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.

Bunnyman Vengeance

"Bunnyman Vengeance," I read as I started giggling. 

I had seen a trailer for the original BUNNYMAN, but I had not seen it or it's sequel. So, when I saw that this was the third and final in the series, I thought that I should watch the first and second one first. That would have helped, I'm sure, but in the interest of time, I just dove in head first. And, I'm happy that I did. 

So, there was a child who was SET ON FUCKING FIRE by someone! THAT'S the backstory! Jesus! hehehe  And we see a little recap  of the event (done in an interesting, home movie style) at the beginning of this film. Pretty much caught me up. That boy is the infamous "Bunnyman" here - covering his horribly burned adult body with the costume. And boy, does he have anger issues. 

 

We meet the gang Bunnyman is hanging with which is compiled of two dudes with homicidal tenancies and developmentally disabled man. While they are a team, they are always at each other's throats. Now, this is where I need a re-watch. All of them save the developmentally disabled man vicious killers  and Bunnyman has a brutal temper. They are up to something at a haunted house style attraction they are building, but....I think I missed something....because I didn't get why they were killing everyone and anyone who came by. You know, usually there's a satanic ritual, hidden gold you're trying to keep secret, or something of that nature, but I didn't hear what it was. I had an issue with the screener and thought that maybe there was something lost in translation. (A second scan through revealed nothing to me)


But, none of that mattered after some time. I was watching and loving every minute of this wacked out film. HA! I loved it. It totally reminded me of old GRINDHOUSE films of the 70s. Crazy people up to no good. That HILLS HAVE EYES feel of people just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It worked well here for sure. 

TRAILER


 Unlike some of the old grindhouse films, this film is shot really well. (Can you tell that's always important to me here at the HORROR SHOW? :) )  There are some fantastic shots that capture the environment and frame the grand acting expertly. And grand acting it is.

Omari Washington, Michael Shaun Sandy, Pucci Tres, and even the costumed Carl Lindbergh all turned in fantastic, heartfelt performances. They were never over the top or wonky - super solid stuff that really sold me and hooked me. While the overall concept of a burned man wearing a bunny costume to hide himself may seem silly or goofy, it's never played that way. It's dead serious and it totally works. This boy was burned alive and lived to tell the tale as other children picked on him and mocked him. Totally grounds to become a homicidal nutter who wears a bunny costume to hide himself. 

Which brings me to another grand element of this film - the gore and CGI visuals. Usually, lower budget CGI effects and visuals are...not the business. They aim high many times and miss that mark more often than not. It can be distracting and awkward. Unless, of course, you go all out and fold the visual effects into...let's say a drug induced, psychotic music video in the middle of the film and make gore so over the top and graphic that your viewers chuckle at the horror of it. Like I did. I thought the gore was amazing. They really went all out and pushed things as far as they could. Poles fly through people, shovel handles pierce necks, and more. So much more. This was another neo-grindhouse element for me. Instead of rubber heads and hands being hacked, the BUNNYMAN folks took to the computer age and made it another important element of the film that seems right at home along side a fried man in a bunny costume.


BUNNYMAN VENGEANCE is a fun ride. Don't take things so seriously. Just roll into it and enjoy the madness of it! Well worth a viddy!

Halloween Costumes of the 70s

Ah...the 70s.

A simple time. A time of plastic masks that covered the front of your head, but not the back.
Masks that cut into the skin around your eyes and cut your vision down by roughly 45%.
Of rubber bands that snapped and whipped your skin, forcing you to either hold the mask in place with your hand or abandon it all together - popping it into your treat bucket (...mine was an orange pumpkin bucket with a black handle that would cut into your hand more and more the more candy you got!) or in a neighbor's yard.




Good times!

Lake Nowhere, Exists, and hellos

I'm trying out a new little format - a video review!

I was watching LAKE NOWHERE and was inspired to toss my hat into the video ring. However, this isn't going to be the quality all the time. I plan on giving this a shot a few more times in October with proper lighting and a better intro. I literally did this on my laptop with candle lighting and a glass of whiskey. hehehe

LAKE NOWHERE was a fun little throwback to my time as a teen watching VHS tapes with friends until the wee hours of the morning. 50 minutes of time machine goodness. The story was odd and interesting and they managed to get the classic 80s tropes in without pushing them too hard. I guess the one downside to it was that somewhere in the mix they awkwardly transitioned into a more standard horror film, dropping the 80s throwback feel a bit. Still really good, but it felt like they lost the desire to keep the gag going a bit. Hard to explain. Still a fun, worthwhile watch.

