The Crazies (2010)

I’ve never been a big fan of George A. Romero’s 1973 film The Crazies. I’ve probably only seen it a few times and remember being very underwhelmed by the horror flick. I understand its message and significance, and while I appreciate a good socially conscious film, the original Romero film just didn’t grab me and was largely forgettable.

So, I wasn’t too excited for the 2010 remake, helmed by Breck Eisner (same dude who is in discussions to direct remakes of The Brood and Creature from the Black Lagoon…ugh, it never ends! He also directed an episode for Fear Itself). I saw The Crazies reboot when it was released on DVD last week, but it has taken me this long to write a review since the remake, like the original, left me feeling pretty “meh”.

A military plane crashes in a small Midwest town and releases a secret biological weapon into the town’s water supply. As people become exposed they become gravely ill, ultimately descending into homicidal madness. Soon, the military quarantines the town to contain the virus at all costs. Sheriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant), his pregnant wife Doctor Judy Dutton (Radha Mitchell) and a few other uninfected inhabitants attempt to escape, but who can they trust when anyone can be infected?

This remake doesn’t really try anything differently and is pretty much the same film as the original except it looks more slick and polished. It starts off pretty strongly (a man holding a gun stumbles across a baseball game, a mad look in his eyes, as Sheriff Dutton pleads with him to put the gun down – a scene you’ve undoubtedly seen in the trailer), but after the characters and plot are established the story begins to wear thin and the proceedings become pretty boring.

However, the film also has its positives. For one, the acting was pretty decent. Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell do a good job as the married couple, though their chemistry felt a little off at times. And dang…Olyphant looks mighty fine in that police uniform! Joe Anderson who plays the deputy also gave a strong performance, especially towards the end. Everyone else in the cast did a good job, so not many complaints from me regarding the acting.

I also thought the special effects were quite good and the “infected”, with bloodshot eyes, sores erupting on their faces, their blank-eyed stares, looked great! There is a scene at a truck stop where a few groddy infected attack the Sheriff and his wife that is VERY effective and actually made me jump! The film isn’t gore-focused, but has its fair share of bloodshed. One memorable scene that comes to mind is the pitchfork scene where a “crazy” kabobs a victim with the implement.

Saying all that, I was still bored watching the film. A few good scenes do not a movie make, and while The Crazies isn’t a horrible, dumbed-down remake like most horror “reimagings” are, I was still managed to be let down. The story is just too familiar, not only because it’s a remake, but because we’ve seen virus/quarantine movies so many times before…and yet films like 28 Days/Weeks Later and [REC] actually managed to keep me from falling asleep while watching them, something I can’t say for The Crazies.

Saying The Crazies is one of the better horror remakes out there really isn’t saying much, and while The Crazies is better than most reboots coming out of Hollywood,  it still failed to entertain me.

Watch at your own risk!

Available from Amazon!

Book Review: The Loving Dead by Amelia Beamer

Every month I wade through a glut of zombie novels, some of them good, some so-so and some downright awful. From my towering books-to-review stack I recently chose Amelia Beamer’s The Loving Dead to check out. It sounded intriguing enough as a group of regular twentysomethings find themselves at the epicenter of a sexual transmitted zombie virus in San Francisco.

From the back cover:

Kate and Michael, twenty-something housemates working at the same Trader Joe’s supermarket, are thoroughly screwed when people start turning into zombies at their house party in the Oakland hills. The zombie plague is a sexually transmitted disease, turning its victims into shambling, horny, voracious killers after an incubation period where they become increasingly promiscuous. Thrust into extremes by the unfolding tragedy, Kate and Michael are forced to confront the decisions they’ve made, and their fears of commitment, while trying to say alive. Michael convinces Kate to meet him in the one place in the Bay Area that’s likely to be safe and secure from the zombie hordes: Alcatraz. But can they stay human long enough?

It took me a while to get into The Loving Dead, I think perhaps because of the first-person perspective that kept switching between Kate and Michael. However, about 50 pages in I fell into the flow of the novel and started to enjoy it. If you are from California, you will definitely enjoy the references to Trader Joe’s (I love this grocery store!) and readers familiar with the Bay Area will appreciate all the landmarks mentioned in the novel (The Coliseum, Alcatraz, Golden Gate, etc.). These details definitely added to my enjoyment of the book. However, just because you aren’t from California doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate The Loving Dead. Besides its witty and plentiful pop culture references (iPhone apps, Twitter, BoingBoing, Indiana Jones, blogs), it’s got sex, violence, romance, zombies and plenty of nail-biting action! Plus, it has an amazing conclusion that I definitely didn’t see coming.

Most importantly, though, it does something different with zombies. Making the zombie virus sexually transmitted was a brilliant move on Beamer’s part and really makes the novel stand apart from every other zombie book out there. This is a great social commentary on today’s generation – hordes of slobbering, horny twentysomethings not giving a damn about consequences for their sexual actions. Not to mention that we get to read about sleazy zombies who want to hump you just as bad as they want to eat you.

The Loving Dead is Amelia Beamer’s debut novel and I’m excited to report that this is one of the “good” zombie novels I’ve read this past month. Despite a shaky opening I found myself thoroughly enjoying the unique storyline and loving the new approach to the zombie virus.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to cuddle up with a zombie, look no further than the kinky The Loving Dead. It’s a hip and twisted new zombie novel that’ll have you all tied up!

Available from Amazon!

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (2010)

It’s never a good sign when a director quits a production half-way through, which is exactly what happened with Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. Director Ti West (The House of the Devil, The Roost) just didn’t agree with the direction the studios wanted to take the film, so he bailed on the production. He was never replaced and the film was completed without a director. Usually, this spells disaster for a film, but Cabin Fever 2 still managed to be surprisingly entertaining!

This silly and fun sequel bears no resemblance to Eli Roth’s great Cabin Fever (which, for the record, I love!). First off, instead of an isolated cabin the location has been moved to a crowded high school. Secondly, the tone is totally different. Gone is the tension and suspense from Roth’s flick as it’s replaced with funny gross-out gags and outrageous gore. In fact, it helps to think of this sequel as a whole different story, because besides the flesh-eating virus it really doesn’t feel or look like the original!

The film picks up right where Cabin Fever left off – Rider Strong’s character has escaped the cabin in the woods only to realize he still has a very short shelf life. Meanwhile, the contaminated water containing the flesh-eating virus is bottled in a plant and shipped off to the local high school, which is gearing up for their prom. The prom ends up being ground zero for a whole new epidemic as the teens meet all kinds of nasty fates while the military quarantines the whole school. Can anyone make it out alive?

