Review: The Expat

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

The Expat
Directed by Gregory Segal
4Now Films; Badladz Productions; Spring Fairy Entertainment
96 minutes, 2021 / 2022
www.facebook.com/expatmoviephilippines

For some reason the term “Expat” (short for “expatriate”) has come under fire as being racist. I see this as a culture war argument, and will be ignoring it completely in this review. I believe if a person of any country of origin goes to another place, they are an expat of their own country, and an immigrant in the new. Race has nothing to do with it.

Anyway, there was a time in the late 1960s through the 1970s where the Philippines was a place to shoot grade C horror films that were so bad, they have become classics, such as Twilight People (1972) and Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1968), most of which starred surfer boy John Ashley.

Lev Gorn

This film is a murder mystery, but a really seedy one that actually made me feel uncomfortable at times. Right away, we are introduced to the titular expat, Nick Spiro (Lev Gorn, from the TV series “The Americans,” a show about, well, immigrants). He’s an ex-Marine who has moved to the Philippines “to do things.” It is not clear what that is, or whether it is a “vacation” (he says “for a while”) or permanent. By the title of the film, I’m going with the latter.

And what does this representative of the US do first-thing? He goes on the hunt for women for sex, through a local website. Ugh, gives masculinity a bad name. And this isn’t even 5 minutes in, he’s walking around hitting on every attractive local female he can find. He is also not kind to the women who agree to his bed. The next morning, he’s “Okay, get up, time to get out, I’m busy.” But he’s not. We don’t see him doing anything other than roaming around. I already don’t like this guy.

As his ridiculously large amount of “conquests” builds, something strange is happening in that his partners are turning up dead in alleyways with slit throats. This guy is prolific in the bedroom so the body count builds up.

Mon Confiado

On the case is Detective Cruz (Mon Confiado), who is a weird mix of likeable, but has no compulsion in whacking a guy about the body to get information, including Nick. Thought he was going to be the good guy, but I don’t think there is a “good guy” in the story. That also seems to include some run-ins Nick has with another Ugly American, just billed as the Well-Dressed Man (Billy Ray Gallion), who I’m guessing ends up having a larger part in the story at some point, perhaps even as a red herring.

One of the things annoying me is the total disregard for the women involved, with the sole exception of Cruz’s wife, Angela (Lara Morena). As the bodies stack up, Nick is more worried about himself and keeps on keeping on, knowing the danger he is putting these women into without a care. Like someone knowing they have AIDS and still sleeps around unprotected. Even Cruz is more concerned about the effect on the “community” than the women themselves. But I would also add Segal, who wrote and directed this, as being complicit in this attitude. With rare exception (such as said Angela, or the one woman who has any substance in the film at all and possible love interest, Delilah [Lovely Abella], for example), most of the females are seen as expendable, occasionally topless, with no character behind them except as sex objects to be killed off after moments on the screen.

Even Delilah, Nick treats her more like a servant that a potential girlfriend. He has her cook for him, won’t help her with chores (“Laundry isn’t my thing”), and at some early point when she asks if he’s coming back, he just leaves without answering. Total toxic masculinity on display, and just not a nice person. The writing also hints that she is interested in him as a possible sugar daddy for her young son. That being said, Abella plays her role with charm.

That being said, my favorite character in the film is the Mindoro Police Chief (Leo Martinez), who does the frustrated comic relief, dealing with incompetent underlings. Other good points is that there is some beautiful scenery as there is a large use of b-roll around Manila and Mindoro. I’m not certain if it was shot for the film, or is stock footage. There is an attempt to show both the touristy areas of bright lights and beachheads, but there is also a wise emphasis on the poverty that is there, as well. To me, this was the strongest message of the film, which was secondary to the actual story and often not explained, just placed there.

Gorn, Lovely Abella

There are minor rumblings around some possible geopolitics and local ones, but the film’s conclusion fizzles out into a nothing burger. Considering the number of people who are killed (yes, all women, who are seen as expendable), there is no blood seen, the bodies are at a distance, and we only see them after the killing. There is hardly any action onscreen other than a couple of moments here and there.

