Two Quirky Reviews: Bloodlines: The Cojones Virus; and Evil Head: Dead by Dong

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

The Cojones Virus
Directed by Evan Jacobs
Anhedenia Films Unlimited
46 minutes; 2022
https://movieweb.com/anhedenia-films-on-demand-evan-jacobs/

Lately I have been reviewing some heavy, psychological and arty films. Well, now it is time to kick back and watch something completely ridiculous to cleanse the palate. And what better than swollen testicles with a mind of their own. Body parts with attitude is not new, with the likes of Teeth (2007), She Kills (2015), and Killer Rack (2017). 

We meet our bubba-esque protagonist, Chad (Mike Hartsfield) as he is on a road trip. He’s a salesman, and he is on the phone talking smack to his coworkers, and even his mom. Not the most likeable shlub in the world. He’s the redneck who wears a cap that reads “Ask me about my butthole.” That kinda guy.

Stopping at a rest stop, he is bitten by a bug that – er – gives him a bug: the titular Cojones Virus. At first he’s sick to his stomach (did they really need to show close-ups of his vomiting?), then watch him writhe (while driving) in pain as his testes engorge. But once they’re the size they are going to be (big enough to sling over his shoulder), he calms down and even has two-way conversations with them.

Through this all, Chad is shoving gum in his mouth, and smoking incessantly, sometimes three at a time (including occasionally one of three with filter out). And he talks to himself a lot (exposition for the viewer). In fact, though there are other voices, Chad is the only one we see on screen the entire time.

Yes, this film is quite ridiculous, but it is purposely so, although it would be just as effective it was under 30 minutes. Listening to him whine for most of the second half got a bit tiresome, though at the same time understandable: I would whine too if I was in his position.

While there are a couple of scenes at rest stops or on the side of the road as Chad pukes, nearly all of the film is from the passenger seat, focused on driver Chad (though there are also numerous shots of the sometimes-beautiful scenery of Arizona; could Chad represent the right wing that is ruining that state as a social commentary?).

Some of the director’s other films include the Death Toilet franchise (you heard me; I think there is five in the series), and a documentary about local 1990s hardcore music, Orange County Hardcore Scenester (2013).

I don’t really know how I feel about this film. I like the premise, and that it is goofy AF, but the length is a bit daunting. If you get a chance to see it, give it a try. You might find yourself on the ball.

IMDB listing HERE

 

 

Evil Head: Dead by Dong
Directed by Thomas Smith
Fighting Owl Films; Troma Entertainment
9 minutes; 2022

From the excellent work I have seen by director Thomas Smith, mostly it has been in the PG-rating arena, such as The Night Shift (2010) and Demon Squad (2019). As with the others, there is a strong comic element to the demonic story.

We meet the two leads and only two living characters, Carla (Erin Lilley) and Steve (Scott Alan Warner), as they are mid-hooking up from a blind date. Sneaking off to get some “inspiration” (i.e., an erection), he accidently spills some mojo juice from a bottle on a two-sided (of various sizes), dildo that Carla seems to have left on her bed. Somehow, this gets the dildo demonically possessed with a one-sided mind of its own.

The dildo attacks several holes and sprays green goo ejaculation, while Carla and Steve fight back as they can. Are these two destined for each other? Will the evil dildo win its bid for sexual domination? These are all explored in the story, which had me laughing.

Some of the images are dark blue in hue, but all of it is easy to see, and if you like soft-core adult content even with little nudity presented, this is a hoot.

IMDB listing HERE

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Review: Dr. Lamb

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 202
Images from the Internet

Dr. Lamb (aka Goh yeung yee sang)
Directed by Danny Lee; Billy Hin-Shing Tang
Grand River Film Ltd.; Heroes United Films Ltd.; Unearthed Classics; MVD Entertainment
89 minutes, 1992 / 2022
www.unearthedfilms.com
www.MVDVisual.com/
Hong Kong is not well known for having serial killers making headlines (there have been two as of this writing). This story is somewhat loosely based on one of them. Released in Hong Kong in Cantonese (also available on this Blu-ray in Mandarin or English subtitles), it became one the highest grossing horror films in the city, gathering a Category III Rating (adults only). This new 30 Anniversary Edition is completely uncut, taken from the original negative in 2K, so it is nice and crip.

