Review: Lovers Lane

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

Lovers Lane
Directed by Jon Steven Ward
First Look International; Arrow Video; MVD Visual
90 minutes, 1999 / 2023
www.facebook.com/loverslanemovie/
www.ArrowVideo.com
www.MVDVisual.com

Choices, choices, choices. This is a new 2K restoration from a 4K scan of the 35mm original. It is High Definition (1080p). But there are two choices of versions of it, one being the original full-frame 1.33:1 version, and the other the1.85:1 widescreen, with both having stereo audio and English subtitles. I am going to go for the original, because that is the kind of guy I am. However, please note, as the press release states, “This film contains a sequence of flashing lights which might affect customers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.” I find it annoying, generally, but here we go.

Filmed around the Seattle area, this is your basic ‘80s style slasher (yes, even in the turn of the millennium, there was retro to the heyday of VHS). The prologue, which contains the only nudity, takes place on Valentine’s Day 13 years before the main story. This sets up the whole megillah, with hook-handed killings on said Lovers Lane (should it be “Lover’s” or “Lovers’”?). Rather than paradise by the dashboard lights, it’s death by a pointy hook. One of the assaulted is a cameo by Diedre Kilgore, who gets top billing for some reason.

Diedre Kilgore

Much like the theme to the Halloween-esque franchise, in some ways its all in the family. The killer has a psycho-sexual fixation on one of the murdered (he would now be called an incel), and now, in the present, after escaping from the looney bin while under the care of Dr. Jack Grefe (get it?; played by Les Nessman of “WKRP in Cincinnati” himself, Richard Sanders), he is after the daughter and main character, high schooler Mandy (Erin J. Dean, a child star whose film career ended with this release). She has a crush on blond pretty-boy Michael (Riley Smith) who is in a toxic relationship with model-esque but bitchy and narcissistic Chloe (Sarah Lancaster, who is now doing Hallmark kinds of films), the daughter of Dr. Grefe, which makes her a prime target for insane murderer Ray (Ed Bailey). But she has found a new beau in Brad (Ben Indra, future ex-husband of Farris).

Michael is part of a group of friends; most of the females (including a nearly unrecognizable Anna Farris, the year before Scary Movie in 2000) are cheerleaders. Mandy is not part of this group because she is considered too nerdy; she actually reads…books. It is almost quaint now, just over 20 years later, that when someone is grounded, they are forbidden from television, radio and phone. No mention of computers nor the Internet at all, which was just starting to be a social thing.

It being Valentine’s Day again, the group of athletes and cheerleaders end up on said Lovers Lane, with hook-man mainly interested in three, who related to those he killed that night, and one related to his psychiatrist. But even before they get there (and I am at that point), you know the rest of the group are going to be collateral damage as the body count. You might say they get hooked into being there…sorry.

Anna Farris, Erin J. Dean

While this is occasionally self-referential to the slasher genre, just past its prime, it falls into several cliches, and I wonder if this was done on purpose, though I found it kind of annoying. For example, every possible bad choice made in the 1980s era is reproduced here. For example, running up the stairs rather than out the door, incapacitating the villain and then leaving without killing the dude and then discarding the weapon, and getting in a car and just driving a short distance rather than getting the hell out of there to get the police.

Another thing is the searching in the dark, a pet peeve of mine, even more than someone tripping; to me. Just turn on the dam lights. They do this a lot now on television police procedurals these days. Invariably I yell at the screen. There is the walking around with a flashlight in a house that is still occupied just seems pointless, and does not build suspense, but agitation, especially when the scenes are extended; it is what ruined 1981’s Hell Night for me. Of course, there are jump scares when this happens, but I come to expect it, so it is hardly effective.

Sarah Lancaster

The biggest problem, however, is that many of the nighttime images, as well as indoors with a flashlight, are substantially dark and it is hard to make out the action. Nowadays, it probably would be shot day-for-night with a blue filter, but back then, with low budget, darkness reigns.