I found this release totally frustrating. It moves at a snail’s pace with way too much dialogue where nothing of substance is being said, there is hardly anyone to really like, especially the main character, and it goes in circles. I think I would rather see some of those old John Asley horror films from way back when.

While most of the film is in English, there are some bits in Filipino, with easy-to-read subtitles. Honestly, it’s not that much if you are subtitle-phobic.

IMBD Listing HERE 

Review: Love Crime

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

 

Love Crime
Directed by Nicole D’Angelo
CineRidge Entertainment; Cinema Epoch; MSC Productions
67 minutes, 2022
www.facebook.com/cineridge/
I have been really been impressed by this local collective of multi-pronged actors/directors/writers/filmmakers. They all support each other both in front and behind the camera, and still manage to be prolific on a meager financial means.

One consistency is that their films tend to be minimalist, taut, and more often than not psychological. I have reviewed a number of them, such as Quarantine Girl (2020; also directed by D'Angelo), Choke (2020), and Heartbeat (2020). 

Nicole D'Angelo

Our fare for today is a crime drama, founded somewhat on Arizonas-based Jodi Aria (director Nicole D’Angelo), who murdered her lover of a tempestuous relationship in 2008, Travis Alexander (Shane Ryan-Reid). I don’t obviously know what their real relationship was like, so when I refer to the actors’ role, I will use the first name, and for the real person, their last in this review to slow down the confusion.

Time is very fluid in this story, as the chronology is bounced around, yet the timeline of where we are at any scene is clear, thanks to some good direction and editing (more on that later). For the prologue, Jodi is already arrested and in holding as she interacts with grizzled police officer Ross (Sam Dobbins). He is stern, yet sympathetic to Jodi, unlike his boss, Detective Mace (Lisa London), who sees this as a case to be a publicity slam dunk (the real trial was heavily mediated).

Deeply religious, Jodi projects the same onto Travis, as the devout tend to do. She is way more committed to this relationship than Travis, yet she is still a believer. As I said, the real relationship was tumultuous, and this is expressed between break-ups and rejoinings. This is smartly symbolized in the editing, as some B-roll scenes are shown both going forward and backwards.

The personalities of the two main characters are also back and forth, in that they often complement each other, and yet they are quite different. Jodi is what I call god-delusional, grasping on to the weights of faith to keep herself steady. Travis, on the other hand, is a motivational speaker who is quite glib and sometimes impatient with Jodi’s questions about remaining “pure” in some ways; he is constantly using his experience with words and charm to console her, but you know he is being dishonest and it is almost as uncomfortable to watch as her divinity focus. As they swirl around each other, Mace makes like a bulldog trying to break Jodi’s façade, which may be her truth or her self-imposed wall to protect herself from what she has done.

Shane Ryan-Reid

It is easy to see the cracks in both Jodi’s armor of love of Travis and god, as much as it is to see through the weakness of Travis in both. Her overwhelming needs outweigh his lack of them, and in the film, there is no black and white personalities nor actions, as they both have their issues that they bring to the relationship. The fact is that this was a long-distance relationship, with him on the road a lot (Arias and Alexander actually lived in different states).

With multiple events happening over the overlapping timelines, I was quite impressed with the video editing by Michael Tang, which highlights the minimalist and stark (there’s those words again) cinematography by Gregory Hatanaka and Caleb Tou. For example, there can be two opposite events happening, such as an argument and a sex scene interwoven together, and it works. Occasionally, the writing by Jamie Grefe shows some nice flairs as well, such as when Mace states to Ross, “If truth is bitter, my coffee should be, too.”

D'Angelo’s double duty as both lead actor and director proves she is capable for the task. I was truly impressed with the artful directorial skill in which she handles the story. The film may be on the short side, but it was the perfect length to tell it.

The film is available to watch for free on Tubi, and on demand by Amazon and Vimeo.

IMDB listing HERE 

Review: Faceless

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

Faceless
Directed by Marcel Sarmiento
Blackbear Studios; Producer Capital Fund; Indican Pictures
97 minutes, 2021
www.indicanpictures.com/new-releases/faceless

Imagine taking a bowl and throwing in the 800 lb. gorilla of face changing movies, Face/Off (1997) and then add in some elements of Old Boy (I prefer the 2003 Chan-Wook Park version, but if you want to keep with the overemoting theme of Face/Off, we can go with the 2013 U.S. remake), stir it vigorously, and you end up with something different than either of them.

