Review: Shingles the Movie

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

Shingles the Movie
Directed by Steve Rudzinski
Silver Spotlight Films
117 minutes, 2023
ShinglesTheMovie.com

Let’s get the business stuff out of the way: this is an anthology film based on the Shingles books by Authors and Dragons, with A&D’s permission and financing. As the director, Steve Rudzinski has stated elsewhere, “It’s silly, has five stories, has plenty of practical effects, and I feel has a feeling of ‘90s horror book nostalgia, while still feeling new.” While I am totally ignorant of the books, which seem to be adult versions of the model of the Young Adult Goosebumps franchise, I am looking forward to seeing this, having been a fan of Rudzinski for years, and having reviewed nearly all his films (just search the blog). Let us dive in, shall we?

It is important to know that this is not only a comedic collection, but it is also totally tongue-in-cheek, being snarky, and purposefully and winkingly self-acknowledgedly overdone (I much prefer it occurring for a reason, than just being that way unintentionally). Starting off the fray is “The Legend of Jimmy Headshot.” Jimmy (Ian Sunny) is a teen -and a bit of a dick – who is excited for the zombie apocalypse to put his video game skills to work.

He poo-poos on his parents who went to college, though they are the ones both housing and feeding him. Jimbo heads out with skateboarding gear on, and a razor sharp hockey stick with a buzz saw frame on the other end. His aim is to rekill the killed. He is also armed with an enormous ego, as videogame prowess comes in contact with the real world of flesheaters. But can his imagined life keep up with the real deal?

Wisely, this story leads to the actual wraparound, of a group sitting in front of a fire telling stories in the parking lot of the Hello Titty Sex Shop Emporium (shades of Giuliani!). In this group, Buick (Jenny Hopps) has the best lines. This leads to the second story, “Put Your Hand in My Ass.” Stand-up wannabe man-child Will (Ben Dietels, a Rudzinski regular, who also directed Slaughter Drive in 2017), who cares about dental hygiene, is trying to figure out a new gimmick to become successful. His father (Michael Atrata) presents him with a ventriloquist dummy (that looks a lot like Jerry Mahoney…look it up) named Sloppy (voiced, of course, by Steve Rimpici, who voiced Duke in the CarousHELL franchise), that once belonged to his vaudevillian great-grandfather. You don’t need to look past “The Twilight Zone” episode “The Dummy” (1962) or the film Magic (1978) to know that Sloppy will have a mind of his own. And what a sexually perverted mind it is! This Faustian Bargain (similar to 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors) is accepted by Will, who does not see the big picture from Sloppy’s hidden agenda. And what is that agenda? Watch the film and find out. What, do you expect me to do your homework for you? Hunh!?

Sloppy

Sorry, my bad. Anyhoo, there is a humorous cameo by the director, cosplay artist (in real life, if that isn’t an oxymoron) Rudzinski, as a failing stand-up; his cat Gizmo, star of the Meowy franchise, also has a cameo in the film. One thing I find interesting is while Sloppy is unaware of non-misogynistic or racist humor, as “blackface” was popular when he was active in Vaudeville, he seems to know stuff about Chuck E. Cheese and cell phones. Suspension of disbelief, yes, I know.

The next fire pit story is by Darnell (Jake Moon), “Aliens Wrecked My Kegger,” regarding his adopted brother Clyde (again, Rudzinski) at college. Seems they are preparing for the fraternity Omicron Phi’s yearly blowout, the Beerlympics. Unfortunately, it is timed just when there is an intergalactic invasion. In the words of Cenk Uygur, “Of course!”

Dusty

What is especially amusing is that aliens Charpo (Blake O’Donnell) and Zip Zip (Jessa Flux) come in disguise to what they perceive Americans are like, via watching right wing media. Their hats might as well say MAGA. And personally, I am not impartial to the idea of these types being from another planet. They are led by the commander alien, Bloog (Amanda Anne Leight) I guessed where this ended up, though I would like to say that Clyde’s buddy Smasher (Paul “Pretty Boy Smooth” Bilbo), again, steals the scenes he is in; impressive job.

The next tale, told by not-so-bright yahoo Buick (yay!), “Just Say Gnome,” again about a sentient non-human. This time, it is Dusty (voiced by prolific screenwriter Michael Varrati, e.g., 2014’s The Sins of Dracula), a garden gnome that shits cocaine (in my mind, I just saw the crowds from clubs in the ‘70s raise their heads in a “saywhat?”), thanks to a witch, Madame Wanda (also Flux, who supplies the film with its only topless scene).

