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

Artist: Stefan Koidl

Stefan Koidl • Illustrator | Concept Art  • AT, Salzburg

https://www.artstation.com/stefankoidl 

https://www.instagram.com/stefankoidl/


LOVING the work of Stefan Koidl!!!  Amazing artistic skills aside, his creation of really wild and creepy images is magical and chill inspiring.

He has a very interesting style as well. He plays with perspective and focal depth in his art that really helps sell the scene. The worlds he spins into life are all at once beautiful and horrible. Check him out on the links above and show this amazing artist some love!

Just imagine driving and running into this scene!!!!   Holy crap!!

Coherence

Super quick review for the wondrous film Coherence.

I thought I had put up a review already, but I guess I had missed it.

Short and sweet - Coherence is fabulous!

A dinner party goes VERY sideways when the lights go out and a comet goes overhead. And that's all I'm going to say about that for fear of messing things up.

The style is grand and the tension levels run super high as the film unfolds with Hitchcock-like mastery. Ok...that was a little flowery, but it's true. The film had me hooked from the opening and I was glued as I watched things play out.

Just watch it! It's a fun, tight, thinker of a film!


Trailer? Yeah...if you must....but it's better if you don't!

Bad Apples

<< no spoilers >>

Now remember, I have a strict "IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOMETHING NICE TO SAY, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL" policy, but this film needs to be talked about because there is good stuff within it. I don't want it to come off as mean, bashing, or hurtful. If I didn't enjoy the film, I wouldn't write about it.


Ok....this is what I think happened with BAD APPLES.

Honestly, I think they found these awesome masks. They put them on in a store - hell, maybe they even made them from scratch - and said, "MAN! These are creepy masks, right?! We have to use them for a movie!"

Bryan Coyne (writer / Director) went off and wrote the film at once, thrilled by the masks and how creepy they were. However, once he started filming, he really didn't have enough script to fill out the runtime. So, he started patching things up a bit to make things work and got the film made.

That being said, I wasn't bummed that I spent time watching it. The masks are really off-putting and the way they are used in the film is fantastic.





The acting is good overall. All the leads are solid and things don't seem like a low budget production. Brea Grant is fab, Graham Skipper is his charming and funny self, and Alycia Lourim and Heather Vaughn were GREAT as the sisters. ( Though, part of me was hoping the TWISTED TWINS would have been the reveal! heehe )





The thing that hit me was the fact that there were SO MANY OTHER THINGS that could have been put in here from a plot perspective. It made me a little sad, really. The opening was ripe for a really wild and interesting yarn. Something - maybe with supernatural overtones - that could have been revealed early in the third act and carried through to the conclusion. A modern folk tale sort of situation. A new Halloween tale to be told down through generations. Or, maybe just a really "BAD APPLE" tale of two sisters that were just doomed from birth to be bad. I'd take that, too. I think that's in here for sure.

"Better Play on Halloween or the Sisters Will Get Ya!"

Something.

But, it ramps to a shuddering conclusion, presents something that had real potential, but even that is let loose for an ending that just re-tells what we saw in the beginning. Honestly, I didn't understand that. Like I said, it really did make me a little sad. heheheh 

But wait! Don't write this off. This is a good film! 

The film is good. It's solid film making. The sound was a bit dodgy in parts, but it really held my attention. I just wish Mr. Coyne asked someone ( maybe even me! ) what could be added to the story to seal the deal. It wouldn't take more cash, just a few more script revs.

ANYWAY....I wasn't asked.   :)

BAD APPLES is a fun watch. It's a worthwhile watch. I think that horror fans will enjoy the ride and the creep factor of the masks and the acting behind them. GINGER SNAPS-like in many ways from a nutty sister perspective.

Well worth a viddy. Let me know if you agree with my assessment!

Bad Apples is released on VOD through Uncork’d Entertainment on February 6, 2018.

Savageland

HOLY COW! I loved this film! 

SAVAGELAND is a riveting and completely engaging "mocumentary" about the lone survivor of a small town attack by unseen forces. He shot a roll of film with many disturbing shots of multiple attackers, but was still tried for the murders.

What really happened?



This film was a masterwork of both writing and acting. Like LAKE MUNGO, this film is presented in documentary style and interviews are held with the people involved in the investigation - both within legal realm and the news and reporting realms. The actors playing the parts sell it all without question and the writing is rock solid.

And the images that were caught on film are horrific and creepy as hell! heheheh  I love them!

 Bad acting and crap writing can kill a film like this in a heartbeat, but the writer/director team up of Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, and David Whelan was pure perfection! Things were tight, believeable, and took a few turns that I was not expecting, but loved when I saw them.

No, there are no masked, ax swinging madmen in here or smashed in jump scares. This is a creepy tale that takes it's time telling a story and brings it all home with some nightmare fuel stills that are fantastic. A must watch for lovers of a good, creeptastic, dark story. 

Currently available on AMAZON PRIME. 

Better Watch Out

What a treat BETTER WATCH OUT is!

This will be a very short, spoiler free review.


 This film is shot well, it's packed with awesome performances, and it's SO MUCH FUN!  It's a ton of fun, in fact. It has a great style and keeps switching things up in a wonderful way.

Don't read anything about it online. Don't Google it. Just watch it!

Chris Peckover has come a long way since Directing Undocumented - a fine film, but not on this level, in my most humble opinion. I want to see more team-ups between him and Zach Kahn for sure. It made for a wondrous film experience. 

Loved this film. Watch it at once. Currently running on SHUDDER (U.S.)