While I expected this sequel to be downright awful, I was pleasantly surprised by its energy, quirkiness and gore factor! If you like gross-out gore shocks, you are going to love Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever! There is copious vomiting along with buckets of blood, sores, pus, infected private parts and lots of ooey gooey ickiness! The action is completely over-the-top and every few minutes I found myself saying “ewwwwww” or “grossssssssssss”!! It’s not easy to gross me out but this film definitely did the trick!

I also enjoyed seeing the familiar faces of Giuseppe Andrews as party-hardy Sheriff Winston and the brief appearance from Rider Strong, both from the original! Other recognizable faces included Marc Senter from The Lost and Noah Segan from Deadgirl. The characters weren’t too terribly annoying, and I was actually rooting for the lead characters!

It’s too bad Ti West walked away from this film, because it’s buckets of mindless fun! It may not resemble the original at all, but it sure is an entertaining way to be grossed out!

Available on Amazon!

Dead Air (2009)

If you’ve ever been involved in any sort of disaster, natural or man-made, I’m sure you remember the details vividly. From the unsettling first seconds to the terrifying moments that seem to stretch on forever to the panic that settles in once the dust cleared, any kind of catastrophe is hard too forget! For example, I can clearly remember being in a large earthquake as a kid (it was freaky!) and I’m sure everyone remembers where they were on 9/11. There is just no way to ever forget those feelings of dread and fear.

Well, the film Dead Air taps into the feelings of panic, loss and chaos that occur during a sudden catastrophe. Except that this catastrophe isn’t just any natural disaster, but an organized terrorist bio-attack in every major city in the United States that infects its victims and turns them violent and dangerous. Did I mention it also has the power to bring them back from the dead?

Enter shock jock DJ Logan (Bill Moseley) as he hosts another late-night show on the air. He is joined in the studio by his co-host Gil (David Moscow), producer Lucy (Patricia Tallman) and tech Burt (Joshua Feinman). In the midst of their broadcast, they begin getting strange calls from listeners saying that all hell has broken loose. Apparently, terrorists have targeted major U.S. cities and released some kind of bio-toxin into the air, turning victims extremely violent and even resurrecting them after death. As Logan grapples with the severe situation unfolding outside and across the U.S. while delivering any information to his listeners, he also must face that fact that he is separated from his family by hordes of the infected. He doesn’t only have the infected to fear, though, because the terrorists who released the toxin in his city are converging on the radio station as well…

Dead Air is directed by Corbin Bernsen, probably best known in horror for his role in The Dentist. Bernsen delivers a tense, smart and scary horror film that taps into American’s fears of terrorist attacks. Though the infected in the film are vicious, fast and blood-thirsty, the action is more focused on Logan and what happens inside the radio station. This gives the film a more psychologically terrifying feel as we listen to callers who talk to Logan as beg for help while they are chased by zombie hordes. There is also a whole angle on Logan trying to reach his wife and child on the phone, hoping that they are safe, while debating to leave the safety of the radio station to go search for them. I also enjoyed the side story that followed the terrorists who planted the bomb in Logan’s town as they sought refuge in the radio station building. Kudos to writer Kenny Yakkel, as all of these different tenets led to a very suspenseful, enjoyable film.

Also adding to the success of the film was Bill Moseley’s layered performance as Logan. He first comes off as a prick, as most shock-rock DJ’s are wont to be, but when the excrement hits the fan he shows compassion and concern for his fellow Americans. We also see his strong dedication to his family and how well he performs under pressure. The rest of the cast do a great job as well, and it was a joy seeing Patricia Tallman (Night of the Living Dead remake) in a genre film again! I also enjoyed David Moscow’s portrayal as Logan’s slapstick sidekick and how his demeanor went from kooky to courageous as events unfolded.

Of course, your first reaction to hearing zombies and radio station under siege is to think of the great film Pontypool, but though their descriptions are similar Dead Air is slightly different in terms of tone. Dead Air tackles some heavier issues of discrimination, racism and our biased views on Muslims and people of Middle Eastern lineage. It also plays upon our fears and paranoia (an issue that Logan is discussing on-air when all hell breaks loose). Unfortunately, while this social relevance to current issues really amped up my interest in the film, some people may find the messages somewhat heavy-handed. And by the third act of the film it becomes so heavy-handed that it feels like someone is bludgeoning you with a phone book. I, for one, enjoyed the social commentary, though, and even the bland third act couldn’t really disrupt my love for this movie.

Dead Air is an intelligent horror film that really shouldn’t be overshadowed by its shallow similarities to Pontypool. It offers many smart observations on people’s motivations and human nature in response to chaos and keeps you on your toes with its engaging storyline and varied characters. I’m not sure why its release was delayed so long (it was supposed to see a nation-wide theatrical release in 2007 but was only just released straight-to-DVD recently), but it’s well worth your time!

Order it on Amazon!

Carriers (2009)

Am I sick of zombie movies? Well, truthfully, kinda. With the exception of a few entertaining ones this year (Zombieland!), I really wasn’t feeling the gut-munchin’ sub-genre in 2009. It’s not that I hate zombie movies (I in fact LOVE them) but nowadays it seems like everyone is churning out a formulaic film with the same gory set-pieces I’ve seen a billion times before.

So, I was kinda iffy on Carriers, even if “technically” isn’t really a zombie movie (like 28 Days Later, the victims are called the “infected” and have a virus). Like I really need another unoriginal post-apocalyptic movie to put me to sleep! Luckily, Carriers surprised me with its intelligent and emotional take on Armageddon.

Carriers tells the tale of four survivors, two brothers and their two girlfriends, who are making their way across the desolate American landscape after a virus has annihilated most of the population. The virus is extremely contagious and once you are infected and there is no cure and you’re as good as dead. There is not much else to the plot, which pits the survivors mostly against themselves and other humans who are simply trying to survive in a world gone topsy-turvy. There are no big chase scenes, no hordes of infected pursuing the survivors, but, to tell you the truth, I thought this take was refreshing. I liked how the action focuses on the drama that occurs between the still-living characters instead of on the infected.

You can’t go into Carriers expecting it to be another 28 Days Later, Land of the Dead or even Zombieland. It can barely be compared to zombie films, because it really isn’t one itself. There is no breakneck action and it is a very slow moving, quiet film whose intent is to show the horrors of being alone in a world where most people are dead or dying. Writers/directors Alex and David Pastor have created a movie that shows how frightening that loneliness really is.

The direction by the two directors is breathtaking. There are lots of shots of the wide-open road, desolate towns and stretches of empty land as far as the eye can see. When the characters enter buildings that may contain the infected or other squatters, the directors build dread and unease with the claustrophobic and dark settings. They even managed some effective jump scares scattered throughout the film!