EXISTS was a tense little found footage film. I'm usually not a found footage guy, but this was really well executed and tight. It even hooked my wife in and she's not a genre fan.

I really should come up with a little nickname for my wife and her genre input. heh I'll work on a little cute name for her. :) I'm always impressed when she watches a film I'm watching, even more impressed if she truly watches - sans phone - and is interested, then wowed when she actually mentions the film the next day. EXISTS got a next day mention - a positive feeling and thought on the length and story line. It really was a grand little thrill fest with limited "WTF?!" moments carried out by characters. Enjoyed it MUCH more than Willow Creek.

Feedback is welcome! I'd love to hear what you think! 
((...keeping in mind that the production quality will go way up on the next rev!))

Murder Party

What a ton of fun! MURDER PARTY brings a cutting edge humor to the horror genre that I have not seen for a while. This low budget dark comedy jewel is packed with laughs and commentary on the art scene, but doesn't skimp on the gore either. Jeremy Saulnier's direction keeps this tight, 80 minute film hopping from item to item in a wondrous way.

The story is simple. A man finds an invite to a Halloween party on the street and decides to venture out and away from his quiet life in search of a little All Hallows Eve excitement. However - slight spoiler - it turns out that the MURDER PARTY he's stumbled into is for HIS murder. Several artists want to use him as the subject matter of their art pieces, but they fight over who's method of murder will be used and...who will get a $500,000 art grant they've been after for months.

And then, things get REALLY crazy and a hilarious way.


I found myself laughing out loud along with cringing and giggling as things played out. There are some truly hilarious moments in here. The acting is fun - it has a playfulness about it that made me think back on old 80s films like NIGHT OF THE DEMONS and RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD where the actors look like they had a lot of fun making the movie.





If you're looking for a fun addition to your Halloween Movie Lineup, MURDER PARTY is the perfect item. There's really not much more to say about it.

Creature: Wha Happon'?

The BEST-HORROR-MOVIES.com podcast featuring Director Fred Andrews got me curious about the 2011 film CREATURE. For those who are not aware, Creature was a somewhat low budget (ok, really low budget) horror film that got a major studio release. So major that it failed miserably, dying on the vine and earning a mere $327,000 from the 1507 screens it was shown on. Evidently, it was the lowest grossing first weekend ever for  film being shown on over 1500 screens and the second worst per location...ever. I had to see it.

FROM MOVIELINE:  $220 per screen and 6 people per showing

Now, in the interest of the new mantra of THE HORROR SHOW, there will be no bashing of this film. On the contrary - it's really not as bad as some I've seen.

The plot is super basic. Group of 20-somethings go off for an outing. Said trip sees them wandering too far off the path. There's a monster and "hillbilly bad guys". ::::shrug:::  Stop me if you've seen this before. And, they start dying. Nothing new. Nothing major. The monster design and makeup were fine. I mean, it's a dude in a suit and it's obvious and the lighting doesn't help in hiding the fact. This film is lit up all sorts of ways and in all sorts of dramatic styles. I'm not saying that they work for this film, but...they are there. The story was interesting - a good mix of reality and "it just happened through some sort of magic" that appealed to me. No need to go into the micro-details of how a sad man became this alligator monster man. I'm good with magical unknowns. Sure! Why not? It's an alligator man for cripes sake.

The cast is...there....being the cast. Sid Haig Sid Haigs things up as usual - always fun. "That black dude from True Blood" Mehcad Brooks and "That hot brunette girl...from something I've seen before" Serinda Swan (turns out it was SUPERNATURAL) turn in performances. There's another girl that I'll call "NOT the delicious Linda Cardellini" Amanda Fuller and Lauren Schneider who couldn't hang on to her accent, but was intriguing in that redhead showing her breasts sort of way. The rest, like I said, were there being the cast and saying their lines. :)


Everything was going along just fine as I watched Fred Andrews work his directorial magic and the plot unfolded before me. It was going so well that I found myself saying, "Man, this film REALLY got a bad rap! I bet it was just marketed incorrectly - it's not bad at all."  Then it happened. Everything started to fall apart in a rather spectacular way. 