After a short prologue showing a low-life gambling addict who is betting on a dog fight under a highway, we meet the protagonist of the story, George (Brendan Sexton III, who has made lots of films, but I recognize him from 2010’s The Runaways), who wakes in the hospital having had a complete face transplant and no memory of how he got there. The operation during the credits and the gauze removal was painful to watch (scalpels and needles are an admitted weak spot for me).

With a Coen Brothers’ languid pace and artistic flair, the film has a dark, almost sepia tone, and a disorienting feel as George tries to figure out who he is, both in the past and now with a new and scarred face that even his parents repel at, giving the audience a taste of his new life and mood.

When a mysterious masked man in a bunny hug – I mean a hoodie – starts popping up in a threatening manner, it seems to be subtly implying that George, a man in a human mask, is meeting a man in a full blanched-out teddy bear mask. Is this real or is it a trick of his mind, possibly the original owner of his new countenance? Or, as his boss askes, “Are you sure it’s not your meds fuckin’ with you?” Is he and the audience being gaslit?

What is obvious and explained early is that pre-face replacement George was a man of questionable actions, and the new George has to reckon with it, much like Geena Davis’s character in The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) or the titular mystery man in The Bourne Identity (2002; especially in the better 1980 Robert Ludlum novel).

Just who is the mysterious tall, willowy, and beautiful redheaded woman, Sophie (Alex Essoe, who has recently been Wendy in 2019’s Doctor Sleep, and a regular in 2020’s Netflix mini-series “The Haunting of Bly Manor”)? He doesn’t remember her, but she certainly knows him. The bigger question is if she’s connected to George or the original face owner? Or perhaps both?

As is a common theme in these memory loss kinds of pictures, there are flashes of remembrances that make no sense to either the character or the audience due to context, but I have learned to wait it out, because it all tends to come clear by the end as the past and the present come colliding together, usually violently (I am halfway through at this point; yes, I write as I watch).

The gore is brief but graphic, and the scar make-up is incredibly well done. As a sidebar, I must add that with the twisted scar around George’s mouth and bruises around the eyes, he looks a bit like the medical staff in the infamous “Eyeof the Beholder”  episode of “The Twilight Zone” (1960, with Donna Douglas). One of my pet peeves on a lot of action shows, be it film or tv, is that when someone is hurt, they will have a really nasty cut (usually on the brow), and the next “day” it is just a line, and then it’s gone in less than a cinematic week; “Young Wallander” comes to mind as an example. So not realistic, but cheaper on the make-up budget. Here, George gets some bruises, and they are there for the duration, as the main part of the film (post-hospital) takes place over a few days. Not only that, but with wear and tear…and punches, etc., as time goes by he actually looks worse for wear than he did at the beginning. Kudos and thank you to the relatively large make-up crew who did such a smash-up job (pun intended).

Meanwhile, George is having issues with his family and the two thugs out to get their money owed to him in his previous life. As is common in these thriller kinds of films (i.e., non-supernatural), there’s crime, double crosses, and plot twists, all working together to that explosive ending I mentioned earlier. All I can say about the conclusion, though, is that I would have loved a postscript on one year later.

The film does get a bit confusing on who is who and the whys here and there, but generally it keeps the interest, especially by the half-way point. Luckily, the beauty of the visuals kept drawing me in. My one real quibble is that the sound is sometimes either too low or mumbled for my decrepit ears (too many live Ramones [etc.] concerts in my youth).

Whatever the weak points are, they are well overshadowed by the artistic merit that was put into the final work. Overall, its feel reminded me of Blood Simple (1984), a film that I felt had some issues but liked, and it ended up becoming considered as a classic. This has that kind of hallmark, leaning in that direction.

The film is full of bubbling under actors, with lots of credits in both films and television series, sometimes as semi-regulars. In other words, even though this is a solidly independent feature, the cast is strong without any of the usual acting foibles associated with this kind of budgeted film. Combined with director Sarmiento’s skills, this is a strong contender.

