to let it all loose. Very satisfying from beginning to conclusion. Or is it not really the end of the story?

IMDB listing HERE

Horror Animated Shorts of Jason J. Cross

Horror Animated Shorts of Jason J. Cross

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

A nice thing about animation is that you can do things that cannot be done on a small budget. Created in the stiff but “humanesque” iClone software, the shorts are entertaining to look at. While the movement is a bit boxy, the faces look sharp. All these films were written (with one exception) and directed by Jason J. Cross, and are available in links at the bottom of each review. They are released by Four Sides Cross Productions. These are not in a ranked order, but rather how they were sent to me.

What is consistent in at least three of these four releases is that the central character is a strong woman. That makes me happy.

 

Got to Eat
6:41 minutes, 2020
There is a masked serial killer on the loose, and he has chosen his next family. They are transient and a bit oddball, but can they handle this young murderer? The results are quite humorous and bloody. Very simple and to the point, which is nice. And what is with the very end? Is there going to be a sequel?; I ask because many of Cross’ releases are serials. This is off to a great start.
Full film HERE

 

To Do
3:11 minutes, 2023
A serial killer ponders over a bound and gagged woman. We hear his internal monologue of what he plans to do, which the viewer gets to viscerally see. His thoughts are a poem including such things as biting off her nose. Creepy and gruesome. Nice.
Full film HERE

 

A Mother’s Love
13:15 minutes, 2021
A woman is on a first date at her home with a nice man, and they are just starting to get to know each other, when her daughter gets into some physical trouble. The crux of the story is how the mother takes care of business and how far she will go to protect her daughter. It is certainly not what one might expect. It was cool and she is hot. As with the first story above, there is a nice self-referential to Four Sides Cross.
Full film HERE

 

Wanted
2:44 minutes, 2021
This is the only story not written by Cross, but rather his 11-year-old “Daughter (Victoria) and staring my other daughter (Samantha), my wife (Carla), and myself,” the director explained. Short and simple, a mother and her two young twin daughters are being questioned at a police station, where the coppers are looking for her ex-. But there is more going on than that. This may have been written by a child, but it has a nice twist element to it.
Full film HERE

Review: The Killing Box

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

The Killing Box (aka Grey Knight; Ghost Brigade; The Lost Brigade)
Directed by George Hickenlooper (d. 2010)
Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA); MGM; Ronin Flix; Scorpion Releasing; MVD Visual
82 minutes, 1993 / 2023
www.scorpionreleasing.com
www.mgm.com
https://mvdb2b.com/s/TheKillingBox/SR6687

More Americans were killed in the War Between the States, aka The Civil War (1861-1865), than in any other war in which the United States fought either before or after. Both sides were abusive to the other in so many ways, both the northern Union Army, and the slave-loving Confederates. Amazingly, so many years later, the traitorous Rebels are still honored for some reason (“The South will rise again!!”). Their symbol, the Confederate Flag, now stands for treason and racism, but for a while there in the 1970s-‘80s, it was the representation of rockabilly and the good ol’ boys (and girls) of “The Dukes of Hazard.” But I sort of digress…

One aspect you may notice about this film from 30 years ago is that there are many stars that have basically past their prime since that time, and others that were on their upward trajectory.

Let me start right off the bat that wherever the story takes, even in the beginning, the work of director George Hickenlooper is a force to be reckoned with. For example, the opening sequence is shot in sepia (though full color comes after the credits), that brownish tone that was present in early photography. Also, there is no shying away from the blood and gore of that war. Many men had limbs amputated due to the shattering effect of the weaponry and infections that would follow, sans anesthetics, and this is reflected early on.

Adrian Pasdar, Corbin Bernsen

As Capt. John Harling (Adrian Pasdar; 1987’s Near Dark), who is also a preacher, is getting ready to retire, he is called back to duty by General Haworth (a cameo by Martin Sheen) to serve under Col. George Thalman (underrated Ray Wise, of “Twin Peaks” fame). It seems soldiers are being killed via crucifixion, St. Peter style: upside down on an X-shaped cross (e.g., the symbol of the Stars and Bars flag), by an alternative army led by confederate Maj. Josiah Elkins (Roger Wilson). To help Harling, is Union prisoner and confederate leader Col. Nehemiah Stryan (Corbin Bernsen, of “L.A. Law”). As with the tropes of the likes of Hell in the Pacific (1968) and Enemy Mine (1985), two sworn enemies will join to survive.