I thought I saw the twist at the end coming, and I was partially right as there are multiple developments. That helped redeem this significantly, although is not drenched in blood onscreen (or it was too dark to see clearly; again, low budget + time period effects availability), there are lots of murders (or as they say in my neck of the woods, moidahs).

Matt Riedy

The extras on the Blu-ray starts with a brand-new audio commentary with writers and-producers Geof Miller and Rory Veal. It is everything you would expect, giving anecdotes about the construction of the film, the actors, production secrets (e.g., the first murder being filmed in one of the writer’s garage, or – and I am ashamed to say I missed this – one location is referred to by a character as Yasgur’s Farm), and the like. Thankfully, because they really are friends, there is a likeability and humor between them that takes it to another level.

The documentary featurette is “Screaming Teens: The Legacy of Lovers Lane” (32 min) with actors Matt Riedy, who plays Mandy’s sheriff father, and an extremely exuberant Carter Roy, who is only in the prologue, but mostly, it is Miller and Veal. It is a mixture of interviews and film clips, but it was entertaining and informative as well. Worth the watch. Last are the original trailers, an image gallery and physically a reversible sleeve featuring both the original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady.

Thankfully, there is a recurring sense of humor that runs through the film, and there are references galore scattered throughout. And this is a bit of a side note, but I wish I had a dollar for every time Mandy screams out, “Michael!” in the third act. I could retire.

Obviously, this is loosely based on the old urban legend of the couple driving away from a lovers lane after getting scared, and they find a hook attached to the car door. This film isn’t exactly rocket science, and the writing definitely follows a formula (one of the writers, during the commentary, discusses tropes and says “it’s littered with them”), but the thing about formulas is that they tend to work, which is why they are used so often. All the boxes are checked, and the number of bodies are added up, which is just what the slasher doctor ordered.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: The House That Screamed

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

The House That Screamed (aka La Residencia; The Finishing School; House of Evil)
Directed by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador
J.F. Films de Distribución S.A.; Regia-Arturo González Rodríguez;
American International Pictures (AIP); Arrow Video; MVD Visual
94 / 105 minutes, 1969 / 1971 / 2023
www.ArrowVideo.com 
www.MVDVisual.com

Spanish horror films from the mid-1960 until the early 1980s tended to be a bit goofy as is their Mexican cousins (see the Santos series), but sometimes they shined like this one, being a cross between a British Hammer Film, an Italian giallo, and a bit of the gruesomeness of Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975); funny thing is, many of these came out after this release.

There are two versions of this film on the Blu-ray: the theatrical release (94 minutes), and an extended one called The Finishing School. I chose to watch the longer one (105 minutes). As with many giallos, this has an international cast, such as Prussia-born Lili Palmer (d. 1986), so some people seem to be speaking English and others Spanish, but all are dubbed or redubbed into English. This gives all the speaking parts a flat sound (rather than 3D), so people in front of the camera sound the same as those further away. Unfortunately, there is a Spanish option (again, dubbed and redubbed).

Mary Maude, Lili Palmer

Taking place in the Victorian late 1800s in France, Mme. Fourneau (Palmer) strictly runs a boarding school for girls in a huge, isolated, and chained-up mansion, which seems to specialize in discipline and corporeal punishment. The feeling of this all has the vibes of Suspira (1977) and Phenomena (1985), again, both of which proceeded this film. Despite the size of the place, all the students sleep barrack-style in one room. This gives the opportunity for the viewer to see them all in underlaces, and even a corset.

Into this nearly prison comes comely Térèsa (Cristina Galbó) – pronounced Teh-RAY-sah – who is met excitedly by Fourneau’s student underling, thin and statuesque Irènée (Mary Maude, in her first yet defining film) – pronounced I-rhe-NAY) who is the school’s bully and has a killer smirk, among other traits that one might expect in this kind of film. She has a thing for Térèsa and is not afraid to hold her power over her as much as the rest of the girls (they are supposed to be teens, so I will use the term “girls” freely).