Simon Yam

The main characters here are Lamb, Lam Gor-Yu (Simon Yam) as the InCel taxi-driver/photographer wannabe turned serial killer, and the main police officer chasing him, Inspector Lee (co-director Danny Lee). The change from Lam to Lamb (I will call him Lam going forward) was most likely a mistake on the English translation, or to keep hidden somewhat that it was a foreign film. At the time this was released, it was towards the end of the great Chinese influx of films, that were mainly Kung Fu or police dramas. With waning interest, and the closing of many Chinese-exclusive theaters (I went to one in Chinatown in New York on occasion with Shaw Bros. aficionado Mariah Aguiar that was torn down shortly after this film came out), and Blockbuster-type superstores that did not show these Category III films very often and were usually grainy or heavily edited, there was a reason to lean to the avoidance of foreign releases. The original Cantonese title translates as “Hong Kong Female Butcher.” But it was the start of a new resurgence of Extreme Asian cinema from Hong Kong.

The film is nicely broken up into consecutive sections. The first deals with Lam’s childhood in an overcrowded city, living with his extended family, including parents, siblings, aunt, uncle and cousins, all in the same small apartment. Even as a pre-teen, the sexual component of his personality was already showing signs of, well, being weird.

Danny Lee

The second section is post-murders, and he and his whole family are arrested, though they know it is Lam who is the killer. He is abused by the police (something quite common in that period, from what I know) and even his own kin.

In the third, when the police focus on Lam, we get to see his crimes in quite shocking detail, including butchery with a saw and scalpel (hence the title), as he keeps body part “mementos.” Yes, this is a pretty gruesome third act that gives it the Category III rating. Definitely not for the squeamish as there are close-ups of his actions. This is a gorehound’s dream that is worth the wait.

And as malevolent as Lam is, it actually doesn’t come close to what the real killer did in his crimes. This would definitely be considered a “Video Nasty” in Britain at the time of its initial release in 1992.

Comic relief cops

There is definitely a level of social commentary mixed in with the story, especially with the abuse Lam had suffered through most of his life, between the tight-quartered family who were not nice people, and the police violence against him. But it is not overt and does not hit the viewer over the head with it. It also does not make any excuses for Lam’s extreme actions.

Yet, with all the violence and body parts, the film is quite beautifully shot and edited, especially during the murder sequences, with odd angles, cool red lights, and a focus on the horrific action. I also enjoyed the scenes in the rain, which reminded me of Blade Runner (1982). Speaking of Runner, as Lam drives around in his taxi, we see some scenes of the city, full of bright neon lights. It is a bit overwhelming and yet beautiful at the same time. Reminds me in some ways of the lights over the bar at CBGB, times 10.

There are some really nice extras added to the Blu-ray, including a full-length commentary by Art Ettinger, editor of Ultra Violent magazine, and Bruce Holecheck, of Cinema Arcana). Their commentary is a bit dry, but their history of the genre is riveting, as they discuss the real case, the history of Category III films, and the backgrounds of the directors, the cast and the crew. Then there are the documentaries and interviews.

First up is “Lamb to the Slaughter: An interview with filmmaker Gilbert Po, who initiated the Dr. Lamb film project” (20 min). In English, Po explains with history and humor, how the idea of the film originated, about the Category III rating, filming anecdotes, and the placement of the film in the culture of both Hong Kong and the rest of the world. Next up is “Three Times the Fear: Film Critic James Mudge on the Golden Era of Category III” (21 min.). This could have been pretty mundane, but it is kept interesting because rather just focusing on the overview of the genre, he mainly discusses the film’s placement in the culture, and how the two leads of this film also did many other Category III films, thereby subtly bringing up multiple others.