Seems there are some undead soldiers who are attacking and killing both sides, and when they do, those combatants also become zombies. Not the slow, flesh-eatin’ kind, but nearly human with their intelligence intact. The revenge of those killed, especially Confederates apparently, is a motif that had been used before and after in the likes of Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964) and its remake 2001 Maniacs (2005), and The Fog and its remake (1980; 2005). The difference is that while the Maniacs and Fogs are ghosts, for this film they are the undead; heck, they are even horny. The only ones that seem to not come back are those crucified.

With Thalman in charge, and being an obvious bad guy, the regiment sets out to find the zombies. The group includes a runaway slave, Rebecca (Cynda Williams, who was married to Billy Bob Thornton at the time). This leads to an interesting exchange, where Stryan claims, “God is a Southerner, John,” to which Harling replies, “You think he keeps slaves, too?” The obvious answer is, no he does not keep them, but according to the Bible, he permits people to do so: Exodus 21. For me, the argument is that the whole threat of hell is meant to enslave humanity to God. But I digress, again… Rebecca is more than she appears, being a mute voodoo priestess (and what would the Bible say to that?).

Matt LeBlac (right)

Some of the soldiers, sometimes in cameos, include David Arquette, pre-Sling Blade (1996) Thornton, Alexis Arquette, A.J. Langer (who plays a boy, so this can never be shown in the state where it is supposed to take place), and in his first film role, Matt LeBlanc, who never gets to ask, “How you doin’?”

I have learned (from IMDB) that the dead soldiers were written to be vampires, but the director turned them into zombies having been raised by an evil voodoo entity, so he did not have to do as many night shoots. But knowing this, helps makes sense of certain scenes and dialogue (e.g., biting and not crossing running water). Personally, I think the story makes more sense as blood-drinkers. Just an FYI I am passing on.

Willaims, Bernsen

There is a surprising amount of blood and gore (by René Dashiell Kerby, who also worked on 2003’s Cat in the Hat and Star Trek in 2009) for a film of this level at that time. The cinematography and pacing occasionally looks and feels a bit like an “ABC Movie of the Week,” but it does not shy away from the bloodletting, so I am good with it.

One thing I found frustrating was the lack of the evil entity/entities in the cave that “turned” the soldiers. It is discussed, but never shown. Were they planning on a sequel? I do believe that this would be a good film for a reboot and up the violence ante.

Honestly, with this cast, I was not sure what I was anticipating, but I will admit that my expectations were low. It was much better than I anticipated, even with some slow moments here and there. It also make me think of 30 Days of Night (2007) more than any of the ...of the Dead releases.

This is ridiculous because it is anachronistic, but I was kinda hoping the soundtrack would play Duane Eddy’s “Rebel Rouser” and/or Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell,” possibly over the final credits. We do, however, get a version of “Dixie” and “Yankee Doodle,” which is more appropriate.

Bonus materials are English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, DTS-HD Master Audio, High-Definition Blu-ray 1080p Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1), and a new 2020 HD Master. Also, there are a nice stack of B-film trailers from the 1970s-1980s, both genre and mainstream, as well as a surprisingly blurry version for this one.

MDB listing HERE

Review: The Ghosts of Monday

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

The Ghosts of Monday
Directed by Francesco Cinquemani
Altadium Group; Jingi; Cleopatra Entertainment; MVD Visual
78 minutes, 2022 / 2023
https://altadium.com/
www.cleopathra-entertainment.com
www.mvdvisual.com

The proliferation of cable “documentary” shows focused on Ghost Hunters has led to a subgenre in that field. Often they are found footage style like Alone in the Ghost House (2015), Ouija Death Trap (2014), and Beyond the Shadows (2020), just to name a trio. Of course, there have been some mainstream “Ghost Hunter” films for decades, such as The Haunting (1962), The Legend of Hell House (1973), and Poltergeist (1982).

So here we are, with a new Ghost Hunter tale that never goes well for the participants, with some relatively strong star power in the form of Julian Sands, who starred in some A-listed films in the 1980s and ‘90s, and has been in cinematic decline in the 2000s as he refocused his career to the stage. But he is enough of a name to grab some attention, especially for genre fans who loved him in Warlock (1989).