Cristina Galbó

To add to the weirdness, Fourneau’s teenage son, Luis (John Moulder-Brown) is sequestered in an upstairs room (though sneaking out to peek on the students, but then again, who would not?), though he has a budding relationship with student Isabelle (Maribel Martin).

And now, on occasion, there is the stabbing deaths. And yet, this double-dips and is also a psychological thriller, between the bullying, the discipline, and the occasional romps. Speaking of which, while there is no real nudity, there is a group shower scene where the students wear white gowns under the water, making them nearly translucent. I am assuming this has to do with the time period this was filmed, and possibly different censorship laws in España.

Palmer, John Moulder-Brown

There are a few surprises in here with the shifting of unexpected power dynamics and, naturally, murders. The body count is not high, and there is blood but no gore yet very ahead of its time, and yet the tension is usually held at quite an elevated level.

Honestly, I am not sure how much of this was filmed in a real location or studio, but it is stunning to look at the architecture and décor. Also noteworthy are the cinematography and editing. Even the lighting has a personality of its own. But just as noteworthy is the orchestral score by Waldo de los Rios.

The smirk

The technical side of the bonus material contains a brand new 2K restoration from the original negative, a High Definition (1080p). The official extras start with an English commentary by Spain-born film historian Anna Bogutaskaya. She explains the importance and influence of this film in both Spain (the first to be created specifically for worldwide distribution) and the international market, for example. What is also interesting, the discussion is about the film and its meaning, especially regarding specific scenes, with few anecdotes about, say, the actors involved. She talks about the director, and his effect on both Spanish and wider filmmaking.

There are a few new interviews. Starting off is “This Boy’s Innocence,” (24 min; in English) with actor John Moulder-Brown, discussing his character, what he brought to it, and about working with the director, Palmer, and Galbó. “All About My Mamá” (9 min; in Spanish with subtitles) features Juan Tébar, who wrote the original novella (Serrador wrote the screenplay), discussing the relationship between Luis and Fourneau. Surprisingly, as he mentions his influences, he does not mention Robert Bloch.

“The Legacy of Terror” (14 min; in Spanish with subtitles), with the director's son, Alejandro Ibáñez (Serrador died in 2019). Despite being born more than a decade after the film, Alejandro gives some nice insights on the director, and the Spanish political environment into which it was released. Then there is “Screaming the House Down” (20 min; in English), with Spanish horror expert Dr Antonio Lázaro-Reboll, discussing the history of the film and its director. Most of this has been covered by previous material. Also included is archive footage with Mary Maud (12 min; in English) from the Festival of Fantastic Films in 2012, interviewed on stage by Adrian James, giving stories about the director, how she got the role, and retells the entire plot.

With title cards to explain what the viewer is watching, there are some alternative footage (6 min) from the original Spanish theatrical version, some changed due to Spanish censorship. But even more fascinating is seeing the difference between the pre-restoration footage and this Arrow version. Along with five of the original trailers, TV and radio spots, and an Image gallery, the Blu-ray has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch.

Despite the red herrings, I figured out the killer about halfway through, but that did not stop my enjoyment of the piece because of the “why” of the murders, which was exceedingly creepy and effective. Sure, it borrows a lot from the gothic Hammer milieu, but it also helped inspire so much more that would come later, especially from European cinema. It is just luscious.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Guts on the Chainsaw

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

Guts on the Chainsaw
Directed by Ryan Cavalline
Legend Hunters Films
80 minutes, 2023
https://legendhuntersfilms.com/

“The hills are alive, with the sounds of shotguns…” as it once said in a Mad Magazine spoof, I believe. This is a case of genres-in-a-blender, but I will get more into that later.

