GAME: Dead Route

DEAD ROUTE by 2 Zombie Games is a ton of fun!  It's a simple game with great graphics...and FREE!  It can be found here on iTunes, or at the Google Play store.  They have a Twitter presence as well - https://twitter.com/2zombiegames


The overall setup is simple. You're running from point A to point B. The streets are filled with zombies - more and more of them as the game goes on. You are tasked with various things along the way. Killing a certain number of zombies, getting supplies, etc. You are at a full sprint and don't stop, so you need to sidestep and leap over obstacles.  The auto aiming makes it fun.

The graphics are rather good seeing as this is a free little game. The simple nature mixed with the complexity of tasks makes it a lot of fun to play. I'll jump in, play a few levels, then jump out and it's always a fun time.

There are mapped area buttons that show the tasks and levels. A simple click sends you running down the street on that task. Shooting your way down the street and taking down zombies while hoping and snagging crates is a fun little time waster that I believe you will really enjoy.






You have the classic "grab money boxes, save up, and buy stuff at the store" deal to level up your weapons and the like. And the ever present "in game purchase" options, but I never do that. Heh. So, I figured I'd show my support for the game by putting this little review out into the universe to show them some love.

Give it a go!

A Virgin Among the Living Dead

There's gourmet chocolate. It's refined and delicious. It melts in your mouth bursting with wondrous flavor combinations and sensations. Think SUSPIRIA or BLOOD AND BLACK LACE or DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING.

Then there's A Virgin Among the Living Dead - the M&Ms brand of chocolate that's not magical or expensive, but still tastes pretty darn good and makes you happy.

A young woman's relative is ill, so she pays a visit to her estranged family at their villa in the country to see her before she passes away. She makes it just in time to say her goodbye and gets a sinister warning. "Run. Run far away!"

It took me a while, but I'm a big Jess Franco fan now. I kinda get him. He loved horror. He loved women. He loved film making. He just went up to 11 on everything. Nude women romping through horrific situations as his wild camera followed them kinetically. They are so much fun. And this "Old Dark House" style film delivers all of the above and more as the mystery unfolds. And of course, Jess is right in there as one of the family members, so that's fun too.


And the film as some fantastic, Franco dialogue as well as his wild storyline and convenient situations.

"Poor soul! Beyond words! You must get away from here. You'll fry in your own hell, believe me. Ask me no questions, just get away from here."

"Run! Get out of the valley! Can you see everything here is dead?! Get out of here!"
"Come on. You're not going to believe a crazy old man."



"Come and try it. There's nothing like the taste of blood. Try it. Try it, Christina. hahahahahahah" 

It's a warm blanket of a film that delivers up some crazy characters, giggles, lot and lots and lots of camera zooms, and....yeah...a lot of nudity.  The film does have a great, shadow filled look to it that makes me happy. Everything is lit by candles and dim, but then you'll enter a room and it's bright as day in the middle of the night! heheheh  I love it.

Seventies horror lovers need to check this one out for sure. I don't know what else to say here. Is it a good movie? Well, it's very entertaining and fun, so I'd say yes. But, it's not good in that "good" way. It's good in a "what the hell am I watching here?!" sort of way that I love. You watch things unfold and giggle as you mutter little quips and jokes as the film plays on. I dare you to give this a go!

I think I might have to snag a Franco box set. His films are so strange and interesting.

The Forest of the Lost Souls

This spoiler free review will be rather short - I don't want to give things away for this one.

First...the elephant in the room.

If you are looking for a fast paced gore fest...don't watch this one. Just move along. Nothing for you to see here. :::grin:::  This film takes it's time to tell a story and gives you visually stunning images to go along with it's deep, philosophical discussions as things build and build.

This is the first feature film for writer/director José Pedro Lopes and it's a fantastic effort bringing in three awards to date from the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Fant, Bilbao Fantasy Film Festival, and Triple Six Horror Film Festival and the awards are well deserved.


Without saying too much about plot, I'll give you a very brief overview.

The titular FOREST OF THE LOST SOULS is very similar to Japan's Aokigahara, also known as the Sea of Trees. A place to go to commit suicide - filled with bodies and sadness. Two strangers meet in the woods - both there to end their lives. The discussion that follows leads to some rather interesting happenings. I'll say no more.

The film starts out slow for sure. It lets the viewer discover things. See the surroundings. Do a bit of wondering. That wondering time is very important throughout the film. There's not a lot of clumsy exposition walking the viewer through what's going on. I LOVED that. Nothing makes me more crazy while watching a film. Especially horror.

"Hmmm....the guy in the mask - HE must be the SON of the Baron who...as we all know....had a mistress in the village. She disappeared shortly after they met. Remember?"

This film has none of that. It tells it's story and lets you figure things out. And, it gives you everything you need to do so.

As I said, the film is shot beautifully. The black and white is perfect for the subject matter. It plays off like a modern day Bergman film - moody and dark and full of things lurking in the corners. There's a richness to the visuals that I found to be very pleasing. The cinematography was stunning.

The film is a foreign language film...unless you're from Portugal, of course. However, the film isn't heavy on dialogue, so those who fear subtitles need not be too scared. It's a drama with horrific moments that hits every point it makes an effort to hit. The acting is fantastic and all the characters seem real and well rounded.

The film stars Daniela Love, Jorge Mota, Mafalda Banquart, Ligia Roque and Lilia Lopes. It is produced by Ana Almeida with production companies Anexo 82, Studio 2203, Creatura and Agenta a Norte.

I highly recommend this...I'm going to say it again... "thinking person's horror film". I believe film lovers, horror lovers, and mystery lovers will enjoy this immensely. Well worth a viddy!

Hitting theaters August 3rd, 2018

https://deadline.com/2018/06/wild-eye-releasing-sets-portuguese-horror-film-the-forest-of-the-lost-souls-as-debut-theatrical-release-1202415581/