Then there is “Cut and Run: Film academic Sean Tierney aka The Silver Spleen remembers Dr. Lamb” (16 min). I was a bit nervous about this one due to the term “academic” and I thought it was going to be dry as dust, but Tierney is actually quite engaging, and I totally respect that he does not just glorify the film, but also points at some flaws (in his opinion), which is actually rare in these commentaries. The last featurette is the “Atomic TV Interview with Simon Yam” (9 min), which is the only one of the four documentary extras that is archival, from a 2000 Anime convention. Yam discusses his overall career.

The last two extras are a bunch of trailers from Unearthed, all but one has been reviewed on this blog. The other is a nice glossy color print collector’s booklet that comes in the clam shell.

It is no surprise to me that this had a Category III rating. There is a lot of nudity, and torture; typical Unearthed fare, which is a strong compliment.

IMDB listing HERE

 

Review: Something in the Dirt

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

Something in the Dirt
Directed by Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson
XYZ Films; Rustic Films; Lightbulb Film Distribution; Strike Media
116 minutes, 2022
www.xyzfilms.com/something-in-the-dirt

I belong to a few horror groups on Facebook, and this film has cropped up in comments on occasion. It sounded interesting so I was determined to review it here.

The film centers around two life-stagnant neighbors in Los Angeles, John (co-director Aaron Moorhead) and Levi (co-director and writer, Justin Benson). Scruffy and multiple-tattooed Levi, who drinks a lot, has moved into a new apartment with practically nothing. He meets downstairs neighbor, prim and proper John, who is a math teacher, photographer, and has recently separated from his husband.

Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson

What binds them together is swapping cigarettes (they smoke a lot), and a strange crystal object that Levi has found on his doorstep. At certain times, the rock begins to glow, throw off odd lights, and levitate. They decide to work together to make a documentary about the strange phenomenon, setting up cameras and sound equipment focused on the crystal that Levi initially used as an ashtray.

The purpose of their attempted documentary is to gain some possible influence in the world, and perhaps even make some seed money for future projects (and better their lives). What stands in their way is both the dynamics of the two, lack of skills, and also personality differences with each other as time passes. But there is also the influence of the crystal, as it gains more power to influence objects in Levi’s apartment and then beyond.

It's subtle, but the crystal seems to also affect the personalities of Levi and John, making them verbally strike out at one another, even knowing they need each other. Or perhaps their different personalities are just starting to grate on each others nerves from constant close contact, like a band on the road in a van (e.g., Daltrey and Townshend often engaged in fisticuffs on the road early on).

The assemblage of the film is quite interesting, such as when many topics are discussed in conversation, from the intellectual to the mundane, and we are shown examples of it in a number of b-rolls with very quick editing. This definitely breaks up looking at mostly John and Levi, who dominate the cast, with just minutes given to the few other characters present. Most of these are “Interviews” with the pair individually, and with some “experts” in the field. On some level, their desire for fame has been met.

If I was to describe the film in a single phrase, it would be “wordy.” There is a lot of talk and most of it philosophical, math-driven, and then add in electromagnetism and conspiracy theories. The film does not talk down to its audience, but it also was above my head at times (and I have a Master’s), as they try to figure out why this phenomenon is happening. John is more educated than Levi, and shows it off as much as possible. Personally, I found John a bit unlikeable and insufferable. They both have their faults and we learn more oof Levi’s history than John’s, but John is always showing off with his theories. I found him annoyingly self-righteous.

That being said, the acting by the two leads is sensitive and nuanced at the same time, and kudos to them for that. Nearly every other character is seen in snippets, or brief talking heads interview, and are intentionally stiff, as are most in talking heads interviews.