Jessa Flux and Dusty

Being that Buick’s family are racist drug dealers, Buick comes looking to sell some to Mrs. Black (Rebecca Reinhart). Like the story with the sentient dummy, Dusty talks Buick into making a deal where he runs the biz, and she’s there to be “the face of the operation.” Thanks to murderous Dusty, we get to see some quite well done gore. And if you blink, you might miss another cameo by the director.

For the finale, we meet the person everyone around the fire was waiting for, Godot…I mean Scout Leader Gary (Michael Smyth) – remember, this is adult versions of Young Adult novels – along with some new buddies (Aleen Isley and Gina D’Inacau), but things are not what they appear to be, of course, leading into the last tale, “Zombies Ate My Homework.” The action level goes up even more for our firepit group as they fight against (again) zombies which leads to more gore (by Cody Ruch). Where the storytellers are camped comes into play, as well (not to mention a hilarious Rudzinski cameo – make sure you pause it to read it).

There is a lot of self-referential moments that are played for laughs quite effectively, such as one character acknowledging “We are too old to be playing teenagers.” I had to pause the film to laugh at that. Then others say things like, “These jokes are for sick fucks,” and “That sounds totally vague and reasonable!” The hits keep on a-comin’.

Shot in Widescreen and 4K, this is actually a very satisfying release, as goofy as it is; and it is. Usually, I balk at a movie of this length, but here it flies by, with little wasted moments. One of the funniest horror films I have seen in a while. And be sure to stick around for after the credits.

IMDB listing TBD.

Review: Doomsday Stories

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

Doomsday Stories
Directed by Derek Braasch, Marcelo Fabani, Phil Herman,
James Panetta, Joel D. Wynkoop
Cheevies Film Productions; Herman Productions;
IkuZo! Studios; Lonewolf Studios Uruguay; Wynkoop Productions
120 minutes; 2023
www.facebook.com/search/top?q=doomsday%20stories

It has been a while since I reviewed an anthology film. Personally, I like them as a concept, generally. It is like reading short stories instead of a novel. And as I have posited before, anthologies tend to fall into three different categories: the first is a series of short films cobbled together, such as The ABCs of Death (2012); the second is a few stories strung together to tell a larger story like Bad Candy (2021); and the third is the one where the stories are all mixed up together, going back and forth with either overlapping characters, or jump around. What tends to be the most common aspect that is usually present is the wraparound story, which introduces either the premise at beginning and end, or each “chapter.”

The second point I have also noted before, is that COVID was both a curse and a blessing, in a way. The former is obvious, but the latter has to do mainly with the arts: people stuck at home have written or created fine art more, and filmmakers either were forced to make limited, smaller films with few cast and crew, such as Prince of the Crimson Void (2022), or as a subject matter, for it creating the apocalypse, e.g., Ravage Nation (2022). 

For this film, the stories are 30 years after the apocalypse. As the intro voice-over states, the end starts with COVID in 2019, which developed into the “Meanies” virus in 2025, which wipes out all but 8,000 people. Our tales begin in 2055. So, what we are looking at, is the second form of anthology listed above. The narration is handled by Michael Moutsatsos, who directed Ravage Nation mentioned above.

Phil Herman

For the wraparound, a lone man, Zorack (Phil Herman, curator of these tales and director of the wraparounds) comes across a notebook with some stories in it. He roams the countryside (which looks like it could be either the Jersey Shore or the Pine Barrens) and narrates out loud to himself (hell, I do that too). When his memories – which we see in stark and vague backsplashes – get too much for the lonely guy, he reads the stories in the marble-themed scratcher. What we get to see is the realization of those tales. Whether these stories are supposed to be the writer’s fiction or memories is unclear, and unimportant, but worth noting.

The first of these, “A Broken Promise” (directed by Derek Braasch) is a about a man and his dog (no, not Don Johnson). Rick (Justin Bower) wanders around a lot for food and water, showing kindness to some and killing others by defending himself, while mooning for his late wife, Emma (Lillian Lamour) and infant daughter, seen in flashbacks. Most of the story is of him roaming through some rusty truck graveyards (coolest thing about this one). The story is way longer than it needs be, but it does tug the emotional heartstrings as well as having some nice practical SFX.

Justin Bower, Lucy

In “Bomb Threats” (directed by James Panetta), annoying phone-addicted Katrina (Debbie D, aka Debbie Dee, who also wrote this section, and had appeared in a few Bill Zebub films) is getting ready for a nice vacation the next day, when the titular bombs start a-flyin’ and she’s rightfully a-scared. The Meanie virus is just starting to take hold, so she coerces a business associate, Alvin (Jim Ewald), to let her stay overnight in his bomb shelter (that looks like a garage). I will not say how, but things do not quite work out as planned. I will note that one of the scenes reminds me of a classic image from a particular Hershell Gordon Lewis film in the early 1960s.