Nova (Nikki Carlson) is a woman who is cleaning out from substance abuse after an earlier trauma, looking for a purpose to her life, and trying to escape from recurring nightmares that reflect the ending of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), with a chainsaw wielding man in a flesh mask (I do believe the mask was also used in Cavalline’s 2021 film Myths & Mutants), chasing her down a country road, swinging the ‘saw around wildly. This is an icon moment that’s repeated as much as vampires rising stiffly from a coffin, a la Nosferatu (1922).

So, what does Nova do, to help refocus her life? Take a multiple days-long solo walk around Beaver Run Dam’s forest area in the Delaware State Forest in Eastern Pennsylvania, a place she is not even familiar, and cannot read a map, naturally. And why is she roving around the woods sometimes without following trails, just randomly roaming? Oy. Even in reality, I would never, ever do that. Stick to the trails only (and stay off the moors…sorry, I was distracted…). Please note, I don’t mean this in a sexist way, I don’t think anyone should be traipsing around the deep woods by themselves, especially off trail. It is good for there to be at least two people in case something happens, such as an accident.

Nikki Carlson

As she walks, one can feel the backwoods inbred cannibals being just around the corner, even though there is no indication of it other than the dream. I do not think I am revealing anything, honestly, given the name of the film, the location, and the dream. Anyone with even a low level experience with these types of films can almost smell it. Now, to be clear, I am not in any way complaining. I honestly like these kinds of films.

Getting off my soapbox now, even pretty early on there are some nice murders by, yes, silent masked killers, such as a farm couple (the woman has amazing hair), though I wonder why their german shepherd did not come to their rescue. He just sort of vanishes (i.e., s/he’s not killed, for those who hate that sort of thing).

Intercut (no pun intended) into the story every so often is “news” clips about hikers that have gone either missing or murdered along the Appalachian Trail, for example. These are b-roll dramatizations narrated by Robert Slone (a director of documentaries whose topics include JFK’s assassination, Patty Hearst’s kidnapping and Vietnam). The film is, allegedly, based on “Pennsylvania folklore,” a pet topic of the director (does he know about the Small Town Monsters brand? May be right up his alley, though they deal more with cryptids than chainsaws).

Nova runs into some kooks along the way, such as a guy really into possum jerky (called The Hermit by someone), as well as an expositionary hiker who warns her about the people living in the woods, and how they were effected by radioactivity waste buried in the ground that had an effect on them. Radioactivity causing cannibal mutants? Sound familiar? He even says, “These mountains, they have eyes.” As that wise philosopher once said, “A nod’s as good as a wink to a blind bat” (say no more!).

The first half, at least, is mostly her walking and walking, with occasion action shots in-between. The action finally starts to really pick up when Nova is chased by those in the woods, and she cannot get reception on her flip-phone (when was this filmed?). While the appetizer killings are appealing, of course the main course will be in the third act when the action is revved up to 11 (sorry about the This is Spinal Tap reference…).

Like the Marilyn Burns character of Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Nova naturally winds up in the home of The Family, full of misfits, cross-dressers (glad this is not Tennessee), and other murderous types; however, the house is immaculate, unlike the Sawyers’. Time for revenge…and guns and masks and chainsaws. Plus, Nova gets to dress like Lara Croft at one point. That was an enjoyable visual.

The acting is pretty low-key, but not wooden (with one exception), not overly filled with dialogue, and just about everyone does their jobs nicely. The effects are a mixture of practical and digital, which mostly look okay, but the digital is pretty obvious, and the occasional practical at times (such as the guts in the first killing) looks questionable, though at others looks really good. For its budget, though, it is effective.

My main quibble about the film is sort of meta, in that there is little information on who played which role, which is true both in the end credits and on IMDB. That is why I had to be so vague in the descriptions above.

