Artist Spotlight: Uno Moralez

Agent Tony passed this gent over to me recently and I LOVE his work.

Uno Moralez was born in Bashkortostan; a republic in the Russian Federation. His work as this crazy, creepy quality that I adore. The distinctive look and feel reminds me a bit of David Lynch's work, but the style is utterly unique.

You can see more of his amazing work on his site:
https://unomoralez.com/

There's also a fantastic interview with his here:
http://www.tcj.com/uno-moralez/



Enjoy!

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Galaxy of Horrors

This sci fi horror anthology really delivered some interesting stuff, I have to say. It was really solid and held my attention throughout. As with most anthology films, there were some hits and misses. However, the overall experience was positive, engaging, and presented some concepts and storylines that I had not seen before. I love that.

I'm very happy that these folks had a vehicle to get their short films out into the world and I was happy that the Exploding Heads Horror Movie Podcast gave me the heads up about it.






Wraparound Segment (dir. Justin McConnell)
Maybe notthe most engaging segment - it was really just a throughput to the end goal of seeing the videos. However, it was still interesting and did what it was meant to do.

Eden (dir. Todd Cobery)
Dystopian future fun with some interesting visuals and both practical and 3D effects. Pretty solid. 










Iris (dir. Richard Karpala)
High concept goodness. A grand and simple morality play with heavy big brother overtones.





Flesh Computer (dir. Ethan Shaftel)
Not really my cup of tea, but it had enough interesting visuals to keep me engaged even if i didn't find the story to be to my liking.



Pathos (dir. Fabio Prati, Dennis Cabella and Marcello Ercole)
Very BRAZIL in feel. One of those, "I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm interested," sorts of segments.





Eveless (dir. Antonio Padovan)
Another that slipped a bit, but this two man act was interesting for sure.

They Will All Die In Space (dir. Javier Chillon)
Reminded me of OUTLAND (1981) a bit. Solid sci fi.




Entity (dir. Andrew Desmond)
Whoa. That was really strange. I liked it. :)







Kingz (dir. Benni Diez and Marinko Spahic)
Wild visuals, cool action choreography, and a odd little plot made this a fun watch for sure. Pretty wild.







 All in all, I believe this is well worth a viddy. Currently available on AMAZON PRIME.

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. 

Wither

Vittra - made in 2012 - was kicked out here in the States as WITHER. I caught it on Amazon Prime here in the US and it was a fun little ride.

This is basically Sweden's EVIL DEAD take and, while it's not the EVIL DEAD, it's very entertaining and keeps things interesting and bloody.  A group of friends heads to an abandoned home in the woods (far cleaner than the cabin in Evil Dead!) And, in this film it's another ancient evil up to no good - a sort of wood fairy spirit being who can take your soul just by looking into your eyes, turning you into an evil, monstrous creature.

This start of slowly, but ramp up into some rather fun, gory goings on. Sadly, the pace falters from time to time, but it's well worth sticking it out through some heavy dialogue and WTF? moments to get to more of the evil beings.

The F/X work is grand. Blood flows and awful things happen to the group as the evil is spread through some wicked bites and gross out blood spraying. Little touches here and there - like glowing, milky eyes - really set this film apart from some other Evil Dead "homage" movies I've seen since the original film came out. They are doing Evil Dead for sure, but they do the copy-cat with their own, gruesome touches.

The acting is rather good. Or, at least I think it is seeing as the film is in Swedish. It was language that came off sounding bitchy to me - not sure why.  Like everything that was said had a snarky tone to it. Interesting language.

There are some great shots like the one above that really play on that "something is creeping up on you" feeling. However, there are also some moments where I was thinking, "Hmmm...the house isn't THAT big. Wouldn't the other folks hear this guy and girl struggling and growling in the room six feet away?"  Those moments took me out of things for a minute, but the film isn't all that serious anyway, so I managed to let it go after a time.

All in all, WITHER was a fun ride that is well worth a viddy!

DARK WAS THE NIGHT

Netflix is on a roll with it's suggestions. DARK WAS THE NIGHT is a fantastic little monster movie. This slow burn really builds up the characters and tension as the film rolls along at it's slow burn pace. Those who want to see the action clear and crisp won't like this film - the majority of the cryptozoological fun happens in the shadows, but the creepy factor - tromping around in the dark looking for the bump in the night - makes it all worthwhile and really enjoyable.

Jack Heller's direction in DARK has made me even more excited to see BONE TOMAHAWK and I'm moving that up in my list. Kevin Durand and Lukas Haas brood through their performances and relay the darkness and sadness that dwells within humanity perfectly. This isn't an uplifting film, but it's a fun little monster movie for sure.

Sadly, the film's creatures do tend to look a little "computer-esque" in their somewhat flat appearance, but the whole of the film does more than enough to support the difficult creature work the 3D folks tried to get across. I almost think a large puppet or animatronic creature might have done this more justice for the third act.

That aside, DARK WAS THE NIGHT is a must see for creature feature fans! 

Contracted

I recently re-watched CONTRACTED from Director / writer Eric England. I'm happy that I did.






My first viewing was fine. I watched and took it all in and enjoyed the film, but I wanted more. I won't say much about the plot here. Suffice it to say that a one-night-stand sends the lead - the wondrous Najarra Townsend - on one bad, bad health issue filled ride. But, I found myself wanting more and railed against certain aspects of the film. I liked it, but wanted to re-write parts.

Here's where the Internet got cool again for me.

I posted my thoughts on Twitter.

"Watching CONTRACTED. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to laugh or not. Odd."  Something like that.