Filling in for the Zorack stories are some of his own, that show up occasionally with Herman in a bad blond wig and baseball cap whiningly phoning various people he knows who are in the “turning point” of the Meanie virus, such as much tattooed Kate (Constance Payne), cute Kelly (Alba O’Neill), and his pal, Frank (Carl J. Grasso) who has a thick Long Island accent. I am guessing these segments were filmed during the actual COVID pandemic, because each person’s story is shot individually.

Alba O'Neill

“Forever Man” (directed by Marcelo Fabani) uses some decent animation and SFX (along with some cheesy ones). The main character who does not speak is Frank 21 (Chandra Mouli Nandy), though we hear his inner narration. The area he lives in, post-Meanies, where in this case turns people into zombies rather than maniacs, demands its denizens to sell their organs. In doing this, Frank 21 becomes a cyborg killing machine. I think. To be honest, this segment tried too hard to be artsy in both visuals and dialogue, and it becomes befuddling.

With an interesting concept, “Joel D. Wynkoop’s 187 Times” (directed by Joel D. Wynkoop), James Kirk (Wynkoop) had a wife, Diana (M. Catherine Wynkoop), that was killed, and he spends the titular number of times going back in time from the year 2050 to try and save her. But, of course, he keeps screwing up the timeline. He is aided by an Alexa kind of electronic voice called Aistda (the voice of M. Catherine). In this tale, it also explains how the whole Meanies virus got started. There appears to be snippets from other films, probably made by Wynkoop over the years, which is a nice choice. In one sequence, he goes back to 1977, and I was thinking, dude, while you have the chance, go see the Ramones! But I guess his priorities are different than mine…

A question I have is as follows: It has been a while since the apocalypse, so water and food is understandably scarce. So why are so many still overweight, and especially, why are they clean in both body (including hair) and clothes? You would think washing…anything would be an issue. For example, someone has a non-stained KISS shirt that looks right off the rack, though the Motörhead one appears lived in a bit. While I am at it, why are people scrounging for canned good?. Does no one grow anything? I have a garden and that does pretty well for us most of the year. There is also no leaves or weeds on what looks like freshly mowed lawns, and parked cars are shiny and clean. And there is still electricity and television? Just sayin’, not complaining. These tend to be true across many post-apoc films. There is a lot of inconsistencies through the stories, but then again, if I read this right, they are just stories written in a notebook, so that would explain the differences from tale to tale.

Put together by the same people who did the Horrortales.666 anthology franchise, this goes on longer than it needs be (especially “Broken Promise”), but this is true indie filmmaking with a budget of miniscule proportion. They work both as individual tales and as a collective, which is nice. If you get a kick out of the duct tape level of cinema, as I do, you might find this interesting. Not for anyone who likes cohesive storylines or an artistic flair, but this is solid meat and taters.

This movie is available for $20, which includes postage. It can be acquired through contacting Phil Herman or Joel D Wynkoop on Facebook Messenger. Add it to your post-apoc pile.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Brimstone Incorporated

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

Brimstone Incorporated
Directed by James L. Edwards; Brad Twigg
Buffalora Entertainment Group; Fuzzy Monkey Films; Panic Button Films
97 minutes; 2021
www.facebook.com/Brimstone-Incorporated-100935518481130

As I have often postulated on this blog, I am a fan of anthology films, especially ones that were put together by few directors, thereby giving a more consistent feel to the films. The one exception here is a story by Brad Twigg, but we’ll get to that when we get to that.

What is interesting to me is that not counting the wraparound, there are only three stories spread across the time span, which means there is more of an opportunity to build suspense. This is a rare way to present an anthology film, but it is quite effective. Each of the stories lasts about half an hour.

The set-up wraparound tale, “Tempter and Associates,” is the titular Brimstone Incorporated, which is a law firm  that serves as the gateway to Hell, so the “cases” involved is good vs. evil/natural vs. supernatural matters. They are, one might say, fulfilling the St. Peter role, for those going in the opposite direction. The receptionist/assistant, Lilith (Tharasa DiMeo), serves the same purpose as Cerebos, guarding the sanctuary, but the three-headed dog is much tamer. Each person is interviewed by Gregory Asmodeus (Drew Fortier) to see whether they are worthy to be in Hell or not. Gregory is appropriately smarmy, but also a hoot.

