S&Man (2006)

Though the DVD cover of S&Man is extremely misleading (it makes it look like a crappy slasher), rest assured that the actual film is pretty damn brilliant, challenging and powerful. I was surprised to find that director J.T. Petty (The Burrowers, Soft for Digging) made this film and that I hadn’t heard of it sooner. Though it had a festival run way back in 2006, the film wasn’t released on DVD stateside until October 2010.

S&Man (aka Sandman, not S & M Man, like I originally thought!) is a film that explores the seedier side of horror that encompasses the “hardcore” mock-snuff films like the August Underground or Guinea Pig series that are infamous for their shock value and hyper-realism.

Set up like a documentary, S&Man was originally supposed to be a vehicle for Petty to do a film on a local peeping tom from a suburb he grew up in, but this plan fell through when the man refused to do the film. However, Petty still wanted to pursue doing a film on voyeurism, so he turned to the underground horror world and found three purveyors of low-brow horror films to feature.

First and probably the most well known is Fred Vogel of Toe Tag Pictures, creator of the August Underground series. Vogel is certainly not the originator of fake snuff films, but over the years his extreme films have probably become the most well-known. Featuring brutal violence on grainy film, stunts including real bodily fluids (vomit, feces, you name it), graphic nudity and so on, Vogel’s films, most of which he stars in, really do look like home movies of serial killers.

The next filmmaker is the seemingly perpetually drunk, middle-aged metalhead Bill Zebub, whose films usually feature  busty women in distress, some blood, and not much else. Zebub’s films aren’t really fake snuff or as extreme like Vogel’s and come off as little more than exploitation. He states he makes films for perverts and not much else, which is pretty much echoed in all the scenes shown from his films. In one sad scene he putters around a set in a bar for hours while one of his actresses is forced to lie ass up in a spread-eagle position wearing a thong, bikini top and not much else. The exasperated and bored look on her face pretty much says it all!

The last filmmaker interviewed, Eric Rost (Erik Marcisak), is the only fictional one, as Vogel and Zebub do exist in real life and you can purchase their films. At first, Eric appears like any other horror fan-boy with dreams of making it big with his own “vision” for horror films. He shows up at a horror convention Petty is attending and gives Petty his own horror films, called the S&Man series. The series is very voyeuristic, and features women being filmed seemingly without their knowledge before they are kidnapped and killed. The films look entirely realistic and Petty spends the documentary trying to get more information from Eric, like if he can contact the actresses that appeared in S&Man, but Eric isn’t very forthcoming. In fact, Eric won’t give Petty a straight answer on whether he obtained consent from the women before stalking and filming them. Petty soon becomes suspicious and thinks Eric may be a real snuff filmmaker who is killing his victims.

In between talking with these three filmmakers, Petty interweaves interviews with psychologists, a self-professed “scream queen” (can just any woman that bares her boobs in a few crappy horror movies be considered a “scream queen” nowadays?), and feminist author of Men, Women and Chainsaws Carol Clover (yay, one of my favorites! I adore this woman!). These interviews add to the overall weight of the faux documentary, but the most interesting scenes occur when Petty turns his camera on the three filmmakers.

I found S&Man to be a challenging film to sit through at times, but the issues it addresses like voyeurism, gender, exploitation of actresses and how this exploitation eerily mirrors the exploitation of real-life victims, how far is too far, etc., etc. are what ultimately makes it rewarding. If you are anything like me, you’ll be equally parts repulsed and intrigued by Petty’s film, though in the end it will hopefully make you think and question your own personal limits.

Buy it on Amazon!

Meadowoods (2010)

You all know that faux documentaries are nothing new in the horror genre. “Found footage” flicks have been popular from Cannibal Holocaust to Paranormal Activity and are now more common than ever thanks to the heightened scare factor, immediacy and realism of faux docs. Plus, they can be relatively cheap to make for filmmakers on a budget! However, they are so “dime-a-dozen” nowadays that sometimes they are more a chore to sit through than a pleasure.

So, I didn’t really have high hopes for Meadowoods, where three college students decide to film themselves planning and executing a murder.

The three disenfranchised college kids are Stephanie (Michelle Roe), a bitter young woman who has lost all faith in humanity, Travis (Connor Thorp), the seemingly happy-go-lucky leader of the group but who hides a sinister, sociopathic nature and the brooding cameraman Ryan (Michael Downey). The three are fed up with being neglected by their parents and living in a small podunk town, so to go down in history they decide to kidnap and kill a random person, filming everything. However, once their plan starts to become a reality, Ryan starts having second thoughts, especially after he gets close to their intended victim.

