VHS and 80s Horror Spotlight - VIDEO

Sadly, I dropped an age restriction on this video due to violence and some swearing. Gotta protect those kiddos...even though they can lie about their age and still watch...but...:::ahem::::

This time I talk about my time in the dark ages of the 80s and some of the amazing hidden gems I used to rent back in the day. 

Sacrilege (2020)

I had the chance to see SACRILEGE and dove on it. I love English Folk Horror films and just finished watching the fantastic THE THIRD DAY, so I wanted to make sure I caught this one to keep the folk horror rolling. Now, the THIRD DAY is a mini-series and spans over six hours of time, so I knew I wasn't going to get that level here, but Sacrilege manages to entertain. 

Does it have its weaknesses? Sure. But, it held my interest and spun a fun yarn with material that can be very familiar to horror fans. 

In a very small, compact nutshell, we have four women who go away on holiday to a lodge out in the middle of nowhere. It's established that one of our folks (Payne) has a boyfriend that just got out of prison for putting her in a coma after beating her badly. What better way to get over it than to go away? They snag a hitchhiker along the way (classic DO DO IT item in horror) who tells them about this awesome festival filled with pot and partying, so of course they want to go. They witness a ritual....then comedy ensues. :::grin:::

Like I said, very familiar territory, but they keep things rolling and have some fun horror stops along the way. I'm not sure they had enough horror elements to fill out the film 100%, but the side relationship stories lifted their weight and kept things moving forward. When the horror bits hit, they ring true and they are a ton of fun. I even barked out a laugh or two at the surprising nature of a few them. 

With it's 1:23 runtime, it's very watchable. 

A Paul L. Smith-like (PIECES) performance from Chad Graham brought another fun aspect into the film. That classic, "I'm so sinister it hurts" vibe. The main cast of ladies are solid and keep the film in a higher level than some lower budget fair - acting well and bringing their "A game". That helped a lot. 

English Folk horror fans will want to check this out. Just give it a little wiggle room to present its story. It's a fun watch and deserves some love. 

DIRECTED BY   David Creed

STARRING

Tamaryn Payne (Stalled, Vendetta, Small Town Folk) Emily Wyatt (Mission of Honor, Rise of the Footsoldier: The Heist, Facilty 31, Sensation), Naomi Willow (NSR: The Jade, Bonded by Blood 2), Emma Spurgin Hussey (The Curse of Hobbes House, A Werewolf in England), Rory Wilton (An English Haunting, Fisherman's Friends)

SYNOPSIS

After accepting an invitation to join in with local celebrations for the Summer solstice, four young women find themselves in the grips of a mysterious pagan cult.They are offered up as a sacrifice to the cult’s mysterious ancient goddess, who has the ability to sense their greatest fears. Using this power against them, she turns their nightmares into a horrifying reality.

POSSIBLY IN MICHIGAN (1983)

 

Man, I love this odd little movie. 

What a magical time. Film makers discovering the art of video. Wild experiments like this really moved things in an interesting direction. 

THE FUNERAL HOME ( LA FUNERARIA )

The Funeral Home was a solid little ghost story, but the real focus of the film really is just grim doom.

Bernardo runs a funeral home and lives in a house behind it with his family - his wife Estela and her daughter Irina. A mystery unfolds slowly as we watch the family spiral down into darkness. We get the classic bumps in the night and see that the family is doing its best to cope with whatever is going on in the house...and whoever is in there with them. 

People walk around like they are physically drained and without an ounce of joy in them. It's a very interesting take for the story. There's this feeling that everyone in the home is just being slowly crushed by gravity. Grim and resigned to just crawl through the day best they can. I loved that aspect of the film and that combined with the overall set design really set a mood that was very...very dark and sad. 

Now, this is a very slow burn and fans of a more CONJURING style of jump scare roller coaster may not find this to their liking. I, however, really enjoyed the trip. The acting is solid and the mystery around what is going on in the home is very well done and has some fantastic reveals as the film moves along. 

Mauro Iván Ojeda's writing and direction are fantastic. He manages to do a lot with the setting and lets the story unfold in a delightful way. I was riveted to the goings on and was all in on the ride. The way the story spun out along a very well defined line made it even more engaging. You're not just given everything via a spoon, but have to hang in there and work it out as the folks in the film work it out themselves. Loved it. 