Benson, crystal, Moorhead

The sets are pretty simple, mostly in Levi’s sparse apartment, and the SFX are well done, though mostly lights flashing and levitation of multiple objects (and people). The story itself is both simple and complex, alternatively. The basic premise of a recurring supernatural event(s) mixed with nearly academic-level language (to me), make this an odd stew of the sublime and quirky.

It is no surprise to me this has been getting a lot of attention. It is quite arty, with the b-rolls and general editing and cinematography, and yet it is visually accessible without being too “showy.” Moorhead and Benson have a lot of experience in writing, directing, acting, and cinematography, and I see a lot of those skills represented in here.

Something In The Dirt was an entry in the Sundance Film Festival and is currently in UK Cinemas. It will be on Digital Download and Blu-ray in early December.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: The Hostage

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

The Hostage
Directed by Gino Alfonso
Ginome Films; Javelina 98 Productions
87 minutes, 2022

With the popularity of 8mm and occasionally 16mm if your parents had some cash, there was the inevitable rise of the “anyone can make a movie” genre. Interestingly, mostly this was horror and sci-fi. Then came the camcorder, and this mentality exploded with the amount of home-made filmmaking as the technology progressed. Now anyone with a camera has a decent one (even on cell phones), and the momentum continues.

A lot of viewers despair of this amateur level of filmmaking, but then there are those of us who encourage it. How else would we get films like Johnny Dickie’s Slaughter Tales (released 2012), or the films in the Henderson Brothers’ WinnersTape All (released 2016)? Occasionally, the director will manage to snare a name actor to help along with the project; in this case it is Robert LaSardo (I think this is the third film with him I have reviewed in the last month).

In the opening sequence, a guy with hair like the poster of Eraserhead (1977) summons the cloaked demon Arooka (LaSardo), bringing him into the world, though it does not end well for him, and now Arooka is free to cause some human damage.

This film is being called an “urban horror,” meaning that ,it takes place in the city (filmed in central Colorado, such as the films of Dakota Ray) rather than a cabin-in-a-remote-area motif which seems to dominate the field recently (possibly only second to zombies), that there will be people of color and others swearing non-stop, and probably there will be drugs involved. All are present here.

Amanda Rabinowitz, Sam Delossantos

We meet loser drug dealer wannabe and lead protagonist Jeremy (Sam Delossantos), a white guy who you know is cool because of his sleeveless white tee and the backwards baseball cap. Does not come across as well educated (the kinda guy who wears the backward cap and shields the sun with his hand). He and his pal Will (Arnold King), who is far advanced mentally to Jeremy despite his religious bent, try to buy some weed to sell, but…

Seeking revenge on the drug dealer, Ericson (Brian McGee), they hire a cousin-in-law, Derek (Rion Evans), to fix the sitch, but he is a bit unpredictable. All this is mixed up in “urban” language that often went over this milquetoast white bread reviewer who is more comfortable in the punk world than hip-hop. Meanwhile, except for the prologue, every scene so far 25 minutes in has been in a room, but mostly in cars, parked and dialogue-enriched.

Enter the two females of the story: there is Jeremy’s hyper-aggressive girlfriend, Katie (Amanda Rabinowitz) who stumbles onto some really bad planning by Jeremy and crew, and Ericson’s titular junkie girlfriend who is kidnapped by this group of knuckleheads as leverage for cash, Melissa (Sonja Cimone). The problem with this  – perhaps not the only one – is that she is possessed by Arooka. So, not only are they having to deal with a deadly drug king, but a titular demon host, predicting everyone’s short demise, of course. This includes Jeremy and Will’s stoner friend, Grady (Tamir Nemekhbayar), in whose house – well, garage – where the hostaging [sic] is taking place.

Most of the action is arguments between the main characters, even with a bunch of possessions, which helps crank it up a notch. Arooka is keeping busy taking people to his CGI world and bringing most of them back with a bit of alterations, which help move the story and the conflict along.