The acting is top notch as well. You’ll recognize Chris Pine from this year’s Star Trek as tough older brother Brian as well as Piper Perabo as his girlfriend Bobby. His younger, Ivy League brother Danny is played by Lou Taylor Pucci and rounding out their rag-tag group is Kate, played by Emily VanCamp. Christopher Meloni plays a survivor looking for help for his infected young daughter, but other than a few other people the cast is extremely small. Most of the action is directed towards the four survivors, and they all do a fantastic job portraying a weariness that seems far too heavy for them to endure at their young age.

I know some will complain that nothing happens in the film, but I preferred the horrific drama unfolding with the survivors rather than suffer through another brainless (hehe) zombie/killer virus/end of the world flick. This movie will make you think, could I do that if my life depended upon it? It will make you ponder how scary isolation really is and make you wonder if you could leave your loved ones (or even kill them) if they became infected. How far would you go to survive? Carriers really shows the brutality of the human race but how that callousness comes with a price, even when it is necessary.

Carriers is not your typical horror movie, but in a genre over-saturated with insipid zombie flicks and over-the-top end of the world movies, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A downbeat, bittersweet film to be sure, Carriers is something to check out if you want something a little deeper than the typical brainless horror movie.

Order it on Amazon!

The Thaw (2009)

The threat of global warming is an issue few are ignorant on, but which many still seem to ignore. The melting ice caps, changes in climate and extinction of species definitely point to a troubling future, but it seems that few have done anything to cut back on their environmental impact on the Earth (don’t worry, I’m not going to start preaching at you).

Now, whether you believe in global warming or not, it still falls to logic that all our pollution from various industries must be affecting the environment in some way, or, at the very least, that natural resources are becoming more and more limited as more and more people inhabit our world. You can’t really argue that this doesn’t pose a strain on our environment, but still many of us (including me) have a tendency to turn a blind eye to the destruction of our planet.

Throughout history there have been instances where disease, natural disasters and other catastrophes happen that result in a large percentage of the human population being thinned. Do you ever wonder what the next chaotic event will be? Do you ever wonder if Mother Nature will finally do something to protect herself and lash out at the human population? Well, The Thaw poses that frightening question and answers it with a pretty scary conclusion.

A renowned eco-scientist, Dr. David Kruipen (Val Kilmer) is in remote northern Canada researching the effects of global warming. He and his team uncover the preserved remains of a woolly mammoth, but soon discover that the mammoth is also harboring a deadly 20,000 year-old parasite that quickly infects them.

Meanwhile, a group of three students and Kruipen’s daughter Evelyn (Martha MacIsaac, from The Last House on the Left remake) are on their way up to the research facility. When they arrive via helicopter, they discover the research facility deserted…except for a decaying corpse of a polar bear.

They soon discover that the nasty little parasites are inside the polar bear and lay eggs inside of their victims. Sure enough, they start getting bitten by the parasites, but that’s not all. After the bugs lay eggs inside their hosts, they eat their way from the inside out. The group must find a way to stop the bug’s spread, before they are unleashed upon the world.

The Thaw is a realistic horror film that seems especially relevant in these turbulent times. I like my horror films to be pertinent and socially conscious, and The Thaw fit the bill perfectly. Of course, even those that prefer blood and guts over social commentary will also be pleasantly surprised by the tension-filled The Thaw.

In addition to the relevant story, the pacing of the film is very fast. From the opening scenes of a nasty bug extraction to Dr. Kruipen’s videotaped confessions to a grisly scene of amputation and the nasty bug infestations, my eyes were glued to the screen for the entire running time. The action was tense, and except for a few poor decisions by the characters, everything felt very realistic. The characters were also refreshing and didn’t feature the usual dumb teens. Evelyn was a wonderful final girl who took charge almost immediately and seemed to have more common sense and scientific knowledge than the students. The students were a bit grating at times, but overall their characters’ reactions felt realistic…even if some of their decisions were poor.

As for the actors, most of them did a commendable job, especially Martha MacIsaac as Evelyn. She came off as a spoiled brat in the beginning, but really showed some intense leadership skills as the film progressed. I also have to point out Viv Leacock, who played Bart the helicopter pilot, for his even and brave portrayal…even during and after a nasty amputation. Val Kilmer must also be mentioned here, even if he was only in a third of the film. He played the Doctor very convincingly, with an eerie, unsettling calmness that really forewarned of the calamity that would follow in his wake.

The special effects were the real standouts of the film, though. From the parasites burrowing and squirming into flesh to the mushy egg sacs to the freshly-hatched young devouring their hosts and so on, I was left with the heebie jeebies! Nothing is completely over-the-top, but the gruesome scenes carry with them a sense of reality, like something is possible and could happen…if we aren’t careful. The film reminded me of a mix of Cabin Fever, The Ruins and The Last Winter.

The Thaw is a film that creeps under your skin and squirms there, tickling your mind with its social conscious stance as well as its gruesome set pieces. It reminds us that Mother Nature can only take so much before she reveals her most shocking secrets to us…secrets that could spell humanity’s demise.

Order it on Amazon!

Book Review: The Estuary by Derek Gunn

Permuted Press’ latest post-apocalyptic book is Irish author Derek Gunn’s zombie tale The Estuary. I haven’t read any of Gunn’s previous works (he is perhaps best known for his Vampire Apocalypse series), but my interest was piqued by The Estuary’s premise. I am usually a big fan of Permuted Press’ release, but I think they really dropped the ball with The Estuary…not to say that it is a bad novel by any means.

The Estuary begins with a covert Nazi mission where canisters filled with a secret weapon are being transported via mini-submarines to the front lines…but a storm takes the mini-subs perilously off course.

Fast forward to the present in the idyllic Irish hamlet of Whiteshead, where John Pender has relocated his family to try and rekindle his marriage and spend more time with his three kids. The idyllic setting is soon shattered when an old mini-sub is unearthed in the dried-up estuary and a mysterious gas leaks out of the long-dormant canisters.

The gas turns out to be a contagion that quickly infects all those that came into close contact with it. The infected turn into the walking dead who crave the flesh and blood of the living. Soon, the sleepy town is overrun with zombies and the survivors must find a way to safety!

Yet, when the remaining townspeople try to leave town, they find themselves quarantined by the army, who are prepared to use lethal force to contain the virus. The townspeople’s only hope for survival is reaching an old keep that juts up from the sea and is at the end of the estuary. But to get there they must traverse an ocean of the undead…

The Estuary had a very promising premise, but it suffers from a large number of problems that took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. The number one most annoying problem was the amount of typos in the book, which included everything from spelling, punctuation and grammar. For a published novel, the amount of typos in the book is unacceptable. Permuted Press really disappointed me with their severe lack of editing and/or proofreading. The typos are so bad that it doesn’t even appear that the book was proofread at all!

