Crying Wolf

Ok....I'm going to keep this light fun. As light and fun as this film is.

First, I'm going to say that this film has flaws. Sure. It's stomping around in low budget territory for sure. The effects can be dodgy. The werewolves are clearly wearing masks. There's a lot of 3D elements in here. There are even some cartoon comedy sound effects. But, this film has heart and knows not to take itself too seriously.

And, it's just fun. A great, silly, splattery, comedy horror film that I really enjoyed.

The film plays like an anthology. We see various stories related to our wolf pack. How they got there. Who they've killed and why. It zips along through various tales and never stops trying.

There are some fun comedy elements that actually work really well. I found myself laughing a lot. The end does run off the rails a bit, but I still found it to be an enjoyable tale.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Tony Jopia knows how to have fun with genre movies. I always find his stuff to be entertaining. It's funny - the film trips and slips from time to time, but I still find it far more entertaining than some low budget items I've seen of late. I believe it's due to Jopia's sense of fun and whimsy. I'd still love to see what he's make with a higher budget.

Give it a viddy if you're in the mood for some horror fun and you're not taking things too seriously. I think you might dig it.

Short Film: THE SUBSTITUTE

THE SUBSTITUTE on Shudder at the time of this posting.
Directed by Nathan Hughes-Berry  • 2015 • English • 24min

Wow! This 24 minute short film was really well done. It has a high creep factor and reflects today's current political and news climate. It's a rather sad reflection of the "male" in today's society.

A substitute teacher starts a job at a school where there is a strong system set in place between boys and girls. Something is very wrong here.

Fantastic acting and a strange, TWILIGHT ZONE / NIGHT GALLERY feel to the whole of it.

I can't wait to see more from Director Nathan Hughes-Berry. Fab style.

And Madeleine Sims-Fewer as the substitute Ms. Byrd was fabulous.

Check it out at once!

Dawning of the Dead (2017)

Noooooooo...not DAWN of the Dead. DawnING....of the Dead. :)   (AKA Apocalypse )

I have to say that this was a fun watch overall. More good stuff from the UK.

It doesn't really bring anything new to the table, but I think that's ok. It doesn't shy away from using copious amounts of computer driven graphics and blood - again, ok. But, it does take me back to a time where my friends and I would hit the video shop, scan the shelves for the most gory boxes, and gleefully flee home to watch the gore fest unfold. That's this film in a nutshell.

We have the dead. Some complex military source for the outbreak. And then carnage set mostly in and around a television station. Pretty much sums it up. Kinda like the beginning of the original DAWN mixed with DEAD SET. The film moves along at a good clip and things never get boring. Zombies run - sometimes in slow motion, and eat people up. Blood sprays. Eyes are white. You know the drill.

However, Tony Jopia knows how to have fun with a horror film. He make it fun to watch. I've seen my fair share of horror that IS NOT fun to watch and it's painful. It physically hurts to watch it. hehehe  Jopia lays down a solid base and moves the characters around skillfully to assure the viewer some good times while watching. I felt the same way while watching his other film CUTE LITTLE BUGGERS. http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2017/09/cute-little-buggers.html  It's just a good time that takes me back to the good old 80s and gems like THE VIDEO DEAD, MOTEL HELL, STREET TRASH, and the like.

I have his other film CRYING WOLF (2015) on deck for later. Again, it looks like it'll be a fun time.

Don't take things so seriously, squint with the CGI kicks in, and just let Dawning of the Dead wash over you. It's a fun time. 

Berberian Sound Studio

Berberian Sound Studio
Director: Peter Strickland
Writer: Peter Strickland
Stars: Toby Jones, Antonio Mancino, Guido Adorni

Continuing the "I'm not sure you will like this film because it's so odd" theme I seem to be having at the moment, I thought about Berberian Sound Studio. This is definitely not a film for everyone, but I loved it.It's not a "horror horror" film, but it's disturbing on many levels.




Toby Jones plays a mild mannered folly artist sound editor type who goes to Italy to work on a horror film. There's much stabbing of mellows and women screaming in sound booths as they work on this horror film we never actually see. But, as he works on the film, the film starts working on him and he starts to drift into a world that is definitely not his own.

I love the fact that the films focus is on the sounds that go into a horror film. While we never see the actual film, we are giving the description of the horrific event we're working on the sound for, so the sound itself becomes like a audio switch for what we are supposed to be seeing in the film. It worked wondrously and gave me chills from time to time.