I only had one item that I wasn't thrilled with in the film just because I'm not a fan of the type of plot point execution :::spoiler free::: , but I think it may just be on me and it was a very small bit of the whole, so I didn't really have all that hard a time making it through to the other side of it. :::grin::: All in all, I enjoyed the film and what it brought to the ghostly table. 

Fans of story and acting will want to check out La Funeraria for sure. 

Curse of the Blind Dead (2020) and kitchen chat

 

I really dug Curse of the Blind Dead. While I wished I had a little more BLIND DEAD action, I thought it was entertaining and a fun watch. 

Check out the video review below! 

SPOTLIGHT: Christopher Goodman

https://www.instagram.com/goodman_artist_director/

https://www.christophergoodman.com/

 Well, I had an interesting trip down the rabbit hole over the past few days. HA!

I saw an image on Instagram that gave me the creeps in a great way.....

I posted it to the Facebook group and circled back around to give credit to the artist - a must when you can, I feel. I went to his site -    - and saw that he is a man of many talents. Super creative soul. I was hankering for a horror short and fired up his short THE GOOD SAMARITANS. 

The Good Samaritans - Short Horror Film FrightFest 2018 from Christopher Goodman on Vimeo.

It was really solid and had some groovy effects work in it. Unlike some other shorts I've seen in the past, the storytelling is tight and lean, moving rapidly and not overstaying it's welcome. It lingers in one area and doesn't bite off....heh....more than it can chew or overstretch what they are able to take on in the time and budget allowed. 

I followed the road along to his Vimeo page and saw that he had done another short I featured here a while back called BLIGHT which I've reposted and raved about many times in many spaces in the past. It's friggin fantastic and an amazing effort with cool effects and solid acting. Man...beyond cool on the effects - downright stellar! 

Blight from Christopher Goodman on Vimeo.

I needed MORE! hehehehe

Next up was THE MAYFLOWER which was another "one room show" , but this time the setting was space in this sci fi horror tale. I dug it as well. It could have slipped into the "seen it before" category, but it really brought some exciting and new ideas to the table the made this a solid and original tale. 

Dropping back another year in history, I checked out FOOL'S ERRAND and was happy that Chris was still solid in 2017! heh.  Again, his writing is what really sells me on his shorts. What could have been another in a series of killer mummy shorts and films has a bit of a twist that takes this short up several notches and separates it from the rest. 

And last on the FEATURED LIST but far from least is his first short FLESH ART. Again, a solid little tale that doesn't overstay its welcome with some grand gore and zombie/infected effects work. It's not trying to be more than it is and manages to bring a lot of cool storytelling into the mix without leaving the cozy confines of the set. While it may not reach as far as some of his other work, it doesn't really NEED to to be a pleasing little horror tale.  

Now...I did catch a more recent offering called BLACK ICE that - while cool and very watchable - just didn't have the same magic for me, but even that short was amazing and really well done. The story itself just didn't ring the same way with me personally, and that's perfectly fine and reasonable. :)

Now...I mentioned earlier that he was a "creative soul" and it's time to cover some of his other talents. 

His concept work - amazing. He's done concept work for DOCTOR WHO, WATCHMEN (TV series), RED DWARF, THE OUTPOST, PEAKY BLINDERS, and more! 

Solid 3D work as well. I believe a lot of the sets and places in his shorts may be 3D, so this skill is most likely super important as well. 

And....a feature is what is really needed here. Even if it's an anthology feature of short films tied together with a through-line story. His writing is so good. I'd love to see what he could do with more time and cash seeing that he's knocking it out of the park with the shorts he's done so far. 

But, maybe that's not even on his radar and short tales is what he enjoys and wants to continue making. If that is the case, I hope that there are more avenues for short features where his work can be seen. 

Fantastic work, Mr Goodman! :) 

Creature Features Anniversary - January 9th

Man....1971. 

Creature Features was a major part of my childhood growing up. My Mother was a huge horror hound at the time (still is!) and she got me into horror films at an early age. Golden oldies from the 40s and 50s to start with. I loved them. 