I wasn’t expecting too much out of Meadowoods and figured it would just be another throw-away serial killer flick with lots of violence and brutality. Lucky me, I actually got a rather chilling story about the ambivalence and indifference of seemingly ordinary people. The scare factor in Meadowlands isn’t in the final scenes where the kids’ quarry is trapped and tortured, but rather in the scenes where each of the kids are interviewed, stating their reasons for wanting to kill someone, their views on death and the afterlife and so on. Their coldness and flippancy towards killing another is absolutely chilling and portraying this is where this film succeeds!

Of course, none of this would have worked without competent and convincing actors and surprisingly for an indie film the acting here is top-notch across the board. Connor Thorp, Michelle Roe and Michael Downey all do a stunning job playing the trio of friends. They were all entirely convincing as bored college kids looking for a sick thrill. Very spooky performances! And Ila Schactler gave another believable performance as their intended victim. She was likable and perfect as the girl next door!

I also want to give kudos to writers Stuart Ball, Scott Phillips (who also directed) and Anna Siri for creating such realistic characters and such a chilling story. I appreciated that the characters weren’t your stereotypical stupid teens and that the script offered more than just violence.

My only problem with Meadowlands was the ending, which dragged a bit too much in my opinion. It was almost like they used most of it as padding since it got so repetitive. The taunting and torturing of the victim was fine, but did we really need to see her sit there and scream for what seemed like 20 minutes straight? I think the ending killed the unsettling feel of the rest of the film, which is unfortunate since I enjoyed the first part of the film so much.

However, I would still recommend you check out Meadowlands. It isn’t your typical “found footage” horror film and really takes the time to frighten us psychologically through its portrait of today’s bored youth.

Available from Amazon!

Death of a Ghost Hunter (2008)

Ever since The Blair Witch Project there have been a plethora of “found footage” faux documentaries. Some are good while others are just groan-worthy. Can you guess which category Death of a Ghost Hunter falls into?

Death of a Ghost Hunter is about paranormal investigator Carter Simms (Patti Tindall) investigating a supposedly haunted house. The history of the house is that an entire family was slaughtered there, including husband, young son and daughter. Supposedly, when the mother discovered them all dead she blew her brains out because she couldn’t deal with their deaths. There have been reports of a haunting ever since this tragedy. The owner of the house, who has never lived there himself, tells Carter she will be joined by a few other people to help her document anything that occurs.

I wasn’t expecting much out of this movie, but the first half hour or so was actually pretty promising. We found out the whole cursed history of the house and one of the investigators (a 20-something church girl who was there to ensure the dead were “honored”) becomes especially affected by the surroundings. There is also a very creepy moment where the investigators discover something in their footage (a little hand gripping a doorframe and a small head slowly peering around – ya, it’s on the DVD cover) that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end!

However, this was the ONLY scary part of the film and the rest just went downhill from there. The other “ghostly” appearances were too obvious and the special FX looked lame. The best films make you believe something is there but either don’t show it or only show a peek, but in most of Death of a Ghost Hunter they show too much and it ruins the tense mood of the first part of the film.

Also ruining the mood were the many plot holes and plot inconsistencies. When the investigators found a bunch of incriminating photos I practically threw up my hands and said, “Right. Like the police wouldn’t have found those!” Or how the police couldn’t have figured out the killer from all the forensic evidence.

When the mood is ruined for the rest of the film I pretty much stopped caring about the characters. I thought the actors all gave okay performances, but their characters were written just kinda blah. A huge backstory wasn’t necessarily needed, but something that would make the audience relate to them would have been nice and perhaps make us care for them more.

To top it all off, the “finale” dragged on for far too long and really should have ended with the death of a ghost hunter (I’m not giving anything away, it’s all there in the title!). Instead, it was drawn out for another 20 minutes or so (all I know is that it felt like FOR-evvvver!). At this point I just wanted the movie to end, but it just kept going and going and going…

I will say that the “Jesus box” (a huge box with crucifixes all over it that is worn over the head and has an eyehole to see out of) used throughout the film and prominently in the end was pretty creepy.  However, that and the previous scare I mentioned do not make a good movie all on their own. This film was just riddled with too many pacing, storyline, character and mood problems to call it a good (or even okay) film. I understand the limitations of plot, but if they had stayed away from the cheesy ghost visuals (with the exception of that first scare) and beefed up their story a little bit and shortened the ending I think it would have made a much better film. As it stands, though, Death of a Ghost Hunter is a weak entry into the faux documentary subgenre.

Available from Amazon!