Ghost Hunter films tend to follow a basic premise: the group goes to investigate a legendary haunted locale, and find more than they bargained for. In this case, it is the Grand Hotel Gula, located in Cyprus (the country in which this is filmed; in fact, this is the first home-grown horror released out of that island country). Planning on shooting the pilot episode of the documentary series “Ghosts of the Old World,”, the group, led by the show’s host and narrator, Bruce (Sands), are on their way to find the spirits, and not the kind that come out a liquor bottle, which Bruce imbibes.

I am looking forward to seeing this. Ironically, I am not a fan of Ghost Hunter reality television shows, but often enjoy Ghost Hunter films, generally. Go figure! For this one, the title refers to a Monday night in 1990 when 100 people in the dining room were killed by rat poison, though no one knows how, and people have been dying in that location for hundreds of years. The locals avoid the area and the hotel has been abandoned for more than 20 years, but has been recently bought and is being renovated by weird couple Frank (Anthony Skordi) and his wife, Rosemary (Maria Ioannou).

Mark Huberman, Julian Sands

If I have this right, Bruce has been hosting shows for a while, and is a skirt-chasing lothario who it seems most of the women are onto and give him the brushoff. The hot-headed director of the show-to-be, who does not seem happy to be there, is Eric (Mark Huberman). He is with his ex-, the mysterious Sofia (Marianna Rosset), who is from Cyprus and has a history with the hotel; she is also the adopted daughter of Bruce. The crew include cameraperson Jennifer (Flavia Watson) and sound tech Christine (Elva Trill). The liaison between crew and the Hotel is Anna (Kristina Godunova). And where are they all staying? At the Gula, of course. Keep the body count close.

The early tone of the film reminds me a bit of The Sentinel (1977) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968), as people keep feeding Sofia tea with “local herbs,” including the financiers of the Ghost Hunter show, Dom (Loris Curci) and Pat (Joanna Fyllidou). Something wicked this way comes, me thinks. Meanwhile, recurrent shaky POV shots show that everyone from the prospective program is being watched.

Marianna Rosset

Early on, there is the mention of the Cult of Teshub, who was the Hurrian god of sky, thunder, and storms in part, with the Iron Age Luwian and Hittite cultures during the early 13th century BCE (thank you, Wikipedia). Here, it dealt with human sacrifice. There is no subtly that this will be an important plot point going forward into the Second and Third Act, as it is stated more than once. Same with Sofia’s dreams, telegraphing that, in the words of Prof. Pretorious in From Beyond (1986), “Something is coming, Crawford!”

Eva Trill

When the killin’ finally starts, what it nice is that there is a multi-pronged and genre jumping storylines, such as slasher, monster, and cult. Of course, they all tie in together, but it made me happy that it was not just one or the others. When someone gets to meet their maker (colloquially, of course), there is a nice variety. Besides, if you cannot figure out who the bad guys are early on, and probably what is their motivation, well, you just have not seen enough genre films (is it possible to see too many? I say no). There is also a nice reference to the 1953 short story, “The Nine Billion Names of God,” by Arthur C. Clarke.

Flavia Watson

The killing effects look great and had me cheering. I did not really notice any digi-SFX, most of it being practical and very bloody. My one question is, as they all had cell phones, why at some point did anyone not call the police at any point?

With quite the international and attractive cast (including a nice and gratuitous shower scene), the action is first rate, mostly. Sands, generally a good actor, is both wooden and over-emoting at the same time, often acting with his eyes, eyebrows and a forward tilt of his head. He seems to forget he is not on the stage, but in front of the more intimate camera. However, there are some beautiful shots of the hotel lobby atrium, which is almost another character in the story.

Cyprus did good here. There is just enough of an arty tone to give this some oomph, but not enough to make it opaque or distracting. The few scenes we see outside of the hotel of the city are beautiful; visiting Cyprus is on my bucket list.