James L. Edwards

The opening story, “First Date,” concerns a man named Richard (director James L. Edwards) and his first date with Renee (Shianne Daye), two-weeks after they met on a dating site. This takes place in a busy diner (because isn’t that where you would bring all your first dates, rather than a restaurant?).Things unravel quickly as we learn the truth about just how psychotic is Renee. As a sidenote, when I worked in the World Trade Center in the mid-1980s, there was a co-worker who was hyper Christian, as Renee claims to be, who was one of the most vicious human beings I have ever met, because she was sure Jesus was on her side no matter what horrible way she treated anyone (she tried to get me fired on a number of occasions because I was a non-believer). She was quite attractive, and the longer I got to know her personality, the uglier she became to me. I digress, but this is true of Renee and her devotion to Jeebus. The story ends with not one, but two twists that I didn’t see coming. That’s nice.

Drew Fortier

The next tale, “Mama’s Boy,” sees the titular Justin Parker (Tim Hale) arriving at Gregory’s desk to defend his honor, or lack thereof. Justin seems like the shy type, but he’s actually quite a ladies man beyond his level, considering he’s a bit of a dullard. The reasons are explained by the end. Anyway, mommy dearest, Priscilla (Sasha Graham), is overly protective of her son, and will do anything – and I mean anything – to keep him “safe” in her eyes. This includes donning a mask and cape and going on deadly adventures. We see a large body count in this story, dealt with in many gruesome fashions (e.g., fun). For our edification, we meet his latest flame, Brittany (Kaylee Williams, who stood out in The Horrific Evil Monsters in 2021; reviewed HERE) whom he brings home to dinner with has darling matriarch. Will Brittany be up to the task and win over murderous mom? While there are some, again, nice twists and turns, it’s not quite to the O. Henry-esque level of the first story, but is significantly satisfying.

Shianne Daye

The last story is “Skunk Weed,” and is directed by Twigg (see I told you we would get there!). It concerns John Simmons (Tim Novotny), a salesman whose job it is to sell jingles written by his agoraphobic brother, Bennie (Rick Jermain). While we meet John in the “Tempter” wraparound, in the main story, the only person you see in the tale proper is Bennie, who isa bit of a slovenly guy in an Oscar Madison kind of way. John has sent him some “special” skunk weed; I’d be shocked if you didn’t know that was another name for pot. But this blend is different, giving Bennie odd and gory hallucinations, such as some cooking eggs turning into a bloody brain. This could easily have been one of those late ‘60s “Dragnet” kind of “Don’t use drugs, kids” propaganda, but the twist at the end explains all and is, again, unexpected. I thought they were going to twist it in a different way, which would have been a bit cliché, but they avoided using old motifs. 

Kaylee Williams

The acting is quite well done, especially considering the impressive volume of the cast overall. That being said, Fortier really does steal his scenes, seeming quite natural in the role (well, after all, he is the guitarist of bands like Bang Tango and Zen from Mars). The SFX make-up is quite the joy. Yeah, it tends to be a sloppy mess rather than “surgical,” but honestly, I like it like that.

I don’t know if this is going to be a franchise, but I would look forward to seeing more of these stories.

IMBD listing HERE 

Review: Monsters in the Closet

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

Monsters in the Closet
Directed by The Snygg Brothers (aka John Bacchus aka Zachary Winston Brown)
Purgatory Blues LLC; Gravitas Ventures
89 minutes, 2022
www.facebook.com/MonstersInTheCloset

Man, I have not seen a genre film shot in my home town of New York City in a really long time (though I do believe some parts were done in Pennsylvania). I would rather see it in a horror than something like “Blue Bloods,” to see the city streets and lights. You know there are going to be overview city “placement” shots of b-roll footage. And sure enough, one minute in…

This is actually an anthology film that is shot for this release, not cobbled together (I like both formats equally, FYI). It is kinda cool that the wraparound story itself has a prologue. Actually, calling it a wraparound is kind of inadequate, as it is also one of the anthology stories and is the key connector between the pieces. I love when they do that.

Jasmin Flores

Raymond Castle (Tom C. Niksson, aka Tom Cikoski), an annoying writer of horror short stories and collector of things macabre. I am sure other viewers than myself will be looking at the merchandise in the background and saying “I want that,” or “I have that.” The posters on the wall are for sexploitation obscurities like Rock ‘n’ Roll Frankenstein (1999) and An Erotic Werewolf in London (2006, starring Erin Brown, aka Misty Mundae.

The premise of the film is that Castle has used black magic to make his stories come to life if they are read aloud (a well-used and beloved trope, such as “Beetlejuice!” “Bloody Mary!” “Candyman!”). This results in his estranged daughter, Jasmin Castle (Jasmin Flores, who co wrote the wraparound with “Snygg”) coming into the picture as she tries to figure out just what is going on. Playing an audio file version Raymond created of his stories on his computer (titled – you guessed it – Monsters in the Closet), we start off with the short films.