The film is available in digital formats, as well as DVD as of March 2, 2021.

Review: Murder Made Easy

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2017

Images from the Internet

Murder Made Easy

Directed by David Palamaro

No-Money Enterprises / Lock and Key Films

76 minutes, 2017

https://www.facebook.com/MMEmovie2017

https://www.facebook.com/MMEmovie2017

I found it kind of humorous, for a number of reasons, that part of the story in the film sprung from a previous play production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, in which many of the characters performed together a few years earlier.

First of all, the whole film production reads like a play. It’s heavy in dialogue, mostly takes place in a single room, and the pacing of the whole thing could easily be mounted on a stage. As far as Christie goes, this also feels very Frank Capra-esk in the way the words are spoken in a quick and light patter. This murder mystery has been compared to the game Clue, but I definitely believe that it’s more the source material of the dining room murder mystery that they have in common rather than the end piece.

In a theatrical way, there are title cards announcing the various acts, and there’s even an intermission (albeit brief), which helps keep track of just where the viewer is in the process, and also giving us some point of reference about both the story and the food.

Did I mention the food yet? There’s plenty of it as we watch course after course being consumed, each one unique and all looking very tempting – and occasionally healthy.

This is a very dark comedy. How dark is it, I can hear Ed McMahon asking in my head? If this film were chocolate, it would be 90% cacao or more. Of course, that is definitely part of its charm. Like most murder mysteries – again, let’s use Christie as an example – there are a lot of characters most foul, and even more important, there is double-crosses upon double-crosses.

Jessica Graham

In the story, Joan Chandler’s (Jessica Graham, who is also one of the film’s producers and published author of a non-fiction book on good sex) husband Neil (Neal?) has been dead for a year. Not happy with the way her husband was treated by his friends, she and mutual pal Michael (Christopher Soren Kelly) decide to take matters into their own hands, and make things right by… well, the title is more than just a hint.

Each of the guests, who arrive in serial fashion, are acquaintances of Neil, who have either worked at the Theater Department of the local university, and have all performed as a troupe in one of his productions. Guests are an amusing yet annoyingly self-righteous vegan (Emilia Richeson), a self-quoting psychobabbling passive-aggressive author (Sheila Cutchlow, who also is actually a published author), a not-too-bright wannabe documentary filmmaker (Daniel Ahearn), and a co-professor (Edmund Lupinski). Gifting each of their dinner companions with objects that were Neil’s that reflect just why the widow feels slighted on his behalf, it isn’t long before things get pretty tense.

Jessica Graham and Christopher Soren Kelly

The cast is really tight, like they’ve been doing this particular piece for a while. Solid professionalism. While there are some standout performances, there is not a weak moment in the acting, from opening scene to close. That being said, it feels like the camera loves Graham and either keeps gravitating to, or lingering on her. Luckily, Graham can handle it, as she says so much with a snide smile, a frown, or a subtle shift in mood. Kelly is the yin to her yang, a ball of kinetic energy to her nuances. They spin around each other like a double helix, boosting each other’s characters.

Of course, though it needs not to be said if you are at all familiar with the style, little is as it seems. There is a lot of smoke and mirrors, as there should be in this kind of story, and I recommend giving yourself enough time to watch it twice, to catch all the – err – clues you may have missed (I would say the same about some of the more extensive Christie pieces).

In case I haven’t made it clear, this is a strong and solid piece of work. The writing is crisp and sharp as a razor, which never takes the easy way out, even by the end (which, of course, I will not give away… no spoiler alerts). Considering the confined space, the camera does not feel claustrophobic, which is quite the accomplishment in itself.

With the large amount of bodies piling up in corners of the house, there actually is very little blood, and the violence is often blocked by the way the shots are – err – blocked by the director.

For a set piece with a lot of dialog and extremely lengthy shots (i.e., less editing), there is also enough of a high energy level to transfer to the viewer so it doesn’t seem as static as it actually is onscreen. While I tend of find Christie a bit tedious, the pace remains fluid rather than stodgy even though this is kind of modeled after that paradigm, so I was riveted by what was unfolding before me. This is an example of good filmmaking.