The fact that this strange world of the studio is where we spend most of our time allows for the dream-like (nightmare, really) aspects to really pop. He wanders about - an Englishman in an Italian landscape - trying to work like he does when he's dealing with his documentaries and sleepy films and it's just not the same world at all. When his grip on what's real starts to slip, things get to be very interesting indeed.

I loved the film. I thought it was interesting and odd and a lot of fun. Again, a relief from the endless sea of cinema verité, zombie, cgi paranormal ghost dreck out in the world right now. Version after version of a copy of a copy doing the same damn things we've seen time and time again. This film is...not that. Not that at all. The visual style is grand. Sights and sounds play together to show what goes into some of the folly work - creating visceral, audio support for the visuals on the screen. The visuals are kinetic and curious in many ways as we watch dials and hand movements and people moving about in a world full of deep shadows and dim lights.


Perfect for a late night viewing, too. That peak time around midnight where your mind starts getting a bit mushy. :)

Crying Wolf: Nov 06 Update

The folks over at Tirana Films passed me the latest and greatest trailer and images for their upcoming feature CRYING WOLF and I have to say that I'm excited about seeing it. We're not talking "mega-blockbuster-horror" here. We're talking "they love horror" here and that shines through in the trailer. There's a heart and soul to this feature and it has a style and look that I find very appealing. 


CRYING WOLF    https://www.facebook.com/cryingwolfthemovie



Now, let's really look at this trailer and what it offers. Fans of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, UNDEAD, DOGHOUSE, or more specific werewolf films like AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON or THE HOWLING should be able to appreciate this effort. You can see that the filmmakers are not dealing with AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF budget, but that they are all in and really trying to present something that will entertain. It's working for me for sure. 

The acting stands out for me. I want to compare Crying Wolf to many other films right now, but I don't want to bash the others due to the new HORROR SHOW policy and standards for reviewing. (If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.) Suffice it to say that I've seen many films of late that don't have this level of talent. This crew seems to be all in when they are working their roles. 

The way the film was shot is getting me more excited about this production. This doesn't look like they broke out a single Lowel light kit, a Sony HD pro-sumer cam and a prayer. There is some attention to framing and lighting here and makes me very happy. The color and picture quality takes this film to the next level. 

And they have some good old "werewolf human" practical effects going here. Prosthetics and real world effects work with some light computer work tossed in for flavor. That makes me happy as well. I love seeing this sort of effects work in film. (Why Greg Nicotero makes me so happy with THE WALKING DEAD - not a lot of CGI work) I'm a sucker for a biped werewolf. It's why I love the Howling wolves better than David in AMERICAN WEREWOLF. I love seeing this style of wolf growling around. :)



And lastly, they look like they are having a damn good time making the film and that energy is coming through in spades. It takes me back to a happy time for me. That time back in the 80s or so where people were excited about making films and really trying to not only get something on film, but to make people excited and happy that they watched the film in the first place. The golden time for me where my "internet" was Fangoria Magazine which I would buy religiously and read from cover to cover until the next issue would come out.

I wish these folks well and I hope that I'm on the short list when it comes to announcements in the future. I can't wait to get my soda (...or whiskey, depending on the time of day....:::grin:::), my popcorn and snuggle up with this good ole werewolf flick. BRING IT ON! I'll be looking for Tony Jopia's CUTE LITTLE BUGGERS as well! 

Feel free to toss me a screener, Mr. Jopia - I'll review it with gusto! :) I really want to see this film. It just looks like tons of fun. 

CRYING WOLF:

"From the director of Deadtime and the greatly anticipated comedy horror Cute Little Buggers Tony Jopia, comes the British comedy horror Crying Wolf.


Produced by Tirana Films International and Great Dayne Entertainment,  ‘Crying Wolf’ stars Caroline Munro, Gary Martin, Joe Egan, Kristofer Dayne and Ian Donnelly.


Due for release in 2014, the comedy horror movie, ‘Crying Wolf’ starts its tale in the small village of Deddington where prankster Andy is bitten by a werewolf that kills his friend Charlotte. Andy tries to warn his friends, but winds up turning them into a pack of werewolves. Enter a pair of hapless journalists doomed to a grizzly end, then add a pair of hard boiled vigilantes hot on the heels of the werewolf pack and before you know it, everyone’s ‘Crying Wolf! during a bloody camping holiday in the Cotswolds."

