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: The Sound of Summer

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

The Sound of Summer
Directed by Guy (aka Guy Pierce, Guy Fragments)
Sculpting Fragments; Unearthed Films; MVD Visual
75 minutes, 2022
www.unearthedvideo.com
https://mvdb2b.com/s/TheSoundOfSummer/UN-1150

In James Clavell’s 1975 opus, Shōgun, he posits, “The Japanese have six faces and three hearts.” Society is incredibly different in the present than in feudal times when the novel took place, and life has become more in sync with the West. But when viewing art cinema, even in the Asia extreme cinema category, this quote can become more than just a philosophy.

A lonely young woman (cute Kaori Hoshino) – whom I will refer to as Her, as no names are given for the characters – works in as a barista in a coffee shop during a sweltering summer in Japan (with English subtitles, though there is minimal dialogue). It is 102F/39C and it seems no one has air conditioning. It reminds me of that episode of “The Twilight Zone” called “The Midnight Sun” (1961), where the Earth is moving closer to the flaming orb. One can almost feel the heat radiating off the monitor.

Kaori Hoshino

Because it is summer, the large flying insects called cicadas (there is a variation of the species in the American Southeast) are in large numbers and if you do not know, they make a loud rubbing noise, usually through the night. That sound is the source of the film’s title. Unnervingly, this is keeping our heroine awake, along with the heat. Lack of sleep and high temperatures can have a negative effect on one’s mental health.

Into the coffee shop comes a sweaty middle-aged man with a mask, a net, and a couple of cases filled with cicadas. He begins coming in often, each time dressed identically, and with the same containers full of captured critters.

Shinya Hankawa

As the summer wears on and the heat is unrelenting, Her breaks out in itchy rashes and scratches herself bloody, and begins slipping from reality, believing that the “Cicada Man” (Shinya Hankawa) as he is called by her and her coworker (Kiyomi Kametani) is visiting her at night, and infecting her with cicada eggs.

Being released by Unearthed Films, it should come as no surprise this leads into body horror, as she scratches and starts to remove skin, with lots of blood and gore for those who are drawn to that. The practical effects are done by Susumu Nakatani, who does an amazing job at bringing out the squeamish body manipulations.

And what makes this arthouse fare? Well, part of it is the very, very slow burn that starts the story, and with the high temperatures, the term “burn” feels appropriate. Once the Cicada Man visits Her at night, or perhaps in her dreams, is when the red sauce begins to show and flow. All this is underscored (literally) by the soundtrack by synth composer Microchip Terror.

The story and look of this are quite plain and basic, without arty shots or dialogue, despite the wild and swirling camerawork in the third act, but it still retains a certain pace that elevates it to a higher plain. There is also a question of psychology feeding into this style: is Her infected with cicada eggs, or is it all in her mind, twisted by the continuous heat?

Keita Kusaka

In almost The Fly (1986)-like fashion, she picks at her body bit by bit, pulling out what she believes are hatchling cicadas. The doctor (Keita Kusaka) accuses her of delusions of parasitosis, where one is convinced that they are infested by parasites. Considering her physical condition, I do not understand why the doc does not have her committed, or at the very least to the Emergency Room. But that would be the end of the story, so it soldiers on.

The big reveal of the Cicada Man is intense, again reminiscent of The Fly, but the question remains of how much of it is reality, and to what level is it imagined. Either way, it looks amazing.

The extras on the Blu-ray start with the “Behind the Scenes” (45 min) that is a mixture of “how it was shot” and mucking around by the filmmakers and cast, but my favorite parts were the application of the SFX make-up. On “Tokyo Talkshow” (34 min) is the director Guy, cult genre director Shozin Fukui, and the two directors of the film LOUD, after the on-stream premiere of both The Sound of Summer and LOUD. Last is the Japanese Premiere (42 min), which introduces three members of the principle cast and director to the audience. I have found many times these kinds of pre- or post-screening interviews tend to have terrible audio. Here, however, it is nice and crisp, and there are easy-to-read subtitles, as they are mostly in Japanese. There is also a trailer for this and another Guy short.