Secondly, I never felt any real connection to any of the characters and had a hard time keeping them apart. The repetition of the characters’ full first and last names every time they are mentioned was also distracting and led me to believe a new character was being introduced. Again, this could have been avoided if a good editor was used, but unfortunately this wasn’t the case.

As for the positives, there were some great action sequences, particularly towards the end of the novel. Gunn is able to write tension-filled scenes that kept me turning the pages. I really enjoyed the dwindling survivors making a run for it to get to the keep and their suspenseful last stand. Gunn’s descriptions of the infected are also excellent. These zombies don’t moan, grunt or make any kind of noise, but just silently stumble around. Their vacant, slack-jawed expressions are pretty darn frightening, especially coupled with the fact that they are so silent. They also aren’t exactly the slow, shambling type of zombies (nor are they fast sprinters), but instead can get to where they want to go pretty quickly. Gunn has created some very frightening monsters, especially since most of the survivors knew them as their former neighbors and friends.

Another enjoyable aspect of the story was the Nazi backdrop. I could have used a bit more on the Nazi’s and the background of the contagion, but the prologue did a good job of giving us a taste of the backstory.

The Estuary could have been a humdinger of a zombie novel, but unfortunately it is brought down by its many typos and lack of editing. Shame on Permuted Press for allowing a book with such potential to be released without proofreading and editing it first!! I really hope they get around to releasing a corrected version of The Estuary…because it really does deserve to be checked out typo-free!

Buy it on Amazon!

Alice Jacobs is Dead (2009)

How far would you go for an ill loved one? Would you endanger yourself to keep them alive? Would you endanger the entire world’s population if it meant that a cure for their disease might be found?

In Alice Jacobs is Dead, the world has long been overtaken by the Z-virus, but one scientist, Dr. Ben Jacobs (John La Zar), has created a drug that actually slows down the development of the virus. A cure hasn’t been found, but Dr. Jacobs is tirelessly working on finding one, especially since the life of his infected wife, Alice (Adrienne Barbeau), hangs in the balance.

Written and directed by Alex Horwitz, this 20-minute short film is a subtle, slow burn as the audience anxiously waits to see if Dr. Jacobs will find a cure before his wife turns into a full-fledged zombie. While the horror isn’t graphic, the film’s true strength lies in the anticipation of what might happen. Dr. Jacobs is willing to sacrifice his own safety, as well as the world’s, to find the cure for his wife. We get a glimpse of the destruction the Z-virus caused in the opening scene of a destroyed Golden Gate Bridge, but the rest of the film is limited to the locations of Dr. Jacobs’ lab and his home. The claustrophobic, isolated atmosphere works well in the film because the audience can imagine the destruction that is just beyond the Doctor’s walls.

Another strength of the film lies in the interaction between actors John La Zar (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls) and Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Creepshow, Carnivale, etc.). The two have a wonderful chemistry that really makes us believe they are a married couple fighting a degenerative disease. From loving moments to when they argue, their relationship rings true. It also doesn’t hurt that they are both highly accomplished actors! Rounding out the cast as Dr. Jacobs’ lab assistant George is Peter Cambor, whose credits include television shows Pushing Daisies, Numb3rs and Notes from the Underbelly, who also does a fantastic job in his role.

The film’s tone is somber, and if it weren’t for the zombie virus, it could just be another drama about a husband taking care of his sick wife. The zombie angle is what gives the film an edge, though, and makes it unique! There aren’t too many zombie films that give such humanity to turning into a member of the undead, and on the flip side there aren’t that many dramas that deal with the degenerative effects of a zombie virus!

There isn’t much gore in the film, but if you’ve been paying attention you’d know that wasn’t the aim or the focus of this short. We do get a bit of gut-munching towards the end of the film, but don’t come into Alice Jacobs is Dead expecting much blood-letting! To be honest, this film doesn’t need the gore and works just fine as a quiet study of a man going to great lengths to try to save the one he loves.

If you were in Dr. Jacobs’ place would you do any different?

Alice Jacobs is Dead may be a more subdued short film, but it will definitely get you thinking about what you would do if you were in the same place. My bet is that most people would indeed risk their own lives as well as the worldwide population’s if there was a chance they could save a loved one.

Alice Jacobs is Dead will be premiering at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 23rd, 2009 at 1:45pm in Room 26AB! Definitely don’t miss your opportunity to view this short!

Visit Alice Jacobs is Dead’s Official Site!

Pontypool (2009)

Every day we are bombarded by people communicating around us. Just think about how prevalent the English language is and how often you hear it every single day. Whether it is through the television, the radio or just stepping outside and hearing people conversing, we are exposed to thousands of spoken words every day. Now, what if the words themselves were infected and speaking certain words could turn people into blood-thirsty, raging lunatics? Think about how easily a virus like that could spread and how easily people could become infected!

And that clever little premise, my fiends, is the basis for the fantastically fun and eerily intelligent horror film Pontypool!

Radio personality Grant Mazzy is known for his confrontational and brash attitude. In fact, he was recently fired from his big-city DJ job and the only work he could find was in the tiny town of Pontypool, Ontario. He isn’t happy about being stuck in the middle of nowhere and having to drive through cold, snowy weather to get to work, but it was the only station that would take him. He begrudgingly arrives at the small radio station one morning and things start off pretty normal – he riles up the locals, argues with his producer Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle) and has the station assistant, Laurel Ann (Georgina Reilly) spike his early morning coffee. Then, he talks to the station’s “eye in the sky,” Ken (who isn’t really in a helicopter, but in his car driving around) for the weather report. Ken informs him that there is a mob forming around the local doctor’s office…and things go downhill from there. Grant, Laurel Ann and Sydney are holed up in the station when more disturbing reports come in from callers and weatherman Ken. The reports all say that people are making strange noises, speaking gibberish and turning violent, including eating other people. As the mob gets ever closer to the radio station, can the survivors inside figure out what is happening or is it already too late?

Finally! A horror film with an intelligent and original premise! This is exactly the kind of smart horror film I’ve been waiting for and Pontypool definitely delivers! I love how the film plays with something that hasn’t really been explored much in horror films – the English language. Everyone fears biological and chemical weapons, but what if someone developed a virus that spread through our language? Now that’s scary!!

The film was adapted for the screen by Tony Burgess from his story Pontypool Changes Everything. Now, I haven’t read the book, but I imagine Burgess stayed relatively true to his highly original story, which he must be given kudos for because it translates so well to the screen!The story cleverly builds from the initial mystery of what is going on outside the walls of the radio station to the startling revelation that people are acting violent and cannibalistic to the conclusion that the virus is transmitted via words in the English language. Though the story gets the tiniest bit befuddled towards the end (repeated viewings might clear up some of the confusion), I thought that overall it was a smart, unique script.