The only negative I can say about this movie is that I can almost guarantee you’re gonna be hungry, and for something more substantial than fast food. Like this film, which is a fine vintage, quality stands out.

Trailer is HERE.

Review: Francesca

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2016

Images from the Internet

Francesca: Limited Collector's Edition

Written and directed by Luciano Onetti

Guante Negro Films / Unearthed Films / MVD Visual

80 minutes, 2015 / 2016

https://www.facebook.com/FrancescaGialloMovie/timeline

www.unearthedfilms.com

www.mvdvisual.com

The advent of VHS spawned an entire industry of VHS-based films that would have never been seen by a large audience, but rather relegated to areas like Times Square or art cinemas that were usually in the seedier parts of towns. These releases tended to be geared towards the cheap, the rushed and violent. American cinema in this area had a boom in both the sexploitation and horror, as these were the biggest sellers at Video Stores, but in places like Italy, the genre turned towards what’s commonly known as Giallo, murder mysteries that specialized in both gore and close-ups (sometimes even zooming close-ups!). The word Giallo, literally translated as “yellow,” is named for a style of populist fiction that started after WWII, which tended to have yellow covers.

Enough time has passed now that this period is looked upon (and rightfully so) with a strong pang of nostalgia by many, especially after the bombardment of high-powered franchised blockbusters. The films from earlier period didn’t always make sense, but they had heart (both figuratively and literally in many cases). Over the past few years, it has become cool to model the style of Giallo films, with various levels of success. In fact, I might ponder that there are more indie films adopting the style in honor of it, than there were to begin with in the day.

Francesca is one of those. Made just a couple of years ago, it is modelled after the Italian style. But unlike most, this is actually in Italian with English subtitles, although it was filmed in Argentina. But here’s an interesting thing that it almost seems as though the film was shot silently, and then all sound, including the voices, were dubbed in after. It’s obvious they are mouthing Italian, but it also seems like a bad dub at the same time, with all the actors’ voices dubbed by Luis Vazano and Silvina Grippaldi. It’s an interesting concept, which I’m not sure if it was intended, or purposeful. Considering the budgetary constraints, it’s forgivable, and gives the film an interesting touch.

The premise is that Francesca, a  psychopathic child, had apparently been kidnapped 15 years earlier, and now, similar to Se7en, people who are deemed “sinful” via Dante’s Inferno, are popping up dead with some Inferno reference nearby. The connection to Francesca is that her dad is a Dante expert. Two police detectives are kinda defective figuring out the mystery and are on the verge of losing their jobs. Will they catch the killer? Will the killer catch them?

The film is steeped in the motif of Giallo, loyal to its look, as if the world was based on the likes of Dario Argento. There are weird camera angles, an odd sort of off-coloring with an occasionally reddish filter, and the film is made to look VHS grainy. Also, there are lots of indicators of the time period, such as typewriters, a film camera, a slide projector, and the wardrobe. This all works together well, and there are actually some incredibly beautiful shots such as a bird flying in slo-mo and just the right composition to make it artful. The ending is also somewhat satisfying, with just the right couple of red herrings. But overall, the film itself is a bit wanting.

A confused copper

The reason for this is that the acting is kind of wooden, the kills are shown mostly off-screen, and the direction is at a tepid pace, even though there is a nice body count. Part of the problem is that there is a dearth of dialog, so the audience is left to fill in just what the cops are up to (it’s around the police that the writing is the weakest), and this never quite shapes up much.

In some ways, however, the film is successful in that is respectful to the genre, and they hit a lot of the right notes for the time. However, it is perhaps a bit too focused on what it is trying to be rather than bringing enough originality to the process. It’s sort of like when someone covers someone else’s song, but they do it exactly like the original. To me, the biggest error, though, is that they released this in Italian, towards that tribute. Considering it was filmed in Latin America, I believe if they had left it in Spanish, the overdubbing would have matched closer, and it would have brought that much more of the Ornetti brothers’ influence into the mix, and been less distracting from the story.

The soundtrack, which is included as a CD in the Limited Collector’s Edition, is a fun listen. The music is also on point, with a ‘80s sound that has just the right touch of dissonant electronica.