The director, Guy, is actually a native of Britain who has been living in Japan for several years and is fluent in the language. In this being his first full-length feature, he brings the sensibilities of both to the project, giving it a slightly different touch than from either. Oh, I would still label this under “Asian Extreme” (yeah, there are people who do not like that term, though it is accurate), but the plain and simple structure is totally Western influenced. It helps that he was aided by his co-conspirator of the film, Dave Jackson who directed Cat Sick Blues (2016). 

Honestly, I do not necessarily have a fear of insects per se (though I am not fond of them on my body or floating around my head), this was a bit extreme on the effects of the insects, not of the creatures themselves. While a fun ride, once it kicks into gear, consider yourself forewarned if you suffer from entomophobia, sometimes known as insectophobia.

MDB listing HERE

Review: The Tank

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

The Tank
Directed by Scott Walker
Corner Stone; Ajax Pictures; GFC Films; Happy Dog Entertainment; Ingenious Media; Well Go USA Entertainment
100 minutes, 2023
https://wellgousa.com/films/tank
www.hiyahtv.com
#TheTank @WellGoUSA

To be honest, I found the title a bit confusing: an armed military vehicle, or something like a septic tank? Well, it is kinda-sorta more like the second. But what it holds is hardly bodily discards. Remember, this is a horror film. What is more, it is a creature feature, always one of my favorite genres.

After a quick prologue, we meet lizard/amphibian expert Jules (Luciane Buchanan) and Ben (Matt Whelan), who have a young daughter, Reia (Zara Nausbaum), and own a struggling pet shop in Oakland, CA. Much to their surprise, they have inherited a property on the coast of Oregon. What is even more startling is that this was filmed in New Zealand. You would never know it by the lack of accents and the place descriptions, though much of the cast is from there. Cool.

Luciane Buchanan

It would not be revealing anything to say the three head up north to check the place out, to see whether they want to sell the house that has been vacant (of humans) since 1946. I mean, otherwise this film would be about 10 minutes, right? It is right on the Pacific (hence, “the coast”) and the view is spectacular (I drove down the coast of Oregon a few years ago, and can attest to its beauty), but it is surrounded on all the other sides by woods, and it is a long drive up a crap road to get to it (once you get past the fallen tree across the road, so you have to walk part of it and expose yourself to what lies beneath).

Once we finally get through all the exposition of the first part of the film, things begin to get a bit bumpy. They find the lid to the titular buried water tank/well beside the house, which leads to a series of caves (which reminded me of the well at Barnaby’s house in 1934’s March of the Wooden Soldiers…too obscure?). There is something making screaming noises and that creaking sound that has been appearing in so many films since Ju-on (The Grudge, 2002) – or was it used first in Ringu (The Ring, 1998)? – reverberating through the whole house. Speaking of which, and I have said this before because it is such a common trope, someone walking through an environment (in this case house) in the dark with a light, should never be longer than two minutes, or the tension dissipates into annoyance.

The body-suit creature looks great (not CGI, as well), designed by Weta Workshop and donned by contortionist-extraordinaire Regina Hegemann. That almost makes the whole thing worth it by itself. Not too flashy and unrealistic, but a specimen of evolution.

This film definitely has some issues, beyond that it would be a much better 80-minute film than one that is 100 minutes. For example, there is too much projection of what is to come a few times, such as Jules explaining about reactions of amphibians to their surroundings, early on in the storyline; there are at least three or four that I caught.

Buchanan, Matt Whelan

But what I found most egregious, was how many fights with the creature went on underwater. Sure, the camera followed them down and was shot from under the surface, but the liquid was so murky, I could not make heads or tails of what was happening other than movement. Did the human succumb? Did the creature get polished off? Could not tell until the conclusion of the incident when one or the other raised their heads above the liquid level.