There are some other flaws I have found, particularly the sound quality, which is weak (so weak the auto-captioning does not always work and certainly mis-translates). The slang is also a hindrance. There is way more dialogue than there is violence, and certainly little blood other than in the prologue (or nudity).

Robert LaSardo

Okay, on the good side, this is the director’s full feature premiere, after a few shorts. The shorts brought him to the level of where the editing and framing are well done, the storyline has some glimmers, and there is the indication of what is possible as he keeps up the work, which I hope he does and gets even better over time. As I have said before, a lot of horror directors’ early films have been questionable in terms of writing and acting, such as Cronenberg’s Shivers/They Came From Within (1975) or the really early works of Peter Jackson. As the band Sparks sang, “You cannot start off and be Yehudi Menuhin.”

There is quite a bit of imaginative chances, specifically in the second half and especially in the third act. I see this film as a stepping stone on the career path of the director, and I will enjoy watching his progress.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Post Mortem

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

Post Mortem
Directed by Péter Bergendy
Szupermodern Studios; Smartdog Productions
115 minutes, 2020 / 2022
www.facebook.com/postmortemmozi
www.condor-films.fr/film/post-mortem/

In the early years of photography, there was a weird subgenre of post mortem modeling. It was common to hire a photographer to take pictures of the recently deceased, propped up sitting in chairs, either by themselves, or most likely the corpse is surrounded by the entire family. From infants to grannies, it was the final memento to remember those who had passed on. You can actually see a lot of them with the search engine of your choice.

This Hungarian film takes place in, well, rural Hungary (but dubbed into English) in 1918, at the end of the Great War and in the midst of the Spanish Flu. People were dropping like flies around the world, and Europe was hit hard. It was also an extremely cold winter, and it was hard to get bodies buried (remember, no embalming back then), so they were piling up.

Viktor Klem

Into this situation comes photographer Tomás (Viktor Klem), whose near-death experience during a battlefield explosion gave him a vision of a face. Now recovered (physically), he travels around and photographs the dead. In this capacity, in some village where dead bodies are ever present due to the frost, he meets ten-year-old orphan, Anna (Fruzsina Hais), with whom he strikes up a platonic (yet still pretty cringeworthy to me) friendship, convinced she was the vision he saw after the explosion. She is being raised (or is actually taking care of) her invalid Auntie (Andrea Ladányi).

But in this village, which could pass for the shtetl in Hungary where my paternal grandparents originated, things just ain’t right. Noises in the attic and shadows on the wall hovering over Tomás’ bed on his first night have him unsurprisingly rattled. Amid the noise and such, he befriends the owner of the local Inn, Marcsa (Judit Schell).

Fruzsina Hais

As Tomás photographs his subjects, again solo or in family groups, in every picture there is a grey shadow behind them that is only seem in the image. Many times, we, the audience, get to follow their inky movements, which vary in speed.

Over the course of the film, the presence of the ghosts increase dramatically, as does their anger and their violence. They throw furniture, reanimate the dead, sometimes frozen in odd positions like a game of “Red Light Green Light,” or almost like the photos Tomás takes, throw people around like rag dolls, and do not seem to hesitate to make others join them through ferocious means.

Judit Schell

It is an interesting touch that these ghosts are previous inhabitants and relatives of the village, and yet their anger and viciousness does not stop with family members. Everyone is a potential victim. And Tomás is determined to get to the bottom of it, with the aid of Anna, of course.

They set up alarms in the form of strings and bells, and manage to record their voices on a cylinder phonograph, though all that comes through is rage. Tomás and Anna also feel the effects of the ghosts as they are dragged by the feet through town, held in place unable to move, or levitated. In fact, a lot of people are dragged by the feet through the streets. I kept thinking of that line from Blazing Saddles (1974), “Well, that’s the end of this suit.”