The film is obviously low budget, and there are some continuity errors, but overall, it was a good watch, especially the last third, despite the reliance on some well-worn tropes. It also sets itself up for a possible sequel, which I would gladly watch.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Nightmare Symphony

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

Nightmare Symphony (aka Nightmare Symphony: The Peacock’s Tale)
Directed by Domiziano Cristopharo and Daniele Trani
Enchanted Architect; 8-Films; DiabolikDVD; Reelgore Releasing; MVD Visual
78 minutes, 2020 / 2022
www.mvdvisual.com

The main director of this film, Domiziano Chrisopharo, is a name that is familiar to me, as I have reviewed three of his many previous films: House of Flesh Mannequins (2009), Museum of Wonders (2010), and Red Krokodil (2012) 

His work is seriously underappreciated, and from what I have seen, his name should be as familiar as Argento or Fulci. They are odd, dark, and eminently enjoyable, on the side of weird and highly influenced by giallo. Hopefully, this one will live up to my expectations.

This was filmed mostly in Pristina, East-Central Kosovo by and Italian crew, but recorded in English (DTS_HD Maser Audio 2.) with some Italian and Albanian, and a German overdub is also available on this Blu-ray. The subtitle choices are English SDH and Swedish. That this us steeped in a giallo, right down to the theme music by Fabio Frizzi (Fulci’s A Cat in the Brain and The Beyond in 1981 among others; Kill Bill Vol. 1 in 2003), should be no surprise as this was written by Antonio Tentori (who penned Fulci's 1990 A Cat in the Brain); this release has a similar theme.

Frank LaLoggia and Antonella Salvucci

After an opening prologue in Rome with a gratuitous and ferocious shower scene (Antonella Salvucci) that is steeped in giallo lighting and mood – and violence – perpetrated by someone in a peacock mask (Federico di Pasqual) – who has no crystal plumage – we are introduced to our central character, struggling film director Frank LaLoggia playing a version of himself (who looks a bit like my dad at a point in his life), an American living in Italy (with a red passport rather than blue) as he travels to Kosovo, giving him a chance to let us know about his charity of spirit (how the film got the rights to a Disney film clip, I do not know; is Mickey now public domain?).

Poison Rouge and Hasan Lushi (foreground)

In a meta-film storyline (the film shoot within a film is getting to be quite common these days), Frank is a director who is trying to finish up a project, The Peacock’s Tale, and make his investor, Fernando (Hasan Lushi), who arrives with his girlfriend Lola (Poison Rouge, who also directed the cult classic body horror, American Guinea Pig: Sacrifice, in 2017) and the screenwriter, Antonio (screenwriter Antonio Tentori), happy. The problem is they both want different things, and Frank is in the middle. He has come to Kosovo to do the post-production work, including with editor Isabella (also Salvucci). LaLoggia actually was a director of a trio of cult classic films in the 1980s and 1990s. We get to see some footage (including backstage) of his Fear No Evil (1981, though he claims it as 1970 in this film). That was a cool addition,

Merita Budakova

Frank is constantly being set upon by a drunk neighbor (Iimi Hajzeri), a hyper-aggressive actor looking for work, David (Halil Budakova), or being stalked by a mysterious woman (Merita Budakova; she could definitely play Monica Lewinsky). As we meet all the characters around Frank, someone else in a peacock mask (Blin Budakova…yes, there is a number of cast members with that surname) is starting to kill people who surround Frank, some close associates, some not as much. But each one is appropriately gruesome, and in various ways, as is befitting a giallo. As for the killer, there are numerous nice red herrings throughout.

Of course, this is a giallo, so the question is bound to come up: what is real, what is not, what is psychosis? Pressure can sometimes make that distinction a gray area left open for the viewer to decide. Lucio Fulci (d. 1996) was famous for opaque endings that did not harm the story proper. Note that this film is dedicated – and rightfully so – to Fulci. After all, the title of this film is a nod to the French name of Fulci’s A Cat in the Brain, which was called Nightmare Concerto.