I was also impressed at the high levels of tension and dread, especially since the film takes place in mostly one claustrophobic location (the radio station) and we hear the carnage as opposed to actually seeing it. Hearing the strange gibberish of the infected as well as the sounds of screaming and violence over the phone really puts your imagination into hyperdrive and I think this was much more effective than just showing the audience explicit gore (though Pontypool does feature a one noteworthy scene that is cringe-worthy!). Again, this shows just how inventive Pontypool is and hearing the horror unfold as opposed to seeing it reminded me of old radio shows that my grandma used to listen to. I was always amazed at how effective those radio shows were at sending cold shivers down my spine, and Pontypool works in much of the same way.

I also liked how the one location of the radio station gave the viewer a sense of claustrophobia, especially when the infected surround the building and it seems like there is no way out. Director Bruce McDonald did a fantastic job at building dread and tension with the isolated and claustrophobic location.

As for the acting, it was phenomenal! Because there is only one location and only a few characters, we must rely on the three actors playing the characters of  Grant, Sydney and Laurel Ann to capture the feelings of their predicament. All three actors were incredibly believable in their roles, from acting incredulous to stunned to afraid. The absolute stand-out performer was Stephen McHattie as Grant Mazzy. He goes from weary and cynical but brash and incredulous radio DJ to concerned and scared citizen in the blink of an eye. When he realizes that the mob of people isn’t a practical joke or a stunt but truly is dangerous and blood-thirsty, the fear in his eyes is haunting. Lisa Houle as Sydney and Georgina Reilly as Laurel Ann both do a spectacular job as well. They both appear very natural and real in their characters.

Pontypool is an extraordinary film that is as smart as it is entertaining. It has everything going for it, from a strong story, surefire direction to excellent acting. It defies all preconceived genre notions and runs with its unusual storyline. Though Pontypool has some strong similarities to traditional zombie films, I think that comparison sells this highly intelligent film short. Though the infected in this film tend to mob like typical zombies do and eventually eat human flesh, the infected are not reanimated corpses and thus are not traditional zombies. They are something completely different, just as Pontypool is a completely refreshingly unique film.

If you are looking for one of 2009′s most original and intelligent horror films, look no further than Pontypool!

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Book Review: Thunder and Ashes by Z.A. Recht

These days, zombie stories are a dime a dozen. It seems that just about every other horror book out there is about the walking dead. Authors must continually work harder to bring their fans something new and something they can really sink their teeth into.

Amidst all the zombie fiction, Z.A. Recht has unleashed his new installment in the Morningstar Strain series, entitled Thunder and Ashes. Thunder and Ashes is the sequel to Plague of the Dead and picks up three months after the end of the first book.

In this post-apocalyptic tale, most of humanity has been wiped out by the virulent Morningstar Strain, a virus that turns the infected into raging, cannibalistic flesh-eaters and reanimates the dead! Only small groups of survivors remain. One of these is a group of soldiers and civilians lead by General Sherman who is fighting its way across the country to get to Omaha to meet up with Dr. Anna Demillio, who may have the answer to infection.

Besides battling hordes of the undead, they must also fight off raiders who would kill them just for their supplies and a group of rogue government agents who are determined to kidnap Dr. Demillio so they can lay claim to her research for the vaccine.

Thunder and Ashes is a straightforward zombie tale that avoids social commentary or philosophical meanderings for a more direct and visceral approach. It’s a perfect summer read for when you need something that doesn’t require much thought (hey, I mean that in a good way!) and are just looking for some action to fill your time. We are treated to lots of skirmishes, not just with zombies (though those are fun, too) but also with other human beings. There is one passage in particular where the group lead by General Sherman faces off against a bunch of bandits and raiders that reminded me of a good ol’ Western shoot ‘em up!

The gore is also pretty cool throughout. There is everything from bloody zombie attacks to gunshot wounds to bombs going off and so on…All in all, lots of action going on most of the time! I also enjoyed how author Recht used both fast infected (“sprinters”) as well as slow, reanimated zombies (“shamblers”). The threat of the fast infected really added to the suspense and tension of the book!

On the down side, the character development in the book is weak and pretty much most of the characters are interchangeable. The dialogue all sounds the same and each character doesn’t have a strong enough voice to stand out amidst the large cast of characters. Also, the story isn’t that original and suffers a bit from clichés and stereotypical situations.

Still, Thunder and Ashes is an enjoyable and breezy read for zombie fans, even if you aren’t familiar with Recht’s first book in the series, Plague of the Dead. If you want an easy summer read that features plenty of blood and guts, check out Thunder and Ashes.

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The Grapes of Death (1978)

After being introduced to Jean Rollins’ work through the film The Iron Rose, I decided to take a look at a few other of his films. I decided to start his 1978 film The Grapes of Death (aka Les Raisins de la Mort)as the premise, location and promise of gore lured me. The film was said to feature zombies, be set in the vineyards of France and be one of Rollins’ most ooey and gooey horror films.

I didn’t see any zombies or French vineyards, but the gore certainly was present and accounted for!

The film opens with a group of vineyard workers spraying down the rows and rows of sickly grapes with harsh pesticides. Despite the fact that they are all wearing “protective masks” (which are little more than painter’s masks) one man falls violently ill. Meanwhile, a young woman named Elizabeth (Marie-Georges Pascal) is on her way into the region via train. She is going to meet her fiancée at the winery where he works. The same man that fell ill in the vineyards boards her train, kills her friend and attacks her, all the while a large, oozing wound on his face is rapidly spreading.

Elizabeth hightails it into the French countryside, but encounters more people with the same pus-filled sores that try to attack her and anyone else who remains unaffected. The infected are not only violent, but they are also organized and sneaky. Can Elizabeth make her way to her fiancées winery and get help…before it’s too late?

This movie was pretty hit and miss with me. It was touted as a zombie flick, but I think that is a grossly inaccurate description. It wasn’t clear if the infected died and came back as pus-filled atrocities or if they were just sick. Besides stumbling around a little bit, they certainly didn’t act like zombies either, as they could speak and manipulate people. I was also expecting a bit more violence or action, but the movie dragged in many places. I’d say the bulk of the movie featured the heroine running, climbing and walking through the rocky French countryside (no vineyards in sight!).

The best part of the film was the special FX done on the afflicted. The greenish-yellow pus, the raw red sores and the bright red dripping blood reminded me of the over-the-top effects used in Street Trash or Slime City. While The Grapes of Death didn’t use the extreme bright color palate of either of those films, the effect of being grossed out was still achieved!

The signature Jean Rollins style of filming is definitely apparent in The Grapes of Death. The slow, languid shots give the film a dream-like quality, while the small flourishes of close-ups (of eyes, faces, etc.) are evident throughout the film. Visually, the color palate of the film is rather dull, making the colorful seeping sores on the infected pop all that much more.