For example, the opening salvo is a humorous and gory partial first-person POV zombie apocalypse, as we see a woman becoming a zombie from the perspective of said flesh-eater. We hear her thoughts in clarity as others see her as a creature. This was done, albeit in a different effect, in Wasting Away (aka Ah! Zombies!!; 2007). While this idea has been done before (e.g., the short “2 Hours” in 2012, sans humor), but this is smartly written and designed. As promised, this brings you-know-whats storming the Castle house.

Now, under – er – normal circumstances, one would stop with the stories right there, and Jasmin is too occupied to listen to more, so an unexplained disembodies hand (borrowed Thing from “The Addams Family” perhaps?) climbs the keyboard to start the stories going again while Jasmin has her space continuingly clustered by creatures of various sorts and the tale telling is on autopilot.

Other stories include an annoying couple (Carmilla Crawford, Luke Couzens) buying their first fixer-upper house and the slow build-up of tension and violence turning into a bit of body horror/torture porn as they try to bring it up to snuff with limited experience (“Well, I did have shop in High School…” he states). In another, a rich, out of touch and racist father (Phillip Green) and spoiled daughter, Tiffany (Jordan Flippo) – obviously modeled after Donald and Ivanka – who argue about a camping trip; she talks about mistakes she will make in the future, such as eating pizza with the wrong fork, a line that made me stop the film and laugh, having grown up in Italian Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, home of the best pizza, where slices are folded when eaten, with no utensils needed…but I digress… She is not the sharpest stick in the woods because of the stick up her jealous ass, leading to some dire actions in a version of Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” (1924) – shades of Don Jr. and Eric. While no one gets shot on 5th Avenue, the philosophy remains the same.

Of course, they save the best and funniest for last. Seems Dr. Frankenstein (John Paul Fidele) and the Mrs. (a hysterical Valerie Bittner) – note that the film calls her “Mrs.” rather than “Ms.,” not me – live in…well, I won’t spoil the best joke in the film. After an accident, the “mad” doc does his Frankenstein magic and viola, etc., et. al, and so on, ad nauseum. It nicely uses purposefully cliché classical tunes like Edward Grieg’s “Hall of the Mountain King” and Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero” to give it a Universal Pictures oeuvre.

It is smart that the film casts a wide net in genres, with many classical monsters in one form or another, but in completely different contexts and sprinkled in witty writing. Raymond’s between-story ramblings sound a bit ad-libbed and peculiar, even here, but I’ll swim with the fishes (or elephant sized chickens…see the film).

While there is no nudity in the film, there is a bizarre sex scene and a whole lot of cleavage. The gore and blood are plentiful. The practical SFX runs from really gross and dripping, to cartoonish and, well, mannequin limbs. There is also some digital blood spurts added as well, "splashing" the camera lens. But that’s the thing about having a foundation of comedy, which hear varies from the dark to the whoopies!, and that is that it gives room for the cheese to ferment, and becomes more accessible and acceptable. If they used, say, a mannequin arm in a Saw film, for example, that would not fly, but in something like The Mask (1994), it makes room for drawing outside the lines.

Tom C. Niksson

The film looks pretty good. I was a bit concerned about the opening, honestly, with it’s use of primary lighting (red, blue, cyan), thinking it may be leaning heavily towards a Creepshow (1982) vibe, because this starts actually looking a bit like that, being an anthology and all, but as we move along, that type of dated lighting is curtailed and it is easier to focus on the stories rather than it trying to be “art.” That being said, there are some lovely shots here, that are atmospheric and artistic, but it doesn’t bludgeon you over the head (pun not intended) with it, but it is used sparingly throughout.

The previous film by “The Snygg Brothers” was Beaster Day: Here Comes Peter Cottenhell (2014), which I honestly have not seen, but I am going to at some point as it is on Tubi (the image of Peter Cottenhell is Raymond’s screen saver). Two things about the “Snygg Brothers.” The first is the “Snygg” collective is like the Ramones, where in the credits there is a bunch of first names followed by the other, such as Vincent Snygg. The Swedish word snygg means “handsome,” but I’m guessing in this case it may also be an acronym, like [??] New York [??] Group. As for the director, it is a pseudonym for a man who is basically known for directing adult fare, both soft and hard, but obviously has enough talent to give us, at this point two horror films that are nicely offbeat.

[Added later: I finally saw Beaster Day on Tubi, and while it is as stupid and silly as can be in a fun way, some of the writing is actually quite hysterical, and Fidele, who plays Dr. Frankenstein in Monsters, steals the film with his role as a mayor who is prescient in Trumpian political spin.]