But more after this commercial break: There are a few extras on the Blu-ray, but nothing too overwhelming. First is the Making Of, which is actually a Blooper Reel (9 min) which was okay, albeit mostly in Italiano. This is followed by a couple of interview tracks. The first is with director Chrisopharo (14 min), which is in accented English. He discusses, among other things like narrow budgets and the growth of the film’s idea to fruition, the influence of Fulci. The other is with screen writer Tentori (6 min), which is in Italian with subtitles. He talks about the actors, and naturally, Fulci. I found the second one more engaging, without taking anything away from Chrisopharo. Along with the soundtrack I mentioned earlier, the last two extras are the Teaser and the Trailer.

Okay, getting back to the meat of the matter, having Americans as leads in Italian giallo films is certainly not new. For example, there was John Saxon (d. 2020) in The Scorpion with Two Tails (1982), and Jennifer Connolly and Donald Pleasance (d. 1995) in Argento’s Phenomena (both these films to be reviewed here, soon).

The cinematography by co-director Trani, is exquisite and arty without being overdone. The scenes of the city, and the like are just lovely, even the slummy areas. Long tracking shots abound, rather than MTV-ish quick-cuts that have become the norm, sadly. Giallo has proven that Sergi Eisenstein (d. 1948) is only sometimes right, that editing equals action, but not always, or here.

There were two distractions for me. The first was that so many of the scenes were filmed either at night or in an unlit room, using a dark blue filter, which made the action (and some killings) hard to see. The second, and I do not really blame anyone because it helps with the budget, there were obvious product placements, such as a particular soda-pop, whose logo is seen prominently in a number of times in more than one place.

This release gives me every reason to stay a Domiziano Chrisopharo fan.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: The Ghosts of Monday

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark Huberman, Julian Sands

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

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

Marianna Rosset

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

Eva Trill

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

Flavia Watson

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

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

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

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

IMDB listing HERE

Review: All Your Friends Are Dead

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

All Your Friends Are Dead
Directed by Ricky Glore and Nicholas Hiance
NKY Films, SRS Cinema
92 minutes; 2023
www.thenky.com/
www.srscinema.com/
www.rickyglore.com

It can be really interesting to see a debut directorial effort (which tends to be in the horror genre), but double the pleasure, double the fun because this is true for both of those who helmed this slasher project.

Ricky Glore

Mixing a few subgenres, such as masked killer, cabin in the woods, and social anxiety, the story wraps around the lead character, Matt Wilbee (co-director Ricky Glore), who is suffering from a severe case of depression. Once a star athlete in high school, he’s now let himself “go,” including having a drinking problem (in the first 7 minutes, he drinks more than I have in 7 years). Though working in a lowly position in a bar cleaning up, he is about to be homeless thanks to drinking his money away.

Despite his present destitute status, Matt was once part of an exclusive group in high school known as The Pack, who he has not been in contact with in years. Deciding to end his life, he inadvertently assembles The Pack one last time in a secluded campground around Bellevue, Kentucky (the filming location), where they last met around graduation, consisting of the imaginatively named perky Sarah Sunnrae (Eileen Earnest), bully Derek Pummel (Jason Ervin), now rich, buff and obnoxiously narcissistic Greg Neighsayer (Patrick M. Johnston), gay Larry Cochran (Chance Kilgour), and Larry’s lonely bestie, Lorie Blotter (Kira L. Wilson). Another good name for The Pack might be The Fodder.

Kira L. Wilson, Chance Kilgour, Patrick M. Johnston

Whereas the first Act introduces the protagonist, the second fills the viewer in on The Pack, and what a pack they are. There is no problem in distinguishing one personality from another, they are all their own beings, be it good or bad. There is also a truer level of angst between them and Matt, as well as between each other. Sparks fly (not necessarily the fun kind) as they stake their egos on their presentations.