 

Andrea Ladányi

The SFX, both practical and digital, is so basic and at the same time incredibly stunning throughout. While the ghosts are nearly always seen as shadows, and occasionally crawling on all fours, their effects on the town was fascinating to me, especially the wire work as numerous people are tossed about, both solo and in groups. This includes the prologue battlefield scenarios.

This film has won numerous awards through Europe and in Canada (27 as of this writing), and that is hardly surprising. The image is washed out (remember, this takes place during the days of sepia, previous to black and white), and while it is not monochrome, it has a dark tone. One might say it was arty, but it does not make it harder to see. It has a nearly gothic undertone.

My one issue is that even though it is dubbed into English, I found the accents and low talking moments hard to make out. But still, this is one of the better ghost stories I have seen in a while, and I happily found much of it unpredictable. It also takes some risks in the plot that improve the story.

I can easily see why this has won so many awards, in both tone and plot, and the acting is perfect for the film. There are a lot of nice jump scares, but it is the malevolence of the spirits that make the story. Usually, I balk at films that are nearing two hours, but with the way the story and images twist and turn, my interest was easily kept throughout. It is streaming or available to own starting on Halloween, and if you get the chance to check it out, I say do just that.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: The Mare

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

The Mare (aka Mare)
Directed by René Bjerregaard
Broadstone;
74 minutes, 2020 / 2022

This Norwegian film (with subtitles), shot in Sogn og Fjordane, nearly 230 miles northeast of Oslo, is moody and gloomy, as is often the case of releases from Scandinavia in general, where summers are beautiful and bright, but the winters are long and dark. And like many others from this part of the world, it is a touch on the arty side, but I will get into that later.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to the protagonist, a dimply young man named Liam (Alv Fossum). He is quite troubled. He has violent images in the form of nightmares (hence the film’s title). His father (Jonny Bjørkhaug) is naturally worried about the dude: waking up screaming and in a cold sweat. Of course, we get to share in Liam’s night landscape dominated by a black handed demon (Kim Kvamme), family members, and his own fears. Trying to help, he takes Liam to his grandparent’s house in a small town in the remote fjord-infjused east coast.

Alv Fossum

Liam’s Grandma (Grethe Mikaelsen) is sharp. She is taking care of Grampa Tom (Tom Larsen), who is an invalid, except when he roams the tiny and dusty house. Liam’s room is miniscule and threadbare, but finds a diary from this late mother, (Karoline Stemre), which also contain some photos of her.

In his delusional state due to lack of sleep and whatever else his past has brought to him, Liam is suspicious of Grannie, as her eyes dart around and she almost seems to keep Tom in his place. Or is it all in Liam’s mind? The haunting music leads us towards his perspective.

A nice touch is when Liam is watching a small black and white television in the remote location, and the image is of somnambulist Cesare (Conrad Veidt) in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) is on the screen. Which bring me to the style of the film. As I said, the story is dark and dreary, and the visuals reflect it, often in shadow or extremely muted colors, especially within the musty abode, where much of this was filmed.

Grethe Mikaelsen

Like any good story based on night-terrors, such as the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, the main character has dreams within dreams, and he has trouble distinguishing between his sleep world and his reality. I have always liked this premise, and this does a good job of it. And thanks to the deep shadows of the house, there is the opportunity for a number of effective jump scares.

Is this a family curse? Is it all in his head (well his sleeping one)? Or is there something more sinister abound? Liam (and the viewer) tries to figure it all out, fighting through fear, insecurity, and isolation in his cell of a room.

The acting here is excellent, with Fossum clearly being the star, but as far as I am concerned, this is clearly Mikaelsen’s film, stealing every scene in which Grandma occurs.

Tom Larsen

It is also worth noting the scenery. Man, the fjord districts of Norway are beautiful. I had the chance to see it myself a few years ago (around Bodǿ and drive through a bit north of the city) and it is stunning territory. The use of drones gives a better perspective of territory and catches its exquisiteness well.

I have been informed by the director that this was self-produced and shot in four weeks. I find that  it looks so good. The house interior sets the perfect mood. It proves that so much can be done with a microbudget ($12,000), dedication, and a good story.