I started trying to watch Creature Features around when I was 8 or 9, most likely. I tried to stay up and watch, but would usually fall asleep at some point during the first or second commercial break. As I got older, I was able to stay awake longer and longer until I was able to sit through the whole show without having to be shaken awake by someone. hehehe

A major part of my life. 

This is the 50th Anniversary video they made to celebrate. 

Strip Nude For Your Killer (1975)

 

I had to produce a video in defense of one of my favorite giallo films (...with one of the hardest titles to speak about in public...) STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER  ( Nude per l'assassino ) from 1975. A wild ride I really enjoy PACKED with giallo goodness and J&B!  And....the lovely giallo Queen Edwige Fenech.

My Summer As A Goth

While not a horror film, My Summer As A Goth was a fun watch that reflects a specific time in my life where I was goth to the core on the inside and playing "normal" on the outside. I listened to the music and played around in the scene and loved it, but eventually slipped away from it even though I still have the music side in rotation from time to time. 

So...My Summer As A Goth tells a sweet story of a fish out of water type,  coming-of-age tale where a 16 year old girl named Joey is forced to spend the summer with her grandparents when her mother goes on a book tour. While there, she meets the goth boy-next-door Victor who remakes her into a goth girl with the help of his friends. Joey is finally feeling at home in the new skin, but is Victor all he's cut up to be? 

Yes...if this sounds like a romance tale for the younger crowd, you're not mistaken. However, it's solid filmmaking with good acting and a sweet story that I really enjoyed. Especially now in these stressful times. I was hooked into the story from the get go and once things really got rolling I was concerned for Joey and what she was going through. As a father of three girls, the story hit a lot of high notes for me. 

Writer Director Tara Johnson-Medinger did a grand job on both the script and the directing here and I'm looking forward to seeing where she heads in the future. 

If you are looking for something a little lighter than THE HORROR SHOW's usual horrific fair and you like a good romance tale or have teens in the home that are looking for a little romance sans sex and gore, give My Summer As A Goth a go. It's sweet, lighthearted, and fun! 

GIALLOctober 2020: Eye in the Labyrinth (1972)

 Looking at a little giallo nugget that seems to be well loved in the Giallo Community.

Come follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/TheHorrorSho/ Giallo Realm on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GialloRealmOfficial

HORROR SHOW Halloween Spotify Playlists!

 Don't forget or HORROR SHOW HALLOWEEN PLAYLISTS! 

HOURS of Spotify music to help you get into the Halloween mood! We have two lists - one for the kiddies and one for adults with more frights and music with more explicit lyrics. 

Best if played on shuffle! 

Kids - https://spoti.fi/2IrdAfX

Or listen right here!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Adults - https://spoti.fi/2SOGUyM

Or listen right here! 

Horror Show: Blaxploitation Video

A small overview of a few of my favorite horror Blaxploitation films of the 70s. This episode is packed with silliness and swearing! Times below.

Visit the Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheHorrorSho/ Blog: https://horrorsho.blogspot.com/ 3:50 - Blacula 9:29 - Sugar Hill 14:19 - Ganja & Hess 19:56 - Abby 25:25 - Horror Noire

music: DARK STEP by Silent Partner - YouTube Audio Library

 

HOST (2020)

So good

NOTE: This is a spoiler free review. Do yourself a favor and view this film WITHOUT WATCHING THE TRAILER FIRST! You will be glad you did. A two minute trailer for a 56 minute film can give a lot away! 

Last Monday I heard about this new "computer screen" horror film called HOST. I saw the screenshot and tried not to roll my eyes. 

"Ok...another UNFRIENDED thing. Cool...I liked that one." 

Then I saw what people were saying about it and took a bit more notice. During the course of the day, reviews kept popping up all over the internet raving about the film. Now, this wasn't studio hyperbole, this was coming from horror folks I knew and respected. I zoomed :::grin::: over to Shudder to view it....but found that I was a few days early and had to wait. 

Last night...the waiting was over. 

I started watching the film on my television and stopped a few minutes in after seeing the format. 

"No...no, this needs to be seen on my computer." 

I raced to my iMac and started the film up again and I was glad that I did! It's PERFECT for late night viewing in the dark via computer. Especially in this era of covid ZOOM meetings and the Cult of Quarantine.