I also enjoyed the certain level of meta going on, with discussions about how this would be the ideal setting for a slasher film, which of course this becomes in the third Act when the masked killer comes a-callin’.

Eileen Earnest

There are some nice red herrings to who is behind the mask. Honestly, I figured it out early on, but it was still worth sitting through the film to confirm. Lots of nice slice and dicing going on, with both decent practical effects and over the top CGI (as usual, mostly the splatter).

This is a dry comedy (with some out-loud laughs), dealing with both dialogue and characterizations. The actors give some credence to the parts they play, though sometimes reach a bit over the top. However, Glore seems to be in his element, ranging from sympathetic depression to maniacal.

Of course, as with most slashers – especially micro-budget ones – the instruments of death tend to be long and sharp albeit sometimes gas-fed. Speaking of budgets, the overall tone of the film is not quite minimalist, but definitely has a low-key flair that suits it well. You can tell they got every penny out of their budget. What I like about that is that the film – particularly the story – does not try to be more than it is; in other words, it does not pretend to be artsy or have too deep a meaning, but is out there for the fun of it, as well as getting experience for both first-time directors.

While the release is fun to watch, despite the somewhat depressing life of Matt, it is also worth sitting through the credits for a few reasons that I will not give away. Just ask yourself, “What hath Marvel started?!”

Fans of limited run special edition horror movies will have the opportunity to pre-order the film at the SRS Cinema’s Website (see eAddress above). The disc will include extras, such as a “Making Of” featurette, a commentary by the Director and Producers, the film’s trailer, and a host of other SRS trailers.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Blades in the Darkness

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

Blades in the Darkness (aka Kthetrat e Shqiponjes)
Directed by Alex Visani
Aspide 1 Productions; J&K Media Partners/Unimaginable Productions
84 minutes, 2022
www.facebook.com/BladesInTheDarkness/
www.instagram.com/blades.in.the.darkness/

I do believe this is the first time I am reviewing a film from the Balkans, and I am excited. It is in Albanian and mostly Italian, with subtitles. Unlike some, I love subtitles; comes from seeing to many live, loud bands in my youth.

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

Emir Jouka

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

Ilirda Benleri

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

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

Arnold Damazzeti

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

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

Lorenzo Lapori

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

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

Manuela Arcuri

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

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

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Christmas Cruelty!

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

Christmas Cruelty! (aka O’Hellige Jul!)
Directed by Per-Ingvar Tomren, with Magne Steinsvoll
Stonewall Productions; Unearthed Films; MVD Visual
96 minutes, 2013 / 2022
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063498340661&ref=bookmarks
www.unearthedfilms.com
www.MVDvisual.com

Norway is known for the fjords, nice people, social equity (though debatable Sami/Indigenous relations), and snow. So much like Canada. Anyway, I have reviewed a few Norwegian films lately, and they were mostly stylish and arty. But there is a dark side, represented by the likes of Krampus Day (December 5), days filled with no or little sunlight, and the Vikings, who were known for their barbarism (among many other things). Note that this film is in Norwegian with English subtitles.

Right from the start, this film lives up to its name with an ultraviolent and transgressive prologue, fading into the backstory. Also, one of the first things the viewer will notice is that the film has a brownish-yellow tint to it.

Krampus masks: Magne Steinsvoll, Per-Ingvar Tomren, Eilne Aasheim

We meet three friends who are making Krampus masks, giving exposition to just who or what the Krampus is and the story behind it, as well as other Christmas fable baddies. There is Eilne (Eilne Aasheim), Magne (Magne Steinsvoll), and Per-Ingvar (director Per-Ingvar Tomren). Per-Ingvar is wheelchair bound and thanks to an accident, not of full mind, but he is kind; Magne is a toxic masculinist asshole who treats Per-Ingvar badly and has nothing positive to say about women. Eilne is the strongest of the three, and personally, I cannot see why she has not dumped Magne as a friend.