As for the film’s extras, first up is a 14:20 minute Behind the Scenes featurette that covers a wide range of topics, such as make-up, anecdotes about filming, locales, and yes the dubbing process, by using a mix of off-stage shooting and production stills. Next is a Deleted Scene, which is an alternative opening at 3:24. It was decent and good to see, but they made the right choice in the one they picked.

I was looking forward to seeing the 19:47 Interview one with the director, Luciano Onetti and the producer, Nicolas Onetti. The brothers also co-wrote the film together. While not as deep as I was hoping it would be, the brothers discuss the film from some interesting aspects. Nicolas goes on a bit about the premieres and awards; Luciano discusses the more interesting connections between this film and their first, Sonno Profondo (Deep Sleep) from 2013. He also indicates they are part of an intended trilogy.

The penultimate is a 2:01 “Hidden Scene,” which is what is shown after the end credits. Last is a bunch of trailers for Unearthed Films, including this one. Oh, but did I say that was all? No, for the Limited Collection Edition, there are the three-discs of a soundtrack CD, a DVD and a Blu-Ray, plus a very nice package with inserts and the like.

I do respect that this was an ambitious work by the brothers Onetti, and on some levels, it actually is quite the nice job. Personally, I believe they could use some outside editing (don’t look at me) to help them punch up some of the looser material. Either way, I look forward to seeing Sonno Profondo, and whatever comes next.

Reviews: Double Killer Party Films: Mansion of Blood; Death’s Door

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2016
Images from the Internet

So, the reason I put these two reviews together is that they both deal with getting invitations to deadly parties at mansions, with supernaturally charged results. They also have prologue-stories from quite a time ago, the first is 1925 and the second 1931, respectively.

Mansion of Blood

Directed by Michael Donahue
Tom Cat Films / Covina Hills Pictures / Elusive Entertainment
99 minutes, 2013 / 2015
www.TomCatFilmsLLC.com
www.MvdVisual.com

Stand-up comic Robert Klein used to have a routine dealing with a fake commercial where you could purchase every record that was ever recorded [HERE]. Never mind lions and tigers and bears, for this flick it’s zombies and vampires and demons and werewolves and serial killers and werewolves and ghosts and…

If there is a subgenre you like, you’re sure to find it here in a throw a dart at a board topic. Michael Donahue does two things to excess in the film. One is the genre mashup, and the other is the cameo parade; but more on the latter later.

There’s a party going on at the mysterious Mayhew Mansion, now owned by a sleazy businessman who has a mysterious and cantankerous caretaker (Gary “Buddy Holly” Busey). It’s being catered by possibly the only sane character in the cast (Robert Picardo, the holographic doctor from Star Trek: Voyager) and his nutzoid wife (Bronx-born Lorainne Ziff).

There is going to be a full moon eclipse, which is the reason for the joyous gathering – for most – and strange things are afoot when a late-20s high school senior (you know what I mean) witch-in-the-literal-sense brings back her dead ex-boytoy to see if he had bought a lottery ticket before he died. Yes, if you’re wondering, this is a comedy.

I must say, much of the writing is goofy-smart, with intentionally painful dialog (and acting) such as, “People are dropping like flies, and one by one they’re being murdered…” It is not, however, as just plain bad as are most spoofs, such as the Teen Movie / Scary Movie (well, at least after the first one, which was decent) releases – you know, like Vampires Suck (2010); it’s also not, however, brilliant either. Thankfully, it is somewhat enjoyable.

Let me show my hand by saying the negative thing first, and then go on to the positives from there: there is just too much happening. Employing practically no narrative, it is a bunch of set pieces that seem to be randomly stitched together in a way where it will jump from Scene 1 to Scene 2 to Scene 3 to Scene 2 to Scene 3 to Scene 1 to Scene 4 to… You get my drift? The good thing about this is that it’s hard to predict what is going to happen because most of it seems so arbitrary. There are some exceptions though, such as obviously the mummy (nice make-up job, by the way) is going to come to life – but the conclusion of that bit is pretty enjoyable.