IMDB is HERE

Review: Bad Candy

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

Bad Candy
Directed by Scott B. Hansen; Desiree Connell
Digital Thunderdome; Dread; Black Triad Entertainment; Epic Pictures; MVD Entertainment
103 minutes, 2021
https://epic-pictures.com/film/bad-candy
www.digitalthunderdome.com
https://www.facebook.com/BadCandyfilm/
www.mvdb2b.com

It is Christmas. So, what is a better time for an anthology film about Halloween, right? Both are about decorations, people in costumes (even if one is just ugly sweaters or red & white jackets and hats) and a whole lot of the “gimmes.”

Corey Taylor

All of the stories in this were created specifically for this collection, so there is a solid consistency in style and ideology. The wraparound story takes place at radio station 66.6 FM in a town called New Salem (of course; filmed in Atlanta), where a couple of disc jockeys are having their Halloween show, led by DJ Chilly Billy (Corey Taylor, better known as the lead singer of the band Slipknot); the other is Paul (Zach Galligan, of 1984’s Gremlins fame).

Zach Galligan

Right from the beginning, the very form of the film is interesting. Rather than the usual bookends and separate stories, this intermingles the yarns, sometimes in pieces, sometimes complete, and weaves them like a tapestry of terror. This way, the narratives can entwine into each other and overlap, which is fun. For example, there is an almost Krampus look at what happens to a nasty little kid that is complete, and then there is a longer tale of a young teen girl, Kyra (Riley Sutton) who wants to do trick-or-treating with her friends, but has to deal with her drunken bully of a dad (Kevin Wayne) who looks like he just stepped out of a Proud Boys poster (in a later story, there is a Brett Kavanaugh-type rapacious man wearing a backwards MAGA cap, so perhaps some subtle political commentary involved?).

However, the opening salvos, which would appeal to a younger generation, are just the doorway to a completely adult level of horror and gore to follow, including nail guns, necrophilia, razor blades in candy, and the like. It’s almost like “growing up,” progressing from one grade level to the next.

Riley Sutton

Beyond an obvious horror theme, there is also an almost psychedelic feel to the film that also relies heavily on fantasy, with some CGI enhancements, puppet monsters, and other wishful imagery. One of the nice aspects of all the stories by the same directors is the consistency of the look and feel, even as the tales take us to see events happening to people of various ages and emotion levels, from kids to teens to adults, some good people, many not as much. But this is a film of comeuppance for inner, personal malevolence by people taken to task by sentinel beings that are less than human.

Though I quite enjoyed that there is a consistency of style and look, there is also no uniformity on the use of whatever cine-magic takes to make the monsters come alive, be it – in part what I said above – CGI, puppets, practical SFX and demons in cool-looking clown costumes/make-up that are watchers for evil (almost slightly toned-down versions of the Killer Klowns from Outer Space from 1988). Also, the use of Halloween decorations and toys is a major theme throughout, as the camera zooms in around them and makes them into a Greek Chorus to “comment” on the actions on the screen. The mood, which is nearly another character in itself, is set with stark primary color lighting; it is a bit cliché, but still effective and well done here.

And what exactly is the “bad candy”? Well, that can depend on your perspective. It could be the razor blades, the drugs, imbibed drivers, the clown demons, or it could be most of the people we meet on their way to doing dastardly deeds.

All the stories are a bit silly (this is a light-hearted albeit spooky collection, after all), and yet they all actually work, without a clinker. My favorite, though, revolves around a few war veterans (including Derek Russo), but I won’t give more away other than I had a good laugh at the Lenny/rabbits connection (if you don’t get it, you may need a bit more literary edumacation).

The grand finale deals with a time-altering haunted house and the wraparound story that, while I am sure is supposed to be the Top Tier piece as it ties up so many of the bits, and it is really quite good, was more serious than most of the tone of the film, especially the wild piece that preceded it. Not a complaint in any way, it was still quite enjoyable and a good way to end the piece(s).

This Blu-ray is jam-packed with extras, including a full-length commentary. Honestly, I had issues with this for a number of reasons. First, the sound of the film is too loud and clashes with the talking of the two directors and married couple, Scott B. Hansen and Desiree Connell. Hansen often gets lost in the films actual track, which is unnecessary since there are subtitles available; usually one would watch the commentary and read the already-watched film’s dialogue in text to follow along. Also, Connell, whose mic is louder than Hansen’s, tends to overtalk him. The info they share is both at times interesting (such as finding out Connell played the CGI-enhanced fairy) and mundane (e.g., “I like this set piece”; “I ate so much candy”). I gave up on the commentary after about 20 minutes, but none of this reflects badly on the film proper, just hopefully a lesson learned for their next release?

There are three Behind the Scenes videos. The first is the real Making Of featurette (4 min.). However, it is mostly very quick edited shots of production with a loud soundtrack that practically makes nearly all of it b-roll with no focus narrative. It doesn’t really go anywhere.