Ghostwatch (1992)

For the longest time, GHOSTWATCH was this sort of ghost itself - appearing and being mentioned here and there by various people on blogs, in magazine articles and in interviews. I had not seen it, but it was supposed to be this brilliant work that true horror lovers really needed to see. A few years ago I finally tracked it down and...wow...yes, it's fantastic.

Ghostwatch was a television event that quickly dropped into WAR OF THE WORLDS style, real world fear and anger. Even though it was clearly marked as a drama in various places and did have a front section that called it out as entertainment, some people missed it and completely lost it when the events shown unfolded before them.

The program was planned wondrously. It used many of the usual items that people in the UK were used to seeing in similar programs on at the time including the host and technical people that viewers had seen time and time again in "real" shows previously. So, seeing the same people involved in this ghost show really sold the whole of it and helped to break down the wall between reality and fiction.

Ghostwatch is also a perfect "ghosty", with chilling audio and visual items within it that still hold up to this day. It pre-dates THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT by seven years and you can see elements within it that were to be used in BLAIR WITCH years later. It really is one of the originators of the modern day, cinema verité style ghosty we're seeing A LOT of today and it blows many of them away as far as the thrills and chills go.

Do yourself a favor and check out Ghostwatch - preferably late at night with the lights off. If you enjoy the film, make sure you check out the HYPNOBOBS PODCAST listed below. He does an amazing overview of Ghostwatch covering the events leading up to the creation of the show and the subsequent fallout from the show's airing as well as some personal accounts. It's a grand overview that needs to be heard if you love GHOSTWATCH as much as I did.


GHOSTWATCH: PART ONE

Ghost Watch pt 1 from Encounters with Spirit on Vimeo.

GHOSTWATCH: PART TWO

Ghost Watch pt 2 from Encounters with Spirit on Vimeo.

GHOSTWATCH: PART THREE

Ghost Watch pt3 from Encounters with Spirit on Vimeo.



HYPNOBOBS PODCAST #53   "GHOSTWATCH" 
This is a GREAT overview of GHOSTWATCH. The Hypnobobs podcast is fantastic. He does his research for sure and his production value is grand. This is a must listen podcast and not just about Ghostwatch. All of the podcasts are entertaining, interesting and packed with information.

DIRECT DOWNLOAD

iTunes LINK

In The Flesh

Ok...I need to hunt this down. It looks like it's going to be fantastic.

Again, the BBC is presenting some quality programming (even though it is another zombie undertaking...so to speak. :::grin:::)  with it's series IN THE FLESH .


If you've seen COLIN, you might dig it. It has a very cool look and feel with a post-human sadness to it.

Stay tuned for reviews!

Horror Europa with Mark Gatiss (BBC)

I'm a huge fan of these BBC documentaries. Horror docs in general are very interesting with their inside looks at the genre and this one is one of the best I've seen. It's a look at Euro Horror that covers a little on the Directors and world events that helped shape European horror cinema.



 Published on Nov 6, 2012

"Following his acclaimed 2010 BBC Four series A History Of Horror, Mark turns to explore the story of European horror, looking at how the genre came to reflect the continent's turbulent 20th century.

Mark Gatiss said: "What fascinates me about the story of European Horror is its sheer diversity, the sense that there's a parallel, but entirely separate story to the English language one.

"Europe is so much the home of Horror, with its myths of vampires, werewolves, witchcraft and the undead, yet it's like those myths were exported to Hollywood, leaving Europe the room to develop a new tradition as a way of processing its traumas, particularly the two world wars."

Horror Europa with Mark Gatiss

Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection

 There are times where I feel so out of touch. This is one of those times. I remember seeing this teaser ages ago and now during a random search I see that the film came and went this year? Really? Did anyone know? Did anyone see it?



Evidently, it opened in the UK and is rolling, but I have not heard much about it. DREAD CENTRAL has the UK dates up and a new trailer. I have to say, it doesn't look very promising which means they might not be able to break the DAY OF THE DEAD and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 3D curse.

At least we still have the awesome BUNNY VERSION to fall back on! :)

Salvage

Man, I'm still not sure how I feel about this film. I didn't hate it - I'll start there.

The plot is somewhat simple. A container washes ashore and something is in it. Something bad enough to send a group of special ops military personnel in to deal with it. But, are they enough? I've misled you a bit, however. That's not the main story.