Like any mashup, there is bound to be something to make any genre fan happy. At first, honestly, I didn’t get what was going on, thinking that the director couldn’t make up his mind on a genus, but as it continued I had a mixture of “Aaaaaah” and “Duhhhhh,” and was kind of relieved that there was a point-not-to-have-a-point to the whole thing.

There are certainly more characters than you can shake a stick at, and most of them are pretty superfluous other than fodder for whatever mayhem at the Mayhew residence turns up (oh, and Busey does the Mayhem/Mayhew joke in the film, so it’s not my pun, sorry to say).

Along with Busey and Picardo is a host of names that either may be famous one day, or were in their time. For example, there is Terry Moore, who was not only incredibly gorgeous back when, e.g., have you seen her in Mighty Joe Young (1949)?, but was also mysteriously married to Charles Foster Kan…I mean William Randolph Hearst. Also in the film, at 102, is Carla Laemmle (d. 2014), who is the daughter of Carl Laemmle (d. 1939; if you have to ask who that is, you need to get some horror history background lessons, son).

There are many others with familiar last names who are or could be related to bigger fish, such as Calista Carradine, John Barrymore III, and Katherin Kovin-Pacino (Al’s fourth step-mom).

While I realize this is a spoof, the cliché thing to do, in my opinion, is ham acting. To be the most effective, I believe, is to have every actor do their A-game work, and then have all the goofy things go off around them and have them act like it’s the best script – play against the joke rather than be part it. Now that is powerful and much more effective. Part of the reason gritty shows like Prime Suspect (1991-2006) worked so well is because the norm was on the level of an Agatha Christie slow burner (“Oh, look, someone’s killed Bunny.” “Better put the kettle on and ring the coppers.” “Right-o.”), and it was the juxtaposition that helped make it stand out so firmly.

There is some topless scenes full of inflated boobs (one of the more successful jokes constitutes around this) seemingly bunched together in the center of the story. There is also some decent gore, though arguably not enough for the action.

Another potential drawback to a film with this multitude of cast is that there is not much screen time for any particular one of them, so the chance of any kind of compassion or empathy, even for a sendup comedy – is lost to the flashiness and the skit. It becomes a bit overambitious in its cheesiness, and could lose some viewers that way. Odds are, though, most won’t care and will enjoy the strangeness.

Mainly, I found the film enjoyable. Perhaps not a stream of “badda-boom” jokes, but more on a subtle level that will have you saying, “Oh, I know that reference.” It reminded me of the old Carry On films, with camp leading the way.

Death’s Door (aka The Trap Door)

Written and directed by Kennedy Goldsby
Leomark Studios / Hi Point Studios / Goodness Media
92 minutes, 2011 / 2015
www.LeomarkStudios.com
www.MvdVisual.com

After the prologue, we meet a bunch of overage teens (sound familiar?) who get a mysterious and anonymous invitation to attend a party at a maudlin mansion (supposedly filmed at an actual haunted one). This is a device that, if I remember correctly, was first used by Agatha Christie in And Then There Were None (aka Ten Little Indians or by an even more racist title) in 1939. Since then, it’s been a common trope used to the point of cliché. Hell, there was even a porn version in 1985 called Ten Little Maidens.

Most of the dozen or so kids are nothing short of stereotypes of obnoxious characters, such as the pretty mean girl with a Kristen Bell look (who keeps ending words with that truly annoying “ah” sound, e.g., “no-wah; I don’t want to-wah; Why-yah”), the virgin guy with Harry Styles hair on steroids, the jocks, the chestbeating morons, the “good girl” (a Tara Reid clone), some Latinas and the solo cool Black guy (who, by the way, is also a macho cliché).

Lots of windows...

When they get into the mansion, the doors lock, and they naturally panic and turn on each other. What, no one ever heard to throwing something out a window? These guys obviously don’t give a damn about anything, so that they don’t trash the place at the very least – never mind pounding through doors – doesn’t feel honest for whom these knuckleheads are. How dumb you ask? My favorite line is from the mean girl who says, “I got nothing [sic] against Kendra, I just don’t like that bitch.”