The Perfect Witness (2007)

What was it that grabbed my attention and made me want to sit down and watch this flick? Well, it certainly wasn’t the crappy DVD artwork or the generic name (thought its other title, The Ungodly, is just as clunky-sounding). No, this film was in my queue for a long time before I realized that hunky Wes Bentley was in it, which shot it to the top of my must-see list! Yes, call me shallow but I’m a sucker for the blue-eyed, dark-haired actor and would pretty much watch whatever he’s in! While his scruffy, “independent filmmaker” look in this film didn’t do him justice (no offense to all the fab independent filmmakers out there!), I nonetheless found myself riveted to The Perfect Witness.

The story is about struggling documentary filmmaker Mickey (Wes Bentley) who plans to make it big by tracking down and filming an elusive serial killer. He finally catches up to his subject and films him brutally killing a girl. He then blackmails the serial killer, named James (Mark Borkowski, who also co-wrote the film), into being interviewed on camera in exchange for Mickey not turning in the video of James murdering the girl. However, the tables are soon turned as a tense cat-and-mouse game begins between the filmmaker and the serial killer.

Surprisingly, this film was pretty engaging! It’s definitely not a “perfect” film (hardy har har), but it is an underrated little flick. The use of hand-held camera footage actually works within the film and never once becomes annoying. Plus, the direction by Thomas Dunn is well done…there are several scenes that are nicely framed and he really captures the grittiness of the city setting. In fact, the dingy surroundings – back alleyways, dark apartments, etc. – really add both character and atmosphere to the film.

As for the story, penned by Dunn and Borkowski, it may sound similar to films like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, but it has enough twists, turns and distinct characters to differentiate itself from other flicks. Though James, like many other serial killers, had an abusive upbringing, the film really takes a different direction with the backstory, bringing it to the forefront of film instead of using it as a convenient “explanation” as to why James is the way he is. I loved how his childhood demons came full-circle by the end of the film (in very surprising ways, I may add).

The chemistry between the characters of James and Mickey was spot-on – at first there was uneasiness between the two of them, then acceptance, then a tense trust and then…well, let’s just say that the turn of events is surprising towards the end. Bentley and Borkowski do a really bang-up job portraying their characters. Of special note is Borkowski, who just oozes danger despite his character’s penchant for charity work. He always seems on the verge, and when he finally snaps it is quite explosive!

Though there are some disturbing scenes of violence (one in particular involving a home invasion and subsequent murder of a waitress is particularly cringe-worthy), this is more of a psychological film than anything else. While this might turn off some viewers, I actually appreciated the slow build-up of the film and its increasing tension. The story, acting and direction kept me engaged, and the topsy-turvy ending was just icing on a very satisfying cake!

The Perfect Witness certainly isn’t the best thriller out there, but it was a surprisingly interesting film that kept my attention, especially with its strong acting and story, making it well-worth checking out.

Available from Amazon!

Splatter Movie (2008)

Many people don’t know all the hard work it goes into making an independent film. Tight schedules, limited resources, limited time and, worst of all, low budgets. There is a lot of love and passion that must go into making an independent horror movie, because even after facing all those challenges, you don’t know if there will even be an audience that wants to see it! So, when I popped in Splatter Movie: The Director’s Cut, an independent movie within a movie within a movie and so on, I was intrigued to see how much it showed of the filmmaking process…and the story itself is pretty ingenious.

In Splatter Movie, director Amy Lee Parker (played by real-life director Amy Lynn Best) is setting up to shoot her latest indie horror film at Hundred Acres Manor, a vast Halloween haunt that boasts dozens of different creepy walk-throughs. A documentary crew is following her around to capture all the behind-the-scenes mayhem so they can put it on the DVD’s special features. As for the film she’s shooting, it’s about a group of filmmakers and actors going into a supposedly haunted attraction to shoot a movie…only a killer is picking them off one by one. In a case of life imitating art imitating life that is exactly what happens to Parker and her crew. Someone wearing the killer’s costume is going around actually butchering people!

Splatter Movie: The Director’s Cut is an inventive piece of indie cinema and for the most part it was a very enjoyable ride! Writer Mike Watt and director Amy Lynn Best have been writing and directing independent films with their Happy Cloud Pictures imprint for a long time now, and Splatter Movie just shows they are still on the top of their game! My main praise for the film stems from its inventive “movie within a movie within a movie, etc.” structure. It seemed that everything in the film echoed reality, from the actors names that were either the same or very close to their real names to scenes that mirrored scenes they were shooting for their film. It really makes my head spin to think about it! Kudos to Watt for such a clever premise!

I also loved how the documentary-style look of the film made you feel like you were right there with the cast and crew, going through all the trials and tribulations of making a low-budget movie. The behind-the-scenes stuff, from the makeup/special FX applications to following the bitchy assistant director around to watching a scene being