A smart aspect was to set the brunt of the story in 1968, when there were no cell phones or computers, though considering how isolated was the location, there probably would not have been service anyway. And since no one had lived in the house for over 20 years, there was no working telephone.

 

Buchanan, Zara Nausbaum

Another plus is the cast: Whelan and especially Buchanan fill their shoes well and have some chemistry. Nausbaum does not really have much to do, other than cry, whimper, and scream, but she does that quite well.

I am fine with the low body count (this could almost be considered more of a thriller than a horror), but for those that are taken over to meet Osiris, the blood and gore look superb.

The release is definitely a mixed bag, considering how I felt about watching it. I love a creature feature film, generally, and was not disappointed by the beastie, nor the basic storyline – despite its many “tells” – but it took too long to get its ass in gear.

The director and writer, Scott Walker (not a member of the Walker Brothers, who sang “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”…I bet he is tired of hearing that), has one other feature under his belt previously, The Frozen Ground (2013), starring Nicolas Cage and John Cusack, which was well received. I am looking forward to Walker’s work going forward, even though he seems to put out a film every decade or so.

Oh, and stick around for partway through the credits.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Day Zero

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

Day Zero
Directed by Joey De Guzman
Reality MM Studios; Regal Entertainment; Well Go USA Entertainment
82 minutes, 2022 / 2023
https://wellgousa.com/films/day-zero
www.hiyahtv.com
#DayZero @WellGoUSA

This release is not to be confused with Night Zero (2017), as Day Zero also goes for the almost-zombie throat.

Remember back in the late 1960s and early ‘70s when the Philippines was a place that released numerous “B” horror releases (many starring John Ashley; d. 1997), be they cheesy, such as Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1968) and The Twilight People (1972)? 

Well, this has shown the quality has quite improved for Filipino fright flicks (presented in Tagalog, Filipino, sign language, and some English, with easy to read English subtitles) over the years, and are still cheesy fun, but a lot more sophisticated, professional looking, and relatively make more narrative sense (relative to the topic at hand).

Brandon Vera

As the prologue tells us, there is an outbreak of dengue fever “also known as break-bone fever, a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people” (paraphrased from Wikipedia). But like Covid, for this imagining, it has mutated into turning people into (fast) flesh-biting zombie-ish creatures; they are not into eating as much as biting and infecting, sort of like Korea’s Train to Busan (2016). While they are merely hyper-infected, they look like classic zombies; the make-up is incredibly well done. Though they can run, they move quite spasmodically and only communicate through screams. It can seem a mix of [Pick a time of day] of the Living Dead and …28 [pick a timeframe] Later, with a bit of [*REC] (2007) thrown in for good measure. And of course, we cannot forget the granddaddy of all violent bite infection flicks, Rabid (1977).

Our central character is the heavily tattooed former U.S. elite soldier Ramon “Emon” Marasigan (Brandon Vera, aka “The Truth”; retired Filipino-American World Kickboxing Association [WKA] Super Heavyweight Champion, ONE Championship Heavyweight World Champion, WEC 13 Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion, and inducted in the Grappler's Quest Hall of Fame). He is in a Filipino prison for aggravated assault. Hell, he is so big, he could cripple me with a strong stare.

Mary Jean Lastimosa

His estranged wife, Sheryl (Mary Jean Lastimosa) and young, deaf daughter, Jane (Freya Fury Montierro) wait in what looks like some overcrowded poor area at a seven-floor walk-up apartment building. Due to the outbreak, Emon breaks out (see what I did there?) of prison with his friend Timoy (Pepe Herrera). Meanwhile, Sheryl gets separated from Jane in the apartment melee. It was pretty obvious that the story would be the quest of the three finding each other again.

Also understandable, thankfully, is that there will be a lot of fighting by Emon, be it prisoners, zombies, or what all. And it certainly does not fail in that regard: MMA-style moves, crude objects (e.g., boards), and eventually tactical armory (see the trailer).