Host tells the tale of six people having an online seance through....ZOOM, the online meeting app. (If you are like me, you are very...VERY familiar with ZOOM right now) With their medium Seylan at the helm, they dive into the mysterious astral plane. :::::DRINK:::::  ;)

My spoiler free mini-video review can be seen here....    It's silly, but I was inspired. 

I'm not sure how they did it, to tell you the truth. I mean, the general "horror over online meeting" concept has been done for sure. The aforementioned UNFRIENDED did a really good job of bringing the paranormal and computer tech worlds together and was very entertaining. But HOST brings something new into the mix - several new things, really. 

Thanks do the wonders of SHUDDER, they didn't have to try and pad out the story to meet the requirements of a theater run film. This allowed them to keep the film down to a wondrous 56 minutes or so. They packed that time with tons of great content and a strong story.

They used small ZOOM meeting knowns to their advantage all over the place which added a lot to the production. People waiting to get into the space, putting themselves on mute, messages popping up saying the meeting was going to end soon, and microphones being turned up to max so people could hear things better all had me grinning from ear to ear. There are more things in this particular bucket that I will let viewers discover for themselves. 

Making use of the new, virtual environment created with the use of six or seven separate locations joined together via cameras and microphones added tension in very interesting ways - again, spoiler free. 

I'd love to see another film on the making of this film, to be honest. Gemma Hurley, Rob Savage, and Jed Shepherd wrote a stellar script and Savage's direction was amazing. Picture staring at a large painting of a town, then zooming into a few of the town's locations and back out again as you stared at it. That's what HOST managed to feel like. You see all six folks, then from time to time you explore one of their apartments or homes. It was incredibly dynamic and engaging. It really brings a lot of NEW to a sub-genre that I thought was tapped out. 

But...more than anything else mentioned here...the acting. 

Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova, Caroline Ward, Seylan Baxter, and Edward Linard sold the film 100%. Subtle, nuanced, and BELIEVABLE performances all around brought a much needed feeling that these were all real people. They seemed like they all knew each other and that they had a history with each other. Subtle changes in the way they interacted felt very real to the point where I actually forgot that they were actors for a moment. So, when the shite hit the fan and things started to go south, I was concerned for their well being. 

AND....they didn't look like they were "acting scared", they looked like they were truly freaked out. 

I'm going to stop there before I say too much. 

HOST brings a ton of fun to the table and is WELL worth a viddy. I'll be watching it again this weekend...on my computer....in the dark....

After you watch you can check out the interview with Rob Savage here:
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/behind-the-scenes-of-host-a-british-horror-film-shot-on-zoom

MAGGIE MAY - Etheria Film Festival on Shudder

Reviewing the amazing MAGGIE MAY from Director Mia Kate Russell starring Katrina Mathers and Lulu McClatchy!

The short film is part of the Etheria Film Festival and is currently up on SHUDDER.

TRUE GHOST STORY: Boo Ghost

I can't remember if I wrote about this already. Going to assume I have not. :)

I used to work at an ad agency and I had a baby on the way and a toddler home with my wife, so I was making an effort to leave for work early and head home early.

I was standing in front of the Starbucks on 19th Ave and Geary in San Francisco waiting for them to open. The street was totally empty - a fog/drizzle combo making things cozy.

Then I got that feeling you get when someone rushes up behind you - a sort of energy jolt, and a female voice whispered, "BOO!" inches behind my head. I ducked and spun around. My back was facing the street and nothing was there. No car, person running....anything.

I remember smiling as I stood there looking around - shaking slightly from the jolt. I checked all around me, but there was nothing. I chuckled to myself and whispered, "Boo? Really?" out loud. I thought it was hilarious that I waited over 35 years to see something paranormal and the ghost that I get is a joker who thought BOO would be the thing to freak me out with! If you know me, you'd know that it was completely perfect for my strange sense of humor. 😁 I'll never forget it.

I was standing right by the mailboxes in front of the Wells Fargo ATM. You can see all the way up and down Geary and 19th. No one was there.

Some fantastic Daniel Björk horror book covers

I love these with my whole heart! hehehehe.  Fantastic work by Daniel Björk