When doors finally do get open occasionally here and there, they open to other rooms that weren’t there before, a device used before more successfully in the film Grave Encounters (2011); similar to that other film, time becomes questionable. There is even a pinching from The Wizard of Gore (1970) and The Wizard of Oz (1939; i.e., seeing events in an hourglass). But, we all know there is bound to be a reason why they are all at the house, and we have to wait until the end until we find out. Unfortunately, even that’s a cop out. And don’t get me started on the one-sided, non-yellowed newspaper clips from 1931, if I really wanted to get picky (you can make two-sided print-out, y’know).

Also inhabiting the house are three ghosts. There is a magician (character actor Obba Babatundé) who died tragically in the prologue and doesn’t do much else, his unfaithful wife who does even less, and a huge black servant with a burned face (played gloweringly by ex-footballer Tommy “Tiny” Lister. He’s the best thing about the film, and the only ghost we see actually physically interact with the kids.

As for most of the rest of the cast, they’re kind of bland characters. Some of the acting is fine, but it’s either so overwrought or underplayed, mixed with highly questionable storytelling and editing, that I kept waiting for someone to start shouting “Game over, maaan! Game over!” in that Dana Carvey voice imitating the guy in Aliens (1986). And yet, even with all the shenanigans going on, hook-ups continue to happen. Whaaaa? During one of the get-togethers, the indoor curtains are strongly blowing in a wind, so does that mean a window is open? Again, throw something the fuck out the window and get out. If someone tried and the windows wouldn’t crack, that would be something, but the writing is just not that great, so no one does. It tells a lot about the film’s zeitgeist.

Some of the gore effects look pretty good, though flashed more than shown (thank goodness for freezeframe). There is not enough of it, however, to balance the dearth of a story. As for nudity, even with the few sex scenes, it’s scarce.

The extras are a music video and a 7-minute “Behind the Scenes” where some cast and crew (including the director) discuss just how creepy it was to be in the house, and how some saw what they think was a ghost or two. Sadly, it was the best part of the DVD.

If it sounds like I’m being hard on the film, well, yes, I am. I love a ghost story more than a slasher film, but this was underwritten, overacted, overedited and left with too many holes. Bummed me out, because I wanted to really like this.

 

 

Indie Short Review: Masked

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2013
Free link to complete film below review
Images from the Internet

Masked

Directed, by Alex Williams                                    
25 minutes, 2012             
Random Axe Entertainment
randomaxesite.weebly.com
Maskedthemovie.com

More of a thriller than horror, we watch as a wanna-be writer is brought in for questioning regarding a masked intruder to who has been stalking him after someone had used a cudgel on his wife.

Through a series of flashbacks interweaved with the present, Alex Luna (Luis Rodriguez, who is also the co-producer) is first confused when talking to a police therapist (Lisa Armosino-Morris), and we watch as he deteriorates when confronted with the possible truth of evidence that he may be more than he appears. Even the last name, Luna, signifies “loony” or mystery, subtly connoting that there is something more, something hidden.

This is a nicely shot short, with muted tones and minimal movement, except for those involving around the masked man, which leads to chases, fights, and threats. But even in those more static moments, such as Alex talking to the police, his wife Maggie (the lovely Emmy Frevele), his best friend Dylan (Oscar Garza), or his son Julien (Osvalso Garcia), a level of tension is always present, both leaving us to question what is happening, and also leading the action towards its not-so-obvious conclusion. It took me a good minute before the truth is revealed to figure it out, which says a lot for the film, when I can usually figure out most mysteries pretty early on in the story.

Director Williams does well with his low budget and digi-cam, getting some nice performances out of his actors (most with nary other credits listed), and pulls the most he can from the minimalism of the story, making them both work for him. He is also aided with some strong editing, so the story can jump time frames coherently; and this with short of a film, that helps make it that much more compelling. With a mixture of muted lighting of Alex’s darkened house and yard, and the bright florescence of the police station (and yet retaining that industrialized office dankness feel), we watch the story unfold, as Alex begins to question his own sanity.

It’s a strong film with minimal blood (mostly post-action), relying largely on the story and acting to bring the conclusion to fruition. Every second will keep you interested and guessing, and for a relatively new director, that makes for an enjoyable turn.

This film is to be released in April, and the link to the film will be added then. Meanwhile, here is the preview, which is also worth seeing.

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