Pepe Herrera

The cinematography by Mo Zee is quite well done, with some camera effects that work well with the storyline and keeps the eye on the screen. This is a gross generalization, but Asian cinema really does present action scenes with pizazz.

Vera acts his role well, albeit mostly stoic or angry (though there are some emotional moments), but most of the major cast, including Herrera and especially Lastimosa, project their fear and angst well without it being cartoonish. Most of the action, once Emon and Timoy get out of prison, is set in the apartment building (hence the [*REC] reference), giving a feeling of grime, purposeful bad lighting (no electricity) though easy to see for the viewer, and a sense of claustrophobia. The single location helps with the budget, and I respect that, as well as “locks” the viewer into the locale. The set design for these scenes is excellent.

So is the SFX, which uses great prosthetics, and while there is some CGI, most of it is practical. For those interested, like me, there is a lot of it spread throughout the film. Technically, there are three acts, but each is ruthless.

While this is a relatively serious film, there is some subtle humor that occasionally crops up, almost like easter eggs, such as one zombie wearing a tee that says, “Vin Scully is my homeboy”: baseball is huge in the Philippines. Also, as with most sidekicks, Timoy is a bit of a comic relief, but hardly a stereotypical screw-up.

There is an underlying premise that not all monsters are – er – monsters. While the band of survivors get picked off one by one, there is also brutality brought by grief and anger. Who needs to be infected to become violent when someone has lost a loved one? I believe that characterization is a real side of humanity sometimes. It is not really cynicism, if you just look around at the attitude of some televangelists and members of the US Senate about the LGBTQ+ populations.

On a side note, I wonder about films like this: if one can escape from the crowded apartment building, in a heavily populated neighbourhood, how would one get away, even in a vehicle? There are 114 million people living in the Philippines. Would it not be more realistic to pull a The Mist (2007) in that situation (but have enough ammo)? I would definitely want a quick out.

Once the action starts, which is right at the beginning, it is rare that the action lets up. We see our main group and others fight the transformed and infected. In a world where zombie (relatively) films are a dime a dozen, even though there are some formulaic moments, this is a good watch, full of action, violence, practical SFX, gore, and so much more.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Planet Zee

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

Planet Zee
Directed by Zetkin Yikilmis
Yikilmis Filmproduktion; Digital Media Rights; Midnight Pulp; Darkside Releasing
96 minutes, 2021
www.facebook.com/planetzee1

Recently I reviewed Zetkin Yikilmis’s twisted fairy tale of the supernatural and violence, Pink Rabbit (2022), which is also based on a kill-or-be-killed supernatural scenario. This inspired me to check out this earlier film of hers; both are available for free on TubiTV.

This film is out of Germany, written and directed by a woman from Turkey, and filmed in English. Needless to say, some of the characters are quite accented, so I recommend using the English subtitles, just to make it easier. Personally, I like to do that anyway, as much as possible. Seeing so many live bands in clubs with no ear protection has had its toll, though I would not change my experiences. But I digress…

Zetkin Yikilmis

One would think offhand that the title would indicate this is a film about zombies, but no, Zee is actually the name of the lead character (Yikilmis). Zee is an indie filmmaker who is in the middle of making a slasher flick, while she lives with here elderly-but-nice granny, Sam (Trish Osmond), who is my favorite character in the story. While Zee is anxious about her filmmaking future, Sam gives a solid feminist standpoint to encourage her: “Never give up and know your own strength.” Yay. And you know that advice, much like Peter Parker’s uncle in Spiderman, will come in handy at some time in the film.

Within this film, Zee is writing a script titled Blue Smoke and a Locker. Amusingly, in 2019, Yikilmis directed and wrote Some Smoke and a Red Locker (which I have not seen). That is so cool and a great reflectionary inside joke. Note that this film was written by Bernd Strack, who was the screenwriter for Bunker of the Dead (2015).