This film did not disappoint, and I look forward to more output from the island Republic of Cyprus.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Mind Leech

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Mind Leech
Directed by Chris Cheesesmith and Paul Krysinski
Cheesesmith Productions; Dog Darnel Productions; Mind Leech Productions
60 minutes, 2023
www.mindleech.com/

1998. What a year to be alive. Bill Clinton was presi… oh, wait, this film takes place in Provinstate, filmed juuust East and North of Toronto, Ontario, so Jean Chrétien was Prime Minister, the economies were up, it is Christmas Day, and it was a great time to be living in a small town in a rural area. Until…

In the pre-credits summertime prologue, two guys (director Chris Cheeseman and Hugh Goodden) start things rolling thanks to Chem Corp, who told them to get “rid” of a container of a strange substance, and their own yahoo-for-cash mentality, contaminating a lake.

Steff Ivory Coover and Misccha O'Hoski

When we pick up the story with the New Year a week or so away, something is affecting and killing the local wildlife. We learn this through two police officers, Deputy DJ Thompson (Steff Ivory Conover) and Sherriff Ben Paley, Jr. (Mischa O’Hoski).

The action really starts quite quickly (remember, this film is only an hour in length) when a large and slimy worm-like creature (the titular leech) attaches itself to ice fisherman Craig Hoser (yes, Hoser; co-director Paul Krysinski) head, taking over his mind. There are bound to be references made to Cronenberg’s Shivers/They Came from Within (1975), and Henenlotter’s Brain Damage (1988). And like those two, this is a very dark comedy. For example, the name of the town is a mix of Province and State, covering both countries. There is also a shot in a barn that is bound to remind the viewer of Alien (1979).

The parasite causes Craig to go on a killin’ spree, full of blood and gore, but that should come as no surprise. While this was the feature debut of both directors, much of the key players have worked SFX on some major horror fare over the last few years, such as Spiral (2021) and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021). Here, the SFX are handled by Chris Cooper.

This was filmed in the middle of winter. Man, it looks cold. Then again, as I write this, it is -30F out my door (pre-windchill), so I can comprehend and appreciate. That is dedication. It is a relatively toasty 69F in my house, with hot soup warming on the stove. But I digress…

Of course, this is not a stationary creature – they never are – and has more than one victim, as it moves around (or is moved around by its host). As it forces its human victim to drive from place to place, it is quite erratic, bringing up memories of a less blissful Frank Parnell (Fox Harris) from Repo Man (1984).

I love it when a film knows its own correct length, without trying to pad it out to “feature” duration. This keeps the filler to a minimum, and there is a lot more action per minute. This is especially true with low budget film making.

O'Hoski

Despite the low costs, the creature looks really good; most of the time it is relatively immobile while attached to its victim. Still, the 3-foot long leech look teriff, especially the close-ups of its face, or where it is attached to the human it has commandeered. When the viewer realizes the aim of the creature, it makes total sense.

While there are some actors here with previous listings, for others this is the first acting notch on IMDB, everyone is really impressive, especially Conover, who seems to have played herself in earlier work than in a scripted part.

A truly decent creature feature that should be a wowzer on the Festival trail, and I recommend it if you get the chance to see it. Fun.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Super Z

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Super Z (aka Super Z: Smart-Ass Zombies!)
Directed by Julien de Volte and Arnaud Tabarly
La Ruche Productions; MVD Visual
80 minutes, 2022 / 2023
www.facebook.com/SuperZ 
www.MVDVisual.com

Zombie-love in the States is obvious, but it is also far flung across the world, such as Train to Busan (2016) in Korea, and in Europe, there is the recent Ever After (EndZeit) (2018) from Germany. Those films, however, are dead serious (pun intended).

On the other hand, there is Super Z, hailing out of France, which is a bloody and gory comedy. There are not too many zombie comedies in general, though there are the likes of Aaah! Zombies!! (aka Wasting Away) and Bong of the Dead (2011), not to mention the infamous Shaun of the Dead (2004), which even predates this release. This feature is based on the directors’ 2014 short film, “The Foodies.”

Audrey Giacomin, iJohan Libéreau, Julien Courbey, Florence Bebic-Veruni

In French (with subtitles), of course, this multi-level story of death, flesh and lust starts in a laboratory called The Purgatory, of a corporation led by Le PDG/The CEO (Jacques Boudet, who has had a long and storied career in French cinema). There is even a picture of himself on his desk. He is assisted in this endeavor by the over the top Le savant fou/The Mad Scientist (Jean-François Gallotte), who gleefully tortures the people/zombies on whom he works. As you may notice, some characters are expressed as their titles or roles, rather than their given names.