The second is a stills collection of the production, and the third is similar to the first (2 min.). Then there are the Deleted Scenes. It was a slow start, but the final three or four were so worth the wait. While I understand why they were cut, even as standalones they were a blast, especially the last one.

There are two Filmmaker Interviews. The first is with director Hansen from the British “The Romford Sessions,” on Nerdly.com, via Zoom (35 min.). He discusses his influences, how the production got on its feet, and the amazing SFX, among others. Definitely the most interesting conversation so far. The second is, naturally, with Connell, who was also executive producer and screenwriter, by Shannon on FILMFave.com, again on Zoom (27 min.). As with Hansen’s piece, it is nicely informative and interesting, making it worth the watch. She discusses, among other things, being a woman in the business as your own influence, which is great. Both of these are better than the full-feature commentary.

The B-roll Rockwell Mansion Tour gives an overview, inside and out, of the creepy house used in the final sequence of the film. As someone who likes to photograph old and decaying houses, this was a joy, albeit short (1 min.).

The death metal band Uncured’s music video for the song “Sacrifice” was obviously shot by Hansen and some of the footage was used in a party scene in the film (4 min.). Also included are the storyboards for the Kyra scene with her dad, which is B-roll. It is well-done comic book-style art. Last are three trailers for this film, and a trio for the Dread brand.

So far, Bad Candy has won 17 best picture awards and played at more than 65 festivals around the globe.  And what is the overall moral of the film? Do not abuse jack-o-lanterns, real or plastic!

IMDB HERE  

Review: Dark Whispers: Vol 1

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

Dark Whispers: Vol 1
Directed by Angie Black; Jub Clerc; Lucy Gouldthorne; Katrina Irawati Graham; Janine Hewitt; Briony Kidd; Isabel Peppard; Marion Pilowski; Madeleine Purdy; Megan Riakos; Kaitlin Tinker
Deadhouse Films; Hemlock and Cedar Films; Gold Hawk; Stranger With My Face
100 minutes, 2021
https://www.darkwhispersanthology.com/
https://www.facebook.com/darkwhispersanthology/

Nice. This release not only comprises short films made by women, but also exclusively from Australia. Perhaps they should narrow it down further to Wednesday afternoon between 3 and 4 PM? I kid because I am impressed. There are 10 stories here, so let’s break ‘em down and see whuts whut.

The wraparound story, “The Book of Dark Whispers,” is directed by Megan Riakos, who curated the anthology. In it, a woman, Clara (Andrea Demetriades) finds her grandmothers book with the title of this piece that has been passed down to her mum, and now that mummy is no more, she is the owner. She then proceeds to read it, giving us an opening and framework for the stories we will be seeing. These tales have been gathered together for this anthology.

First up is Angie Black’s “Birthday Girl” (2008). In this short tale, a sad woman (Sarah Bollenberg) takes an elevator in a hospital, and is visited by a spirit. This story is not scary, but rather is sad as you can feel for her. It’s beautifully shot, with lots of close-ups of her face. It was very touching and beautiful.

Next up is “The Man who Caught a Mermaid” (2014) by Kaitlin Tinker. What happens when a delusional older man (Roy Barker) who collects classical LPs and is obsessed with fishing – specifically to catch a mermaid – actually nabs one? Why, he chains her (Bilby Conway) up in the garden shed, of course. She is both scary and, in a way, beautiful (thanks to Sharp FX), and our anti-hero is fixated on her, in a male gaze kind of way. Is he any better than someone who kidnaps women and puts then in a secure place, even if she is half fish? And what happens when his lonely wife (Verity Higgins) finds her? These are the questions answered in this fish tail – I mean tale. The make-up is stupendous, and the filmmaking is spot on. This one, with a really nice twist or two, kept me on the edge of my gills.

For a step in a different direction, Isabel Peppard gives us “Gloomy Valentine” (2006) a stop-motion animation tale. Without dialogue, we meet the sole character, a humanoid-like doll with a porcelain face and a rag, sewn body. It is after a hard break-up with another human-like character. Slowly, her pain starts to manifest around her, threatening to swallow her up. The artwork is beautiful, and the action is smooth, rather than jumpy, as can be with this kind of animation. The backgrounds are worth paying attention to, as well, as the detail is nicely handled and interesting to look at. I watched it twice, once for the character, and then again for the “sets.”

Similarly, in the wraparound, between each short piece, we see the stories slowly and increasingly start to influence Clara’s world in small and then more tangible ways. Like Talking Tina, this is a book that will not go away.