Yikilmis and Trish Osmond

Zee is a heavy pot smoker, which amusingly is “dogwhistled” in the IMDB description as her being a “hippie.” Anyway, her producer is Serge (Alexander Tsypilev), an annoying sexually predatory twit who is just dripping in misogyny and toxic masculinity, but hopefully Serge has a comeuppance, because his gold chain indicates he imagines himself more the player than in reality. He is the kind of guy who gives us nice guys a bad rep. His attitude does not help when Zee’s computer is infected by a contest called “The Game of Power,” which claims it will improve “self-esteem” by forcing the user to do “diabolic tasks.” In her own “macho” momentary stance – despite the computer warning it is a matter of kill or be killed – Zee and Serge, who proves to be a coward, naturally, perform a blood ritual and are trapped in a room in Zee’s abode.

At about halfway through, the action finally starts in earnest when a demon shows up (Roland Bialke, a German professional wrestler who was also the titular Pink Rabbit in Yikilmis’s next feature). The make-up is kind of humorous; it is even commented on in the story (see the trailer, below), which I thoroughly enjoyed. The big question is, who will be the last person standing, and gets to leave the room? If anyone…

Alexander Tsypilev and Yikilmis 

So much of the story takes place in a single, small room, that has a strong yellowish ‘60s-‘70s motif (maybe that’s why they said “hippie”?), implying to the budget. Luckily, it is effective. Yikilmis seems to like small, confined spaces in what I have seen of her output. I say, make every dollar count. I respect that.

Another thing I found amusing was the subliminal anarchy hidden beneath the nonsense words scrolling on a computer screen (yes, I am the kind of guy who pauses the screen to read even the absurd words; I also do this when there is a bookcase behind the character, to see if I can make out any of the books; but again, I digress…), such as “Capitalism” and “Revolution.” I do not know if this was intentional, but I am hoping it was.

Paranoia and insanity, as well as anger close in on the couple as they continue to be stuck in this one space. Cabin Fever, or possibly something more sinister than that? Well, there is a demon…

Roland Bialke

The film could use some editing to cut it down to an even 90 minutes, such as a gratuitous dance sequence near the beginning that does nothing to advance the storyline. However, I am happy to say that the ending has a really nice twist that I did not see coming.

The acting here is, well, pretty wooden, but for some reason, that’s part of the charm of the whole thing. Yeah, it is not scary in any way, but the story is fun and there are some really nice moments of humor, as well as some gore (my favorite moment was probably unplanned but is so effective, when some brain matter gets stuck to Zee’s hair). The body SFX are practical, and range from cheesy to good, yet the digital effects (lightening, fire, etc.), look obvious and weird. But in this film, it works, because this was never intended to be Shakespeare, or Spielberg. This is what it is: independent, low-budget filmmaking, which, for all its faults, still manages to tell a fun story around the mishigas.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Amber Road

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

Amber Road
Directed by B. Luciano Barsuglia
Koa Aloha Media
87 minutes, 2022
www.facebook.com/amberroadmovie
https://koaalohamedia.com/amberroadmovie/
https://amberroadmovie.com

Amber Road, for the purposes of this film, is a Dark Web site where you can order drugs, food, and a host of other things that are technically illegal. But it also has an audience that it caters to who are interested in watching people being tortured and snuffed. Internet torture for hire has been a common theme lately, with the likes of La PetiteMort (2009) and Death Count (2022), among many. Like Hostel (2005), it is merely an excuse to push the envelope on body horror, or what others may call torture porn.

This release is a bit stylized, showing customers making requests (cameos by the likes of Tom Sizemore and Robert LaSardo, both of whom were in the similarly themed Death Count) on what will happen to the captives. And right off the bat, while the film introduces the protagonists (see second paragraph down), it is inter-mixed with scenes of torture, such as involving removal of fingers, which is nicely intercut with someone cutting a hedge using shears: the mundane and the malevolence.