"Some Guy" replied with "You can laugh - there's humor in there for sure! :)"

We had a little "chat" about the film there on Twitter and he seemed really invested in backing the film. Why? BECAUSE IT WAS THE DIRECTOR - ERIC ENGLAND!!!! HA! Pretty cool. He was bringing things up and I was agreeing, then I looked him up and had a laugh. I had no idea. His points were solid and I bookmarked it for a re-watch.



When I did re-watch recently, I got it. England kinda nailed this film and, as a genre fan, I was happy with the results once I was key'd into what England was trying to do.  When I checked out other comments, I could see that I just didn't "get it" at the time and I was one of the few who didn't, really.



Townsend is great as the lead Samantha. Not fully seasoned, as it were, but pretty solid throughout.
Veteran Caroline Williams is Sam's mother and nails that role, of course.


I guess the doctor role and writing is the last bit I didn't like even on second watch. Minor, really, but it just came off silly with lines tossed out like, ":::odd pause::: You have a sexually transmitted disease.:::blink:::"   :)   All in all, not a deal breaker.


This is a must see. Check it if you have not already. Chime in in the comments if you dug it or hated it. I'd love to hear from you!

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

My sister-in-law gave Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters a go recently and really enjoyed it. "It was fine. I mean...you know...it was just fun and light." I made note and gave it a go and she was right - it was just a fun film.

You know the drill - Hansel and Gretel story with a new twist where they continue their witch killing as youths, teens and into adulthood leading to the resolution where there is a major witch happening that they need to take on. There are "Van Helsing Style" steampunk weapons, a troll, bad humans and enough fighting and spell casting to make things interesting throughout.



The cast is fine and doing what they need to do to sell the story. Jeremy "Hawkeye" Renner is dashing and tough, the delicious Gemma "Quantum of Solace" / "so damn cute" Arterton is her so damn cute self and tough and the age defying Famke "Jean Grey / Xenia Onatopp" Janssen chews up everything in her path and plays the evil up to 13 in a fun, nasty witchy way. Man, she looks the same as she did in 1995. It's amazing.



The film follows the Van Helsing path, switching up the old tale with some new, alternate history madness where Gatling guns and tricky, self loading crossbows are weapons of choice. But, you know what? I'm totally fine with both films, really. At least someone is doing something interesting, fun and new-ish. And, they make use of some practical effects here as well. Good old fashioned makeup, prosthetics and costumes mixed in with computer effects. The troll was a lot of fun and felt like some of the Henson Dark Crystal work.

A small rant:
A recent view of THE BELL WITCH HAUNTING made me want to kick a...well...whoever greenlit the project, really. :::grin:::  It was more of the same, found footage nuggetry that is all over the place. All hell is breaking loose, yet people are still compelled to point a camera around. DEVIL'S DUE is running into the same madness. A man's pregnant wife is speaking like a demon and he doesn't fail to continue rolling tape. Mind boggling.  Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is just playing around. Tommy Wirkola knows what he's doing both behind the keyboard (writer) and behind the camera. However, as with his previous feature DEAD SNOW, I'm not sure people get that he's playing and having fun. I'm not sure what they are expecting, but to rail against this film is just silly. If you saw the trailer, you knew what you were getting into straight away.



It would be like me complaining if I went to see DEVIL'S DUE after seeing the trailer. I know it's not for me - why rip it more than I have already? :)

If you're not afraid to take in some fun, try out Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. It's a hoot. :)

Some fun PRACTICAL effects work in here as well. Like this fun troll, Edward. :)

Mutants

 Another quickie review for the film MUTANTS - a French film that might be overlooked. I was zooming around the NETFLIX horror list a few years back and saw the cover for Mutants and was intrigued. It looked promising, so I gave it a go. I'm happy that I did.

The plot is simple - a plague situation is sweeping through the world and changing human DNA. A med-tech and her husband are traveling through the snow and are seeking out refuge after hearing a radio broadcast from a help center. (Memory is fuzzy here, but I think that's close) Of course, some of the most frighting things they need to deal with our other humans.

It's a tough one to drop into a bucket. It's not vampires, not zombies....they are...well...mutants. They come close to the 28 DAYS LATER infected - that's the closest. They look great and are frightening for sure.





The pace is slow and there is a lot of character interaction more than action, but it's really well done and the acting is grand and the tension high. It's always great to see a strong, female character kick some butt as well. No mincing around here - she knows what she needs to do and does it. Great to see.



Seek MUTANTS out if you like story based horror. Especially now that the weather is colder. The cold plays a part in this film as well. So.....cold.....   :)  It's still on Netflix streaming at the time of this posting.

Let me know what you think!

Grabbers

What a fun little film! Is it SHAUN OF THE DEAD level horror comedy? Mmmmm...no, but nothing is, right? :) This is a load of fun and rolls along at a funny and fun pace for sure.

The long and the short is that something has fallen from space near a small, Irish island. The residents start dropping like flies as the grabby, tentacled monsters start feeding off of them. The one way to protect yourself from their attack? Being completely drunk, thus rendering your blood toxic to them. Silly, right? Oh yes, it really is. But, it's SO MUCH FUN.

Jon Wright's Direction is grand as well. I'll need to check out the film he did before this - a nasty little number called TORMENTED from 2009 and his new outing OUR ROBOT OVERLORDS due out in 2014. 

It's a fun ride, but it doesn't let the horror go to get giggles. There are some nasty little bits of grabber goodness in this film that had me laughing for different reasons. Some of the kills are shocking and well played. And, while this is a lower budget affair, the computer work and practical effects work doesn't suffer. They manage to pull off some grand effects and I never found myself rolling my eyes at what i was seeing. 

I imagine this would play well as a drinking game of sorts as well, though if you drank like they drink in the film, you might not remember most of the film come morning! 

Check out GRABBERS. It's a hoot!

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."