But the scientist has taken an extra step on his own and has made them more than just killing and eating machines, he has given them sentience, so they are aware of what is going on and can even talk. However, that is mostly trash talk, taunting like the French guards in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), except full of vulgarity and profanity.

Fabian Ara

The main test subjects are a family of four: “father” Gertre (Johan Libéreau), “mother” Stephana (Julien Courbey), and “daughters” Marcelline (Audrey Giacomini) and Georgette (Florence Bebic-Veruni). After they escape the facility, along the way, while having – er – dinner, they manage to turn a young man into one of them, Yvon (Fabien Ara), whom they adopt. The transformation takes only seconds. Yvon confuses me, though; is he supposed to be a teen? He plays his role like a man-child a la Lou Costello or a Jerry Lewis character (remember how popular Lewis was in France?). He is into rap, wears his extended cap sideways, pants hanging below his butt, and has his name on a gold chain. And he’s a bit annoying; no where as interesting as the foursome family. I do have to concede, though, that the “young” daughters are also played by adults.

Sent after them is Le mercinaire/The Mercenary (Lauren Bouhnik) and his cousin, La cousin (Jo Prestia, who also has quite the filmography), out to hunt and kill the escapees. This scenario, in some twisted way, reminds me a bit of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, with the hungry foursome as the escaped slaves being Eliza and her family, and Le mercinaire as Simon Legree.

Holed up in a cabin (see?), the extended zombie family fixes it up and feeds of people going by on a nearby walking path in joyous and bloody ways. Some family dinner table scenes are hysterical for both normality and – er – not (more on this later), and yet is extremely and disturbingly full of blood and gore. They plot their revenge against the world of humans, but what happens when one of them becomes infatuated by living, tooth-impaired, Augustine (Marion Mezadorian)? There is a definite Romeo and Juliet aspect to it, including a balcony scene. Smart.

While the excitement lasts throughout, with very little lulls, it also picks up significantly in the third Act when the mercenaries show up at the CEO’s insistence to do away with what he considers a failed experiment(s).

Lauren Bouhnik

You can see the influence of other films throughout, such as an homage to the ending of Mother’s Day (1980), which made me smile. Another interesting aspect of the film is that as absurd as it is, there is also a “normal” aspect of it, such as the zombies drinking wine, smoking, taking drugs, sleeping (and snoring), loving and arguing. I really enjoyed that. To them, even though they despise the living beyond the food aspect, they are not much different in so many ways.

But what is most notable is the gore effects and make-up, which look phenomenal. These were handled by Stéphanie Couste, Harold Levy, Cédric Martin and Vanessa Ricolleau. It does not surprise me it took four people, because there is a lot going on here, from zombie make-up, the gore SFX, and body parts.

Taunting a second time...

Sexually, it is quite crude, with masturbating and zombie sex, among other aspects I will not discuss because I do not want to give too much away. This film just revels in absurdist humor, which is bound to make some laugh, but will also guarantee some will find repulsive in both visuals, comments made by characters, and the degree of wit (mostly low level). But I found it quite fun and full of great moments. Also, their voices are quite growly and screechy, almost as though their voices have been sped up. This is especially true of Stephana. I am grateful for the English subtitles, because even if it was in English, I may have trouble making out the dialogue; however, the subtitles are not the best, being all white, but still appreciated, as I was with the film in general.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Blades in the Darkness

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Blades in the Darkness (aka Kthetrat e Shqiponjes)
Directed by Alex Visani
Aspide 1 Productions; J&K Media Partners/Unimaginable Productions
84 minutes, 2022
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I do believe this is the first time I am reviewing a film from the Balkans, and I am excited. It is in Albanian and mostly Italian, with subtitles. Unlike some, I love subtitles; comes from seeing to many live, loud bands in my youth.

Taking place in the Albanian capitol of Tirana, the prologue is set in 1997, after the fall of communism in the area, and the rise of the infamous and bloody civil war that followed. In a supposedly abandoned bunker stumbled young Matia (Matia Çobanaj) meets the Commander (Francesco Rossini), and especially the Commander’s Wife (Manuela Arcuri), who are hiding out in the bunker, which sets up the story to follow, and will intermix back and forth for a while with the present.