 Rachel Riley

The first couple being tortured during this intro, Mary (Janet Wang) and James (William McNamara), are given a drug to paralyze them, but they can still feel the pain. My question is, why are they bound to a chair, and why do they have ball gags in their mouths if they are immobile (though they easily move their heads and facial expressions do not seem to be affected by the drug)? The perilous mistress of distress is Pauline (Rachel Riley), professionally a mortician we learn early on, who gets pleasure from her “work.”

And speaking of work, our main protagonist is police deputy Emma (Scream Queen Elissa Dowling), whose husband – also a copper – was murdered, is being helped by her brother, Deke (Jed Rowen); meanwhile the nasty Dark Web (sometimes here described as the Deep Web) group is working on the married couple. At the early stage, the two stories flash back and forth. You just know at some point in the storyline, the trains of Emma and Aber Road will meet. But I am still on Act 1.

Elissa Dowling

Eventually, we get to meet the police that are after the Webbers, led by Sherriff Taylor (Vernon Wells), who has nothing to do with Mayberry, or perhaps it is Opie grown up? Yes, there are lots of cameos throughout the film.

When the big reveal comes at the start of Act 3, it will either surprise the hell outta ya, or you will have seen it coming a mile away (I was somewhere between the two). My only issue is I think they gave away the gravy a bit too early in the telling.

The torture parts are actually spaced pretty far apart in the storyline, with lots of dialogue in-between. Do not get me wrong, what we see is gruesome, but I get the feeling some gorehounds are going to get a bit restless. Not only does the gore increase in the third act, but they find places to hurt that I have not seen before, which is – er – refreshing, in an imaginative way.

Jed Rowen

The acting here is great for a low-budgeter, but it is important to remember that most of the cast each has a long history in cinema, so that is hardly surprising. While Dowling is the de facto lead actor (i.e., not cameo), this is totally Riley’s film, as she has the most screen time, and her character is so germane to the violence that occurs.

The effects look good and gross, but I do wish there had been a bit more of it. Sure, it is effective and gooey as bits are snipped away, but there is long gaps between, even if the practical SFX works.

Throughout the film, they employ either a dark filter, or color correction in post-production, which gives the visuals a mostly bluish haze that seems unnecessary. Well, not to this extent, anyway. I understand the practical SFX may look better if it is harder to see, but it gets tiresome after a while, and is employed by too many films these days.

It feels like there is a lot of overlap with the films by Michael Su (who directed Death Count), and those put out by the Cinema Epoch/CineRidge Entertainment group. It is a mix of many of the same actors of the former and style of the latter, which combine to make a low-budget film that is interesting on many levels. It is good to see all these legends in the same film, though none interact together (again, one-day-work cameos), but most seem to be on Zoom, which makes sense in the story. More than a plot of sheer malevolence for the sake of malevolence, this is a tale of greed above all else, even more than, say, revenge.

For reasons I have stated above, this is a between-the-cracks film, in that it may be too mild for the gorehounds and to extreme for the average viewer. But the story works, and in my humble opinion, that is what makes it watchable.

IMBD listing HERE

Review: Bermuda Island

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

Bermuda Island
Directed by Adam Werth
Mahal Empire; FilmCore; Hosscat Production; Alien Donut Films;
Wicked Monkey Pictures; Stag Mountain Films
86 minutes, 2023
www.MahalEmpire.com

As subgenres go, I do not remember many that deal with the Bermuda Triangle, which is a shame. This one is sort of a cross between that and “Lost.” Perhaps the addition of a creature or more can be folded into that.

Starting off with a violent FBI drug raid on an upper-level drug dealer, Diego (Noel Gugliemi) in South Florida (I am guessing Miami), The film proper, after the violent prologue, picks up at the Miami International Airport, where we meet select passengers and crew heading for Puerto Rico, with said drug dealer in tow. They include a flight attendant played by Tom Sizemore, whose undone jacket and loose tie would actually never pass muster. But it is good to see him in what is essentially an extended cameo; Mahal Empire films are definitely helping to keeping him employed of late (e.g., 2022’s Night of the Tommyknockers). It is also amusing that two brothers on the flight are sir-named Sizemore. Noteworthy at this point is Carolyn (Mahal regular Sarah French, in such films as 2022’s Death Count), on her way to a vacation with her GFs. 