Tormond Lein (left0

In another scene, we meet our Santa serial killer (Tormod Lein), a middle-aged and balding office worker and family man. The film shows his fractured personality by very fast (and for me, nauseating) edits. The viewer is also introduced a bit to his mindset, which is full of violence and carnality. His grooming of his young daughter to carry on after him is chilling. Ironically, Lein is a devout Christian, and would not watch the film once it was released, even though he performed all the acts of wanton killing.

In a brief shot of his desk, we see a snow globe that has a frozen Jack Nicholson from The Shining (1980). There are actually a lot of references to many other films throughout, sometimes in images and others in actions, such as Jaws (1975), The Big Lebowski (1998) and Goodfellas (1990), which could be a drinking game.

After the shocking opening, the film, well, it lulls for way too long. Too much talking and lingering on scenes of dialogue that can be considered exposition, but actually do nothing to really advance the story much, and was a chore for this particular viewer. But it did not build tension and I really fought the desire to skip ahead, though since there were subtitles, I did occasionally go to double speed, especially during an extended drunken scene between the three friends. Honestly, this film could have been a good 20 minutes shorter and have been just as effective.

Tomren, Aasheim

Both our trio of – whatever they are – and the nameless killer are seen preparing for Christmas, but in wholeheartedly different ways, though all will end up at the same party, for better or mostly worse.

Once the unnamed madman starts on his rampage, though, which comes quite unexpectedly even though it is predictable that it will happen at some point, the sheer velocity of it makes the third act ramp up to 12, never mind 11. It is actually hard to look away, though perhaps for others, they might have the opposite reaction. The SFX sometimes looks cartoonish, but the actions themselves are so brutal that it actually overrides that. I would say if you watch the film, and want to view it a second time as I did, I watched the first 10 minutes and then skipped to the 1-hour mark.

Steinsvoll

Now, as for the bonus material. Unearthed Films tends to overload the Blu-rays with features, which is kinda cool in my opinion. It starts with a full-length commentary with Per-Ingvar Tomren and producer/cinematographer Raymond Volle. For some reason, the volume was quite low and even turning it way up, I had trouble hearing it; could be my age, seeing bands like the Ramones too many times, or they were just too far from the damn microphone. Again, I watched the first 10 and final 30 minutes with the commentary on, which was interesting. Next is yet another full-length commentary titled “Watch-a-long with Flesh Wound Horror,” where Tomren talks with, well, the person behind FWH. He was mic’d fine, but Tomren, again, was too far from the recorder, so I did the same 10/30 spiel.

One of the major additions is the “How Cruelty Changed Our Lives” featurette, which is broken up into three parts. Sorry, I just did not have the patience to watch all of them. Over the opening credits of the film proper, there is a scene at a bar and the band the Last Rebels are playing on stage. Here we get the music video for their song, “Endless Highway” (not a C&W song). “Interview with Morten Haagensen” (7 min), who runs the Rama Skrik film fest in Norway, follows as he discusses this film playing there in 2013, including the reaction of the audience. It makes sense what comes next is a “Press Conference” (23 min), also in 2013. It consists of most of the major cast, the directors, cinematographer, SFX, etc. Again, the sound is a bit low, but that is okay here as it is held in Norwegian with English subtitles.

“The Blooper Reel” (7 min) is amusing in parts, and then there are the Teaser Trailer and Photo Gallery. The final is a short film, “Tradisjon” (Tradition) (2013; 6 min), directed by Severin Eskeland. It is also holiday themed, and my mouth watered a bit when during the credits they show some krumkake, but I digress… I was not quite sure where this was going, and it certainly didn’t go where I thought it would, but I just loved it.

If you are a gorehound, you really do need to see Christmas Cruelty! at least once, because the violence is both gruesome and beautiful at the same time. If your idea of extreme is the Marvel Universe, however, yeah, step back and take a breather on this one.

IMDB listing HERE