The story is pretty straightforward and simple, but the ending is pretty powerful and even a bit surprising. I also loved the scenes with the woman in white, who absolutely stole the show!

The Grapes of Death isn’t a film I would recommend everyone see, but for those interested in Jean Rollins filmmaking it is a must-see. As many before me have said, the gore is phenomenal and fun and it pretty much makes an otherwise drawn out movie very enjoyable.

The Grapes of Death pairs excellently with a nice bottle of French Chianti.

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Perfect Creature (2007)

Vampire flicks are notoriously hard suckers (pun intended) to pull off. The vampire myth is so well-known that to keep the audience’s interest you need to throw something new and exciting into the mix. It seems that there are a plethora of vampire movies released into the horror market ever year, but few of them are memorable or even good.

Luckily, the recently released Perfect Creature, written and directed by Glenn Standring, infuses the tired genre with a whole new take on the vampire mythos, one that has vampires co-existing peacefully with humans…until a renegade decides to change the world.

In an alternate world that looks like a post-industrial Victorian London mixed with 1950’s and 1960’s technology, The Brotherhood exists. The Brotherhood is a superior race that began some 300 years ago who use their abilities to protect humans. In turn, humans revere and give their blood to sustain the Brothers. The Brothers have never killed a human being for blood…until now. Edgar (Leo Gregory), a renegade Brother has snapped and is now running amuck through the city, feasting on humans. Edgar had been doing genetic experiments to try and make female vampires a reality. You see, there are no females in the Brotherhood and therefore there hasn’t been a new Brother in over 70 years. Edgar has been infected with his own tainted experiment that has made him bloodthirsty. Silus (Dougray Scott), a high-ranking Brother in the order, is hard on his tail, but the human police discover one of Edgar’s victims before Silus can catch him and cover it up. The police, including Lilly (Saffron Burrows) and Jones (Scott Wills), are joined by Silus to track down the vicious Edgar before he starts spreading his virulent disease.

Perfect Creature is a wondrous new take on the vampire myth. These fanged creatures certainly don’t follow the rules of old school vampires! For one, they are looked up to by the human populace and revered as priests, scholars, scientists and benefactors. They also can move about freely in sunlight and don’t need a stake through the heart to kill them. They still have fangs and still need blood to survive, but these fanged crusaders do things for “the greater good” and all that jazz.

Adding to the “different feel” of the movie is the setting. The film is set in a gritty, dirty world that Jack the Ripper would feel comfortable in. At the same time, the industrial-Victorian feel is contrasted with the more modern appliances we see – a 50’s style television, old cars and even a zeppelin flying overhead. The spectacular visuals and setting sealed the deal for me and really sold the very different vampire story.

Speaking of the story, it goes deeper than merely two vampires, one good and one bad, duking it out. The relationship between Silus and Lilly develops very subtlety and there is a nice little surprise at the end that wraps everything up nicely while still leaving the film wide open for a follow-up. The characters were all well-developed and the film goes much deeper than a typical Underworld/Blade-style vampire film.

The action scenes do not disappoint, though I thought there would be more of them. The way the Brothers crawl straight up walls and other feats of their superhuman strength were pretty nifty to watch. Edgar’s escape from the Brotherhood was fraught with expectancy and was a thrill to watch. For a vampire film, there’s not very much blood spilled, but I was still pleasantly surprised at how the film stuck to a solid storyline rather than devolving into a brainless vamp action film. Props must be given to writer/director Glenn Standring for crafting such a fine story.

If you are sick of all the throw-away vampire films that seem so frequent these days, sink your teeth into this meaty hunk of a whole different breed. This Creature is definitely one feature you won’t want to miss…

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Masters of Horror - The Screwfly Solution (2006)

With a sudden spike in violence aimed at women, two scientists, Allen (Jason Priestley) and Barney (Elliott Gould) discover that this alarming trend is spreading throughout the world much like a disease would. They link the disease back to the eradication of the screwfly. In the 1950s, the screwfly caused so much devastation to livestock that the government sterilized as many of the male flies as possible. Since they could not reproduce, the species was soon wiped out. Allen and Barney have adapted this practice for use in other countries, slightly altering the formula to effect only the species they want to get rid of. Now, it looks like someone has turned the tables on the human race and is using the same technique to wipe us off the face of the earth.

The disease is triggered by sexual arousal, turning men aggressive and violent. They then brutally kill women and can spread the disease to others. Those infected claim that God made them do it and they go on to speak about beautiful, but different-looking, angels that spoke to them. Soon, a religious fervor grips those inflicted.

It’s up to Allen and Barney to find a solution for the epidemic before the men kill every last woman and the human race no longer has the ability to reproduce. Can they stop the infection from spreading to themselves?

Meanwhile, Allen’s wife Anne (Kerry Norton) and daughter Amy (Brenna O’Brien) must worry about the increasingly aggressive male presence that threatens them and the rest of the female population.

The Screwfly Solution is Joe Dante’s second entry into the Masters of Horror series (after first season’s Homecoming) and it is quite a cut above the usually ho-hum entries. This entry is a stand out, and like Homecoming, has social commentary aplenty for those that like their horror nice and meaty. It touches on everything from global warming, environmentalism, fundamentalist and extremist religious views, feminism, misogyny and the “battle of the sexes.” This film tries to bring to light these issues and at least makes the viewer think.

The violence towards women in the film is brutal and unflinching. It never objectifies or eroticizes the violence but keeps it frightening and horrible. There are some bloody bits here and there, but it is not a gore-drenched episode. Violence towards women in horror movies is nothing new, but something about it in this episode makes it all the more vile and inexcusable. The way the military responds to this tidal wave of women’s deaths is appalling and made my fists clench. This episode also shows how disposable women are considered in other countries and will perhaps give pause for people to think just how bad it is for women all over the world. In the film, as the bruised and battered pour into a women’s shelter, one former victim remarks how while she always thought she was alone, she was actually in the majority and “normal” when she was being beaten by her male partner.

The Screwfly Solution has some above-average acting, especially by lead Kerry Norton as Anne. Her character works at the local women’s shelter and is strong, self-assured and happy with her family life. She is married to Allen (Priestley doing a surprising good job, despite a few overly dramatic scenes) and has a teenage daughter named Amy. Norton does a great job playing the confident character from successful career and family woman to a woman on the run from the male populace. Elliott Gould was also a delight to see in a more serious role (even if he did throw in a few quips here and there). I only wish I had seen more of Gould throughout the episode.