Emir Jouka

Back in modern day, arriving in Albania from the UK – but speaking Italian – is Adrian (Ermir Jonka), his girlfriend Nua (Ilirda Benleri), and Giulia (Ingrid Monacelli) and her boyfriend Davide (Endrit Ahmeta). Carrying their money in a leather bag (you can see that this is not a good idea, of course), they plan to open a restaurant in an abandoned bunker with the help of Adrian’s restauranteur cousin, Ilir (Arnold Damazzeti), who is a bit of a sketchy character, into MMA-style kickboxing (as a participant, not viewer).

Ilirda Benleri

Thanks to a betrayal by one or two of the group, with Romanian mobsters and drug dealers and money owed, their savings are gone, but some do not know it yet. This leads to them meeting up with the now insane and murderous Matia as an adult (Lorenzo Lapori, also a co-writer and fight coordinator), who had been sealed behind a wall. Years of loneliness and a seemingly perpetual 8mm propaganda film (200-foot reel, or 20 minutes) has made Matia – now known as Eagle Man in the credits – a bit tetched in the haid. He does, however, have a couple of cool and rusty knives and reminds me a bit of Kruger’s infamous claw (he even tends to run it along a wall), except one big blade for each hand. And, as the film shows, he is not afraid to use it on associates and indiscriminates alike. Yes, he is both mad, and angry, having his childhood and life taken away from him for a cause that never recovered (think of the roundly defeated Confederates or Nazis who hoped their evil beliefs would rise again.

There is a bit of a crime drama mixed in at some point, as the abandoned bunker where Eagle Man is captive behind a wall, is being utilized by a gang of drug dealers – we see a mound of bricks of white powder, perhaps representing the wall of evil that held Eagle Man captive – and their molls, more commonly known as the body count when Eagle Man flies to coop, blood and sorrow will follow.

Arnold Damazzeti

Into this scenario comes our Italian crew from England, hoping to make a new restaurant by recycling and transforming the very same bunker. As I have quoted before, Marshall McLuhan famously said when an object becomes obsolete, it comes back as art. Or in this case, a fancy eatery. While they may have served bird on the menu, they become the prey of an Eagle.

Our two couples arrive at the nest – I mean bunker – late at night, and that is where I end my descriptions, and the battle for life and death (mostly the latter, of course, as this is a literal slasher film). Somehow, in my head, I keep mishearing Creedence Clearwater Revival singing, “Down in the Bunker / Killing in the streets / The Eagle Man’s a-playin’ / Killin’ with knives so sweet.”

Lorenzo Lapori

Eagle Man is actually quite an interesting character by himself. He is as physically filthy as the Pig-Pen character from the Peanuts cartoons from literally years of not bathing, he wears the long coat and boots of the defeated army, his hair is long (though his beard not as much), and he is extremely scarred thanks to a meeting as a youth with some barb wire. Like most genre serial killers, he does not speak (though he does scream), probably from decades of loneliness. His anger comes out in the brutality of his kills. Most modern slashers, the killers like Jason and Michael are stoic, or punsters like Freddie, but this is pure rage. And then there are the cool booby-traps.

A certain level of disbelief is definitely needed around the Eagle Man, mostly pertaining to longevity. For example, he runs the projector constantly, but the bulb has not burned out, he eats food from cans, but how large a supply did they have in 1997 to the present? How does he shave (most of) his beard? How many gas drums does he have for the generator; perhaps he is Jewish, and this is a Hanukkah tale? I kid…

Manuela Arcuri

What I find interesting is that as brutal as Eagle Man is, and he really is, he is also a sympathetic character, rather than a one-dimensional killing machine. The murders are brutal and look great, without being overly graphic (i.e., not body horror), though there is a nice amount of blood to keep the customers satisfied. Hell, they even find a way for (female) nudity and a gratuitous sex scene.

While the acting is top-notch, it is the cinematography by the director that stands out for me, especially the last shot. Despite most of the film being in an ill-lit bunker, it was all clearly seen (thank you, blue filter). The bunker itself is both a maze and claustrophobic at the same time. Well done.

IMDB listing HERE