John Wells, Sarah French, Victor V. Gelsomino

There are other enjoyable stereotypes, such as a “Karen,” Peggy (Sheri Davis, also in Tommyknockers), and the comic relief of Midnight the Goth (Greg Tally, also in Tommyknockers; see a trend?), who was my favorite character.

It will come as no surprise that the plane goes down, though it is through a fun supernatural means (did I mention the Bermuda Triangle?), reminiscent of Airport 75 (1974). The survivors (future body count, and Mahal Empire films tend to have many) are stranded on Gillig… I mean the titular island in the North Atlantic Sea, rather than the island of Bermuda itself. Just an FYI, this was filmed in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

Greg Tally

Needless to say, those that lived through the plane crash are not the only ones on the island, as this is a creature feature, after all. Sure, there is one alpha male human, Bruce (John Wells) from a previous boat crash to take charge of survival tactics, helped by a member of the plane’s group, Damon (Victor V. Gelsomino, also in Tommyknockers); wouldn’t the plane’s Captain usually be technically in charge? Whatever, he is secondary character. However, it is the nighttime humanoid simian/reptile-like night feeders in loin cloths that are the ones to be feared the most. Their attacks are brutal, bloody, and give a good reason to show lots of gore.

There is also a somewhat subtle level of “Lord of the Flies” happening, with the plane remainders broken up into two groups, the main “heroes,” and one led by power-hungry – and armed – FBI agent Victor Sweden (Wesley Cannon). There is also a muscular macho masculinist bully who is narcissistic and rapacious (e.g., thinks he is god’s gift to women). He is what Bugs Bunny might refer to as a “bar-bell boy.” There are people you certainly hope to meet the monsters, as they are ones themselves internally, but others you hate to see go, and that is harder. What is nice is the killings seem random and just about anyone is up for supper for the monstoids (yeah, I made up the word, so what?). The attacks are also well spread throughout the film, but there are enough people left for the final confrontation at the end to ramp up the action.

Michael Madsen

The writing (screenplay by Robert Thompson from an idea by Michael and Sonny Mahal) has lots of twists and turns and a few good double-crosses. This is a film also about ego (e.g., the Karen and the Macho Man), and, of course, survival in an untenable position.

The creature effects, which remind me of a less-alien looking “Predator,” right down to the dreadlocks, look consistent and are well done. The blood and gore, which is in abundance, especially intestinal, are beautifully presented, without being too “clinical” (i.e., torture porn realistic), which makes this even more fun. While I am grateful for the nudity, it is also gratuitous and involves a romance that seems too quick and unrealistic. But I do understand why it is there, and have no complaints about it, as it is part of the action rather than just being there (e.g., a romance rather than a bath in a lagoon), even though it is there solely for the demographic who most likely will be viewing this release.

Mahal Empire films will occasionally give us human monsters, such as in Death Count, but more often than not it is some form of humanoid beastie, such as in Tommyknockers or Bridge of the Doomed (2022); There also are always strong and intelligent women as well as men, and really nasty of both, as well. I am quickly becoming a fan of their brand.

My big question is: where is Robert LaSardo?

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Karate Ghost

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

Karate Ghost (aka Black Belt Joe)
Directed by Bobby Canipe Jr.
Acid Bath Productions; Is This Las Vegas Productions
90 minutes, 2022
www.jamesbalsamo.com/#/

If you are wondering if this is serious or a goofy comedy, well, I mean, look at the title. If you dig a little closer, the name of the titular character, Black Belt Joe is a pun named after a much beloved blaxploitation era character played by Jim Kelly (d. 2013). 