Briony Kidd’s “Watch Me” (2016) deals with ego. An aging actress (Astrid Wells Cooper) likes attention. Craves it. She says, “When people stop looking at me, I fail.” But failing seems to be the least of her problems. It seems she needs to have somebody looking at her at all times, such as her failing relationship with her boyfriend (Tosh Greenslade) or a compromised assistant (Jazz Yap). What happens when there are no eyes to admire her, to acknowledge her existence. That is the premise of this story. It’s short and works well. Cooper does a good job at both loving the limelight and fearing the alone.

From the Aboriginal side, there is Jub Clerc’s tale of “Storytime” (2005). A tween girl, Cecelia (Verna Lawson) is out hunting overnight with her grandparents, some other men, and a group of kids around her age. Over the campfire, they hear the tale of a local creature, the Gooynbooyn, who kidnaps kids. Being that this is a campfire tale within a film about stories is an interesting idea in itself. When Celia and a “dare you” boy named Jhi (Jhi Clarke) set out to find the creature, that’s when the terror level rises a few notches. Beautifully shot among the gnarly mangrove trees helps to put the viewer in a state of unease. Cryptid stories tend to be fun, as is this one.

The big guns come out for “The Ride” (2011), directed by Marion Pilowsky. Filmed in England, it co-stars the well-known Aussie screen actor, Anthony LaPaglia, known for the many American shows he’s been in, such as “Without a Trace” and “Murder One.” He plays a Brit driver who picks up a university student (Ed Speelers; no small pataters either, having been a regular on “Downton Abbey”) at a deserted crossroad in the middle of farm country. The driver quickly proves himself to be a right wing, sports crazy racist who asks uncomfortable questions, such as whether the student has slept with “black girls.” Total Trumpite type. The action really begins when he hits an Asian man walking on the side of the road. Report it to the police? While the student freaks out, the driver calmly explains that it’s easier just to bury the dude. Kind of a reverse The Hitcher (1986). After, when he hooks up with his girlfriend (Emer Kenny, known to me as Bunty from the “Father Brown” series) back in the city, is where the knot is tied in the story. You’ll probably see it coming about 30 seconds before, but still worth the wait.

Another story in a story is Katrina Irawati Graham’s “White Song” (2006), dealing with Indonesian infamous ghost, Kuntil Anak. In Indonesian with noticeably clear subtitles, this time it is the spirit that is telling the tale, of a young woman, Raesita. She is a painter who is distraught at the death of her husband. She wishes her misery to end and that is where the Kuntil Anak comes in, telling Raesita’s story as well as her own terrible life in a patriarchal violent past. She is the only voice heard as she narrates in poetic fashion, while the dreamy images float by the screen in lovely sequences that seem lighter than air, despite the heavy topic. The whole story is elegiac and trance-like.

Told in black and white is Lucy Gouldthorpe’s “Grillz” (2015). Short and sweet, this is the story of Milla (Melanie Irons), who I must say, I almost wish actually existed. She scours the Internet dating scene and picks the scuzziest of men. And then, well, you’ll have to see. When she chooses a dentist (Tosh Greenslade, once again), it is for other reasons. What is a girl to do when she doesn’t like a mess? This is a black comedic tale with a nod to the side of the nose as it explores not only the Internet dating world and its precariousness – for both sexes – it also shines a light on the kind of toxic masculinity that would have no problem emailing dick pics. Very effective and fun to watch.

I was going to call this a black comedy, but perhaps a better description of Madeleine Purdy’s “Little Share House of Horrors” (2016) might be a “green comedy.” A young woman, Maeve (Georgia Wilde) gets ahold of a plant from a dicey shop owner (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). She believes in all things natural as far as food goes, as 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. Original part of the “Girt By Fear” Web series, it’s a fun tale of eco-power. And you can’t get cancer from this like windmills (snicker).

The final story is by Janine Hewitt, titled “The Intruder” (2005), which is a fun ghost story, in the classic gothic style, though taking place in the late 1960s or early 1970s (clothing and a rotary dial are the indicators). Zoe (Asher Kendie) is in fear of a stalker in her home, when she is visited by her friend, Angela (Bree Desborough). With the electricity out and lightening flashing as the sole light, it is a spooky situation that is also from the heart, as Angela asks Zoe for forgiveness. The story is well told, shot, and acted, and the ending has a curious back story. I actually wished this one was longer.

A lot of these stories are centered around loss: of a child, a parent, of a loved one, and especially of oneself, in various forms. Usually in a multi-storied anthology, there are a couple of clinkers, but not here. Each one is both individualized (even with the recurring theme I mentioned), in tone and style, and covers a wide gambit of emotions. A really fine collection, and I can honestly say I am excitedly hoping for a Volume 2.