So pull out some lefsa and krumkake (avoid the lutefisk, in my opinion), and crank this up.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Bridge of the Doomed

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

Bridge of the Doomed
Directed by Michael Su
Mahal Empire; FilmCore; Spicy Ramen Productions; Blaen-Y-Maes Bootleg Films; Wicked Monkey Pictures; Gravitas Ventures
82 minutes, 2022
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046239651325

With four films out this year, director Michael Su is proving to be quite prolific. And the level of carnage he displayed in his recent Death Count  (2022) shows that he is not afraid to step up to the blood and gore. So. it makes sense that he would jump on the popularity of the zombie genre, especially after Army of the Dead (2021), and put his toe in the evisceration.

A group of soldiers are given orders to hold a bridge (A Bridge Too Close?) to make sure no one or any thing crosses it, especially since they are trying to curtail the zombie apocalypse. The film does not waste any time giving us what we are waiting for, full on splatter. There is a lovely mix of practical SFX and digital (including the erasure of star Robert LaSardo’s infamous neck tattoos).

Kate Watson

Most the soldier at the bridge range from a couple of interesting characters to some expendables. The lead in the film is one of them, Sgt. Hernandez (Kate Watson). Su likes to pick strong women characters and he does well here with Hernandez’s tough as nails yet likeable sergeant.

The zombies are not slow nor fast: they stumble along, but they are quick at the grab, and consistently overwhelm their prey with numbers as they seem to always travel in groups. This middle tone of fast vs. slow is a nice touch and gives the chance to be viewer-friendly to both sides of the debate.

The film is essentially broken into two parts which are intermingled. First, there is the HQ, which is run by General Vazquez (LaSardo), with some cameo work by Michael Paré as Colonel Charon (great choice of name: Charon was the ferryman of mythology who brought your soul across the River Styx). Nice to see Paré work, as always, even in cameo form, though there was a time he walked Streets of Fire. Just because it is the headquarters, however, does not mean it is immune from the occasional zombie horde attack.

Robert LaSardo

The second is at the titular bridge, which looks like at one time it was a railroad crossing. Either way, it is over a very treacherous and fierce river, but not as much as the munchers on the other side. Also on the wrong side of the river are a bunch of survivalists living in a commune without much brains among them. Political commentary about the right wing? Among this group is Susan (Sarah French; she was the lead in Dead Count,). A third of the way in, I am going to assume that at some point, the two groups of antagonists (soldiers and survivors), will work together.

And as if a multitude of teethers were not bad enough, there is some kind of growling troll under the very bridge that the army is to defend. Just keeps getting better when it strikes. The SFX good nice and gooey, and as I said earlier, there is a lot of it.

There is no reason given that I could tell (or missed) about why the zombie romp started, but honestly, does it really matter? Radioactive satellites from space? Chemicals? We pick up the story well into the effects, and that is what matters.

There is a very slight overtone of religiosity here, as talk among the survivors discuss the “End of Times” and “judgment.” However, it is not preachy or annoying, even for this atheist. It is more questioning what is going on in a wider scheme, than pointing a finger.

Michael Paré

The main cast handles the roles extremely well, and some of the tertiary ones not so much, but they are the equivalent of “Star Trek’s” “red shirts” and are really only there to, in the words of the original Willard (1971), “tear ‘em apart!”

One of the aspects I like about director Su is that he does not follow the formula of Act 1 to introduce the characters, Act 2 to present the situation, and Act 3 to contain the main brunt of the violence. No, he picks it up right from the beginning and keeps it cropping up throughout the film, actually making it more suspenseful than less because it could come at any time. There is a bit of exposition here and there, but it certainly does not get in the way of the “yum-yum-eat-‘em-ups.” Filmed in Nevada with a nicely diverse cast. I am quickly becoming a Su fan.

IMDB listing HERE