People were taken away and tied up to be offered to the creature...and their foot was cut off? Um...why? Why did they do that? I...

There were six people in the group. Two couples and a brother and sister. The guy and girl from the couples were brother and sister as well. When the S goes down, the guy asks his buddy to save his sister...but doesn't seem to remember that he had a friggin GIRLFRIEND there as well! LOL "Get my sister safe! To hell with the girlfriend. I can always get another girlfriend!" No, he didn't say it, but he thought it! :)



WHOLE GROUPS OF PEOPLE APPEAR...then just WALK THE F AWAY and DISAPPEAR. People that might have been able to DO something had they stayed. And...where did they go? They just wander away into the swamp area.

The creature bites NUMEROUS people through the film, but proceeds to punch and pummel the guy who fights him in the end instead of just...eating him, really.

It goes on. I'd love to go on as well, but it starts to get mean after a while. :::grin:::  Above all, I was not mad about the time I spent watching this film. (Granted, I was doing other things as well most of the time) I had some laughs. I had some WTF?! moments. I found myself talking at the screen like crazy at the end with a big smile on my face saying things like, "Wait...they keep leaving these women around for the creature to find..." and "HA! POP GOES THE CREATURE! Didn't see THAT coming, did you, Buddy?!"

I had a good time, but I'd NEVER think about sending this thing off to the masses in a friggin theater! A few small theater showings around Halloween - sure, maybe. heheheh

WHAT the HECK was the studio thinking here? It's really their fault that this film failed in the theater. It shouldn't have been there. This would have done well released to DVD and Netflix, doing it's thing and being fine. If anything, it might have done better with more camp and less seriousness, but that's just a personal opinion.

Again, from the MOVIELINE article found here:
"Chalk the failed experiment, perhaps, to the elder Sheinberg's past successes; while at Universal Pictures, Sid Sheinberg released the game-changing Jaws and in the process birthed the blockbuster by forgoing small-scale roll-outs in favor of national release. Creature seemed to similarly attempt to launch a wide-scale release with but without sufficient awareness efforts among a proportionate audience, and as a result the film arrived without enough of a trumpet blast and lacking enough of a draw (great reviews, buzz) to make the gamble work."

I hope that Fred Woods recovers and makes more films. It looks like he's still going strong as a production designer. 

CREATURE is not the problem here and is well worth taking a look at over pizza, beer and popcorn on Netflix some rainy night for fun. It's just a shame that it was pushed out into the world like it was.

Halloween Costumes

Cute little video about old time Halloween costumes. :)

Alice, Sweet Alice

The film is a mystery in a style that kinda reminds me of Argento. Very giallo / who-done-it, we see a murder happen, but we're not 100% sure who did the deed. We just know whoever did it...is seriously disturbed. GREAT FUN! :)

Alice, Sweet Alice is a great little film. Director Alfred Sole only made four films, but he's still producing today. (Castle TV series) It stars Linda Miller and a bunch of other "hey, it's that guy!" types, but the big go to for Alice is a super young Brooke Shields, though she's not around a long time. :::grin:::





This film is full of disturbing imagery and characters. The film's mask is damn creepy in and of itself. The famous Alice, Sweet Alice mask even makes a little appearance in V/H/S.  :)

If you're looking for some good mystery, 70s horror and interesting visuals, you should check this out or re-visit this film at once! 

 

Vintage Halloween Costumes

Nothing like some old-time, creepy, Halloween costumes to really set the mood.

I don't care how simplistic these costumes seem - they are some of the most frighting and oddly disturbing items that I've seen.


Just picture walking down the street at night - or, even during the daytime! - and seeing some of these little creatures walking towards you. Maybe singing a little tune?

Vintage Halloween PinUps

We love Halloween here at THE HORROR SHOW.

We also love lovely ladies.

So, what could be better than lovely ladies dressed up for Halloween?!  :)

The classic pinup is a wondrous thing. There was something left to the imagination and a sweet playfulness that can be severely lacking in today's modern pinup imagery.


Enjoy!

Veronica Lake with her brew. Lovely!

 

A modern twist on the theme.   :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!