Marilyn Manson: KILL4ME video

Agent K.BaRToN hipped me to another amazing Marilyn Manson video recently. I have to say, the man is knocking it out of the park with this latest round of videos. This time, editor Bill Yukich is in the Director chair. Yukich has worked on videos for Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, Maroon 5, Audioslave, and Godsmack just to name a few, but it's always been in the editor chair. It's obvious from this KILL4ME video that he'll be doing a lot more Directing in the near future. The video is grand.

And, of course I love it because it has a very giallo feel to it. Masked Manson in a trench. Johnny Depp rolling about with women lit with reds and blues. The video has a fantastic look and is a grand bed for the heaving hitting, grinding beat of the song and it's dark lyrics. Matt Bass' cinematography is fantastic.

Check it!

Hank Boyd is Dead

Hmph. Hank Boyd is Dead. I really enjoyed this odd little film.

I'm not going to say a whole lot about it - I don't want to spoil it. I've been seeing a lot of screeners and many of them don't get a review. I still have my If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all stance on films, so many of these screeners get watched and forgotten. However, Hank Boyd is Dead has a fun edge and interesting story that made me very happy.







We have a caterer named Sarah who is struggling along trying to get that cash. She's going to work a funeral for a killer. Not many people are expected, so her boss feels like it's going to be fine for her to work the event alone so the boss can go work elsewhere for the day. Begrudgingly, Sarah takes on the task.

The small cast unfolds before us. The guy Sarah knows from High School who's now a police officer making sure the funeral doesn't get any unwelcome visitors. And the Family of the wretched deceased - David, Aubrey, and the matron Beverly. Sarah does her best to get her job done and get out, but manages to get on David's bad side right off the bat sending things into a wonderful,  downward spiral.

The small cast in a single home is so much fun. It has Serling and Hitchcock elements and a great dark comedy edge that's never overplayed. No, this isn't a straight up comedy, but it has some moments that made me giggle and grin for sure. The acting is super solid as well, which really helped pull this "bottle episode" style film together nicely. This is Sean Melia's first feature film and I can't wait to see more from him!





Do yourself a favor - avoid the trailer and just dive into this film head first. Mind you, the pool may not be filled with water. :) It's a fun watch that's well worth a viddy! I really dug it.  Available on Amazon at the time of this posting.

Live Evil

HOT DAMN, I loved this movie! heheheheh   It's just a ton of fun.

Let's start off with the bad and get it out of the way. The film's ending came on rather abruptly and was not as strong as I had hoped it would be. It was solid, but just not as dazzling as the rest of the film. Now that that's done....

Deputy Hancock is due to pack it in for the night on Halloween, but one more call sends her to a mansion where someone....or something...very evil is. When she brings it back to the station, everyone there seems to see some "BIG BAD" from their past in Hancock's prisoner and they want to blow it away. They finally get a hold on the situation, but what are their small forces able to do against....Evil? Deputy Hancock and Sheriff Pete need to figure something out before time runs out on the world.

I'll say no more about the plot. :::grin:::

Like I said, this film is a ton of fun and a great watch. It's set to be released on AMAZON October 31st and I think it'd be a great Halloween Eve watch. Wish they released it sooner, really, but....what'r'ya gonna do?  The film has great dialog, fab music, and a peppy pace. A majority if it is presented in black and white with these fun, full color vision scenes mixed in that I loved. They also have a few comedy elements that play rather well for the most part. It's a tricky one - they play around with various horror elements and the humor has a placement that is more natural than forced. Hard to do that successfully with smaller films.

I believe that one of the main reasons the film works so well is the actors attached to it. They are all super capable and help to get the viewer invested in the film. Bad acting or a bad script can kill a film in minutes. (As I found out with another film earlier today....whew.)  Everyone in LIVE EVIL carried their own and really came off as believable.  Charlene Amoia's portrayal of Hancock could have sunk the whole venture if she came off as cardboard, but she was far from that. She was spunky, sure of herself, and tough without coming off as "I'm putting on my MAN costume and being tough."  Prague born Vladimir Kulich was fab as the Sheriff as well - again, for from a caricature.

LIVE EVIL had an Italian horror feel to me - like a take on Fulci's THE BEYOND. It had a great look and feel to it that seemed well thought out and which worked within the budget they had without over extending itself. For instance, there are masks used in the film which can be a bit distracting and..."meh". But, here they dolled things up and made the masks the overall stylistic look for the dead in the film, spicing things up with some visual effects work that was well executed. As a matter of fact, the visual effects bits were friggin spot on. Glowing eyes, muzzle flashes, strange dreamy sequences, and general "spice" peppered in perfectly. And, just when you think you've seen all the visual nuggets they have to offer, they switch things up and add some other cool scene that does another series of cool effects visuals.
 

I clapped and said, "HA! I love this F#$%*&^ film!" out loud. (Sadly...all by myself, as usual.)

There was a nice little Day of the DEAD reference in here as well that I smiled a big, wide smile at. Very cute.

And...TONY TODD!  Yeah, you can never have enough of Mr. Todd.

I'll be owning this film in the near future. I want to support this effort from Ari Kirschenbaum and Team. Kirschenbaum's writing and directing was a ton of fun and I want to see more.



Now...odd thing about this film. I think it might have been held in some sort of HORROR GULAG - IMDB has it listed as a 2015 film. However, we all know this can happen for sure. (TRICK 'R TREAT) I really should set up and interview - I'm just at a loss as to what I'd actually ask. I don't want to get on a call and just gush about how much I love someone's movie. While I'm sure they wouldn't mind hearing it, it's probably not the best use of their time. Heh.

I've seen a bunch of screeners over the past few months and this has to be one of my A LIST picks for sure. I highly recommend that you grab a few friends and give this a viddy this Halloween!