The real lead here is a mother who is separated from her husband and who has her daughter over the Christmas break. After a really bad start on top of existing feelings of abandonment from the daughter, there's a lot of patching up that needs to be done. Of course, Neve McIntosh will need to do everything in her power to find her daughter and keep her safe while the small town they live in falls apart and it's residents are shot by one side and ripped apart by another. 

Interesting, right? Well, yeah, it was. It was a film that held my attention and that rattled me at times. There were a few jump scares that had my coffee cup sloshing for sure. The acting was great across the board from the major players to the more minor roles. The action and pace was great, rolling from scene to scene with a growing sense of urgency that I loved. Great stuff.

But...here's the (spoiler free) rub.
 
The movie ended and I was really happy with the way things worked out and the way it all wrapped up, but I was left with a sort of Chinese Food Hunger® after about 30 minutes. :)

"Wait...what happened? What....did it......is there more? Did I turn it off too early?" Nope, it's just a fruckin' odd film on the writing side. There are character arcs that are rather complex, then another whole group of arcs that are very strange and minor. The flow was good, but the story was as murky as the water the shipping container washes up from.

It reminded me of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, not that I think about it.  Who are your neighbors? Do you trust them? How about your Government - do you trust them? 

I think this film is well worth a watch. Neve McIntosh turns in a rather powerful performance ad is striking in her "Ripply Like" efforts to save her daughter. Let us know what you think!

Hidden Horrors

THE HORROR SHOW has it's sights set on some yummy looking, hidden horror this month. You may have missed these here in the states due to numerous adverts for THE AVENGERS and DARK KNIGHT RISES filling the air. :)



WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT
Creepy ghosties. 





A NIGHT IN THE WOODS
Just three buddies...hanging out in the woods.




BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO
One way trip. And I thought my job had it's bad sides.
Some great sound design here.



STRIPPERS VERSUS WEREWOLVES
Ok...admit it...it looks like fun. Sit down, eat your popcorn and don't judge me. :)





ELFIE HOPKINS
A fun, strange looking tale of detective work gone wrong in a sleepy village.  DEAD SET's Jaime Winstone stars - what more could you want?





WITHER
This just looks creepy good.




Wither - Trailer from NonStop Sales on Vimeo.



And, I think I'm the only person who actually liked this film. I watched it, stared at it and got a little caught up in it. Sure, it has it's missed opportunities and writing hitches, but what it delivers is good old, WHAT THE F?! horror that I really enjoyed.

YELLOW BRICK ROAD



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DEAD SET

I know. I know. Zombies. :::yawn:::   :)

It makes me sad sometimes. I think about how I used to LOVE a good zombie or walking dead film and now it's so mainstream it hurts. Everything has zombies now. Car commercials, kid shows....   However, there are a few choice zom nuggets in the world - still clawing there way up into the light of day and away from the swell of zombie poop in the world.  DEAD SET is one of those prize picks that will fill you with love for the genre again.

First off, this is from the UK. It automatically gets a point for being foreign. :) They also don't mess about with trying to hide the gore and violence. (Again, see UK) It's a zombie film and they put it all out there. ALL...like intestines and blood. All over the place. The original air date was October 25, 2010 and there are a total of five episodes at about 45 minutes and episode. So, if you're crazy for zombies like I am, you can watch the whole of this amazing epic in one sitting!

The BIG BROTHER house is having a big event. Cameras, crowds and fantastic live TV times are being had. In the control room, the head prick in charge is doing his best to keep his pack of idiots in line and making sure they all know who's in charge. The Big Brother occupants are being their glorious selves. The crowd is eating it up with a spoon. The cameras...are rolling.

And, like a flash fire, all hell-on-Earth breaks out and the beginning of the end rushes over everything. This mini series hits the ground running and doesn't stop. It juggles multiple characters and multiple locations as it shows us the horrors of a full scale zombie outbreak. Brilliant writing and a simple setup shows that you don't need a WORLD WAR Z budget to knock out a quality product if you have good writing and a committed group of actors.  

WALKING DEAD, take note! I'm not sure what the budget was for DEAD SET, but man...it had far better writing and pacing than WALKING DEAD does. And, it really was about the writing. It made things interesting and showed us a very small section of what was happening, but presented it in a grand and shocking way. I wish these folks were doing the WALKING DEAD instead.

WALKING DEAD bashing aside, DEAD SET is a must for horror and zombie fans. You need to seek it out. The whole set is available on AMAZON for $8 on Instant Download and DVDs are out there, though it might be slightly harder to find.


Watch this at once!