Sam Hamm and Joe Dante have done a great job adapting the short story from James Tiptree, Jr. While I’ve never read the short story, I do hear from others that the film does follow the story quite closely. It is a little uneven, with the second half slowing down considerable as circumstances get more and more dire. I have also heard gripes about the pretty abrupt ending, but I actually enjoyed it. We finally get to see the ethereal “angels” that everyone who has the disease is talking about, and lemme tell ya, these aren’t no ordinary halo-crowned, white-robe-wearing pinnacles of glory!

If you are looking for a tense, smart and sociopolitical Masters of Horror episode, Joe Dante’s The Screwfly Solution comes highly recommended.

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28 Weeks Later (2007)

Deaths from infectious diseases appear to be increasing worldwide, and many experts believe we are due for a global pandemic. According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization, almost 11 million people worldwide died from infectious diseases alone in 2002. New communicable diseases like SARS (“Bird Flu”), the West Nile virus and “Mad Cow” (or foot-in-mouth) disease are constantly appearing. Others, such as malaria, tuberculosis, and bacterial pneumonias, are also evolving and are now appearing in forms that are resistant to drug treatments. We also live under the threat of biological and chemical warfare.

IS THE END PRETTY FUCKING NIGH? This very real threat is what makes 28 Days Later and its sequel, 28 Weeks Later so delightfully dangerous and scary; the scenario of an infectious “rage” disease that decimates England really could happen. And what’s there to stop from jumping the pond to the rest of Europe and the world?

28 Weeks Later seeks to confront this question. It is twenty-eight weeks after the “rage” virus spread in quarantined England and all of “the infected” have died from starvation. NATO has sent the American troops in to clean up the mess and secure an area of London for rebuilding and repopulation. Two children, the teenage Tammy (Imogen Poots) and her younger brother Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton), are reunited with their dad, Don (Robert Carlyle). While his children found refuge in Spain during the English evacuation, Don and his wife Alice (Catherine McCormack) were hiding out in the English countryside with other survivors until the infected came knocking (in what makes for a spectacular and heart-stopping opening sequence). Don left Alice behind and finally found refuge with the US troops in London. Now, since the military doesn’t think there is a threat of infection anymore, refugees can be brought back into a safe section of London. Things aren’t so safe, though…the infection is not gone, but still exists in a certain surprising carrier. It all begins again as the military tries to contain the outbreak and Tammy and Andy team up with a military doctor (Rose Byrne), soldier (Jeremy Renner) and a few civilians to try to survive both the infected and the military to get out of England.

28 Weeks Later is a fast-paced, exciting and frantic film that continues the story of the rage virus while cleverly building upon it. The story, rewritten from Rowan Joffe’s initial script by director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and his frequent contributors Jesus Olmo and Enrique Lopez Lavigne, has a very immediate and realistic feel to it. Its images conjure up the current “War on Terror” and the way the U.S. likes to be the “world police,” 9/11 devastation, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the rise of new and improved infectious diseases (including ones that can be used in biological warfare).

Besides its not-so-subtle social commentary, the film also serves as a damn fine entertaining and frightening film. The gore in 28 Weeks Later outdoes that from the first film – there are a lot of necks getting ripped out, flesh getting torn apart, an eyeball gouging scene, civilians and infected alike getting gunned down, plentiful blood splatter and a nifty helicopter scene involving a chopper’s blades and hundreds of the infected! We also get more close-ups of the infected in all their rage-filled glory. There are also several visceral scenes that will cause you to jump right out of your seat! Yes, if you are looking for pure entertainment, 28 Weeks Later has much to offer.

As for the acting, Robert Carlyle does a wonderful job playing the father and husband. He is doting and kind to his wife, but it doesn’t take long for his darker side to come out during the opening scenes. There’s a real sadness to the way Carlyle plays his character, but under the surface there’s a real menace waiting to be let loose. The actors playing his children, Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton, do a spectacular job with their characters. I was impressed by how likeable their characters were and how I was rooting for them all the way to the end, even though they do make their share of mistakes (but, c’mon! They are just kids!).

While the film lacks the haunting composition of Danny Boyle’s direction, Fresnadillo creates a frenzied piece of action, broken only by moments of calm silence that belie the violence that is to come. From the empty London streets to the rolling hills of the countryside to getting up-close-and-personal with an angry horde of the infected, Fresnadillo’s direction really makes you feel like you are right there beside the blood-spewing, clawing, biting and growing masses of the infected.

My one complaint about 28 Weeks Later is the shaky cam technique used. While it does manage to recreate the confusion, frenzy and disorientation the characters feel in the midst of an attack, most of the time I couldn’t tell what the hell was going on. Slightly frustrating, but this minor annoyance did little to diminish my enjoyment of the film.

Packed with energy and excitement, 28 Weeks Later is the first must-see horror film of the summer season! Don’t miss it while it’s in theaters…and, errrr, don’t contract any infectious diseases from the theater seats!!

Dead and Deader (2006)

I really wasn’t expecting much when I sat down to watch Dead and Deader. First off, it’s a made-for-TV film, and we all know how cheesy and badly done those can be. Secondly, it stars Dean Cain, who I haven’t seen in a movie in ages! I had pretty low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised by this brainless, yet still fun zombie flick.

Lt. Bobby (Dean Cain) is on a secret ops mission in Cambodia to find out what happened to a group of medical relief workers. He and his team discover the medical relief post empty, except for a terrarium filled with scorpions. They are attacked and one lone survivor ignites a grenade that kills them all…

Lt. Bobby and his team are pronounced dead and shipped back to the US. Bobby wakes up in a morgue, much to the amazement of the coroner. Bobby doesn’t have a heartbeat or a pulse and his skin is cold. He soon realizes that one of the scorpions is crawling around under his skin and he cuts that bugger out! The wound heals extraordinarily fast and Bobby also discovers that he has superhuman strength.

Bobby isn’t the only one waking up…soon his other team members are rising from the dead, only they didn’t turn out like him. The infection from the scorpions has reached their heart, which turns them completely into flesh-eating ghouls. Bobby teams up with a cook, Hieronymous Judson (Guy Torry) to kill the zombies, but both are fingered as murderers. Now Bobby and Judson are on the run from the law as well as trying to save the world from zombies! After Holly (Susan Ward) joins the two of them, they get captured by a mad doctor, Dr. Scott (Peter Greene), who is trying to harness the scorpion serum for eternal life. Can Bobby escape the police so he can stop the zombie infection from spreading? Can he defeat Dr. Scott and his nefarious plans? Can he be the first undead superhero?

This really is a brainless movie, but in a really fun way!! There are some pretty funny one-liners thrown about here and some horror movie discussion that’ll have most horror fans grinning. Sure, there are plot holes, corny dialogue, over-the-top acting and unbelievable moments, but the film makes up for all that with rip-roaring action, nasty zombie casualties and some humor thrown in. This is a movie that doesn’t take itself seriously, but just wants to have fun and entertain.