Now, when I say “goofy,” please note that I am not saying bad, but I am saying stupidly silly with a very broad (and yes puns) comedy. In other words, this is like the Keystone Kops as opposed to, say, Lenny Bruce. And there is also a need for that level of broad and bawdy humor. That this was co-written and produced by James Balsamo, who also appears in the film wearing a ridiculous wig in an astoundingly purposefully overacted role where he even stares directly at the camera and often talks to it, should say a lot. But this is directed by Bobby Canipe Jr, and I will take it from that point of view.

Joe Balsamo

Black Belt Joe (Joe Borlik) is a Ju-Jitsu expert, but with a mean streak (and not just for his puns) that likes to kill his opponents, rather than just subduing them. One of them is the brother of Nick Laser (Balsamo), who vows revenge, by adventuring to learn the martial art, after a few drinks, ‘natch.

After a vision in the clouds reminiscent of god’s appearance in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), this leads Laser to a ju-jitsu master, Wong Chong Smitch (Garrick Lane). I was amused how they make it as though the Japanese passive martial art sound like some secret wonder system, like the one taught to Uma Thurman by Sonny Chiba in Kill Bill, Vol 1 (2003).

Joe Borlik

Of course, there is the mandatory training montage, but it certainly is not up to the level of Rocky IV (1985), The Karate Kid (1984), or any of the Shaw Brothers releases. Laser is incompetent, confused and overwhelmed, which is quite amusing.

Of course, the actual fighting choreography is somewhere akin to the “MadTV” spoof of Rudy Ray Moore’s Dolemite (1975), but what else would you expect? This is a broad comedy, and fighting authenticity is not quite a requirement, even in a film about fighting. And rightfully so.

I love the posturing over-the-top machismo, where people talk (especially Laser in a forced gravelly voice) with extended last words (e.g., “You’re not leaving here aliiiiiive. You’re leaving in a body baaaag.”). I do get the feeling that much of Balsamo and Borlik’s dialogue was ad libbed, which would make sense of the two of them having co-writer credits, along with Canipe. And Joe does not leave the tournament alive (am I giving away too much, considering the name of the damn film?).

Cagney Larkin

Later (and 30 minutes into the film), Laser is a maintenance man at a Dojo recently bought by boob-obsessed to the point of cringy Allen (Cagney Larkin), who has a cute and heavily tatted girlfriend, Selena (Morrigan Thompson). They set forth an event that brings back BB Joe, who also likes to orate directly into the camera. And he is out for revenge against not only Dick – I mean Nick; damn that Allen – Laser, but anyone else who crosses his path. This leads to some fun if cartoonish gore.

And who gets killed? People who happen to wander into the Dojo when no one is around, such as a homeless guy played by Canipe, the director. But you know the big rematch showdown is coming between Laser and zombie Joe. But I wonder how they will fight each other while both looking at the camera (I kid).

Morrigan Thompson

Most of the action, be it the training, the newly bought Kali Filipino Martial Arts Dojo, and the martial arts tournaments are actually all in the same space that the crew (I am guessing Balsamo as he is the Producer) managed to find that works well. I would not be surprised if they found the place first, and then wrote the story after (that was sort of the philosophy of some of Roger Corman’s pictures: if he liked the poster, he created the film).

As ridiculous as the film is on so many levels, it is also so obvious that the cast had a lot of fun making it. What is more, that level of enjoyment is passed along to the viewer. If you are expecting to see a film with the technical capabilities and budget of, say, the Insidious franchise, you are barkin’ up the wrong cinema. However, if you delight in the likes of low budget action films like Dolemite, and “get it,” you might find yourself smiling as I did.

Much as one can almost tell when a film is under the Unearthed Films banner by its content, it is easy to watch this release and know that it is an Acid Bath Productions, and not just because Balsamo has such a central part in it; it is more the style, the laissez-faire attitude as far as storyline consistency and acting, and cheesy gore. There is also a cast, but not the overflow of celebrity cameos. However, it is nice to see this under Canipe’s direction, giving a bit of a different-yet-familiar feeling to the piece. I hope he gets to direct more.

IMDB listing HERE

Trailer TBD