The acting, as mentioned before, isn’t all top-notch. Dean Cain feels really rusty going into this and his lines sometimes feel forced. Guy Torry as Judson feels like he’s playing his character too much over the top and like he’s trying to be the next Chris Tucker. His one-liners have a tendency to fall flat, which is where Cain’s deadpan delivery of his comedic lines comes in handy. Peter Greene is great as the villain (as usual) and it is always a pleasure to see him in a film. There are some cool cameos in the film as well – I really enjoyed seeing Armin Shimerman (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Star Trek: Deep Space 9”) and Dean Haglund (“X-Files,” “The Lone Gunmen”) as well as a few other recognizable faces.

The zombie gore was pretty sweet, too. Instead of having red blood, the infected have green, which looks especially nasty when it’s exploding out of decapitated heads, neck wounds and bullet holes. There are some gut-munching scenes as well, and even though they ain’t anything new, they are still enjoyable nonetheless.

The pacing is quick and fast, with Lt. Bobby and his pals moving from place to place, trying to track down any infected. There are lots of shoot-outs, zombie attacks and enough of a plot to keep you interested.
If you want a movie that you don’t have to think about and just want some entertainment, Dead and Deader might be worth checking out, at least for a rental.

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Subject Two (2006)

I was turned onto this indie flick by a fellow intrepid horror viewer who highly recommended Subject Two. An updated version of the classic Frankenstein story, it tells the story of Adam, a medical student who accepts an offer from the mysterious Dr. Vick who lives up in the secluded and snowy mountains. After a long hike through the snow, Adam arrives at Dr. Vick's and learns that his experiments involve reanimating the dead. Adam quickly becomes Subject Two as the doctor kills him and brings him back to life with a serum. Adam still has his mental capabilities intact, but Doc repeatedly kills him, giving him different strengths and variations of the serum. With each new death and rebirth, Adam becomes stronger as Dr. Vick perfects his experiment. All is not well, though, as Adam becomes paranoid of being infectious and we wonder what happened to Subject One...

From the beginning, I was sucked into the story and the interaction between the two men. Since most of the film involves just the two lead characters, their chemistry is very important and both actors pull off their roles flawlessly.

The story is an intriguing one, but becomes repetitive after a while. While we are treated to various methods of death for Adam - a shooting, a stabbing, a wrist slitting, etc. - the last half of the film begins to drag. Some plot points are never fully developed, which is a shame because if this film introduced something besides the killings of Adam, I believe it could have been great! The surprise at the end was a treat, but it came a little too late to recover from the repetitiveness of the rest of the film.

Overall, a pretty unique movie with some stellar acting from Christian Oliver (Adam) and Dean Stapleton (Dr. Vick). Yet, it needed a little something extra to alleviate the story's repetitiveness and slow pacing. Still, I would recommend you check it out if it sounds like your bag, baby.

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Rabid (1977)

If you've ever watched a David Cronenberg film, you know it usually deals with a horrific transformation of the human body and psyche (see The Brood, The Fly, Shivers, Videodrome, Scanners, etc.). I love Cronenberg's "thinking horror" that has a deeper meaning that most horror films.

Rabid stars Marilyn Chambers, probably most famous for her porn career, as Rose. Rose and her boyfriend get into a nasty motorcycle accident that leaves her severely burned. She is cared for at a nearby plastic surgery hospital, where she is treated with an experimental skin graph procedure. Upon waking, she has completely recovered but realizes she has an incredible appetite for human blood! She kills her victims with a sharp stinger that protrudes from her armpit. Her victims don't stay down for long, and soon they are walking around thirsting for blood as well. They kill their victims the old-fashioned, zombie way - by biting them! Soon, medical officials are declaring an epidemic of a new strain of rabies. Martial law is declared and those who have been vaccinated are given ID tags, while those without are manhandled and/or killed by the military. All the while, Rose must come to terms with the fact that she is the original carrier of the disease.

Upon first viewing, I took Rabid as a critique of the government/authority in an emergency situation, a critique on our fear of each other and a look at the "monstrous feminine" or the fear of women. Also, I think Cronenberg was trying to point out that it is hard to trust anyone, even yourself. The feeling of panic and paranoia that sets in after the epidemic begins was very realistic - there was some serious tension going on as people in the film tried to escape the rabies outbreak. Cronenberg doesn't shy away from the gore or violence either - one of my favorite scenes (for its social commentary alone) was a military officer mistakenly gunning down a Santa Claus in the mall.

Don't let the "deeper meaning" fool you, though. This movie is still entertaining, though it does get a little slow in parts. The actors do a pretty good job, and I was surprised to learn that this was a low-budget film. Bleak, grim and disturbing, Rabid is a deeper and more meaningful film than your usual blood 'n' guts, slash 'em up fest.

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Infection (Kansen) (2004)

Infection (aka Kansen) is another Japanese horror movie, but one that does not focus on creepy kids of long haired women. Instead, it deals with a horrific infection that starts to spread in a desolate hospital and the doctors that try to figure out how to stop it before they get infected. And really, that description just doesn't do justice to this terrific little film.

The infection starts when a patient is left by an ambulance at the hospital's ER, even though the hospital is taking no more patients. It seems the hospital is struggling financially - the staff hasn't been paid, medical supplies and drugs are getting sparse, and most of the patients have been sent home because of the hospital's inadequate facilities. A few of the staff members stay late to care for the few patients left, but strange things start to happen. The staff mistakenly kill a patient after injecting him with the wrong drug. To cover up their mistake, they decide to speed up decomposition so no trace of drugs will be found when an autopsy is performed. Meanwhile, this mystery patient with a strange infection is left on their doorstep. Soon, they discover that the infection is causing him to liquify into a green goo.

The infected patient disappears and the doctors are baffled since he has no muscular tissue left to move around freely. Soon, other staff are behaving oddly, and it is discovered that they too are infected. The survivors can't figure out how it is spread or exactly what the infection is, until it is too late. The ending is a little bit confusing and it will be especially confusing to anyone who hasn't seen or doesn't appreciate Asian horror films. It doesn't make too much sense, but I believe it makes the viewer think about one's perception of reality.

The film really sets up the atmosphere with the deterioration of the hospital. In the beginning of the film, the hospital is busy and bright, but as it progresses it gets darker, spookier and more empty. The green goo (and the noises of liquefying human flesh) are quite icky, for lack of a better word. There are some nice scare sequences, but it is mainly the dread throughout the film that is most effective. I did enjoy this film, even with its lackluster ending. If you are into Asian horror films, but want something different from the standard creepy child/long haired woman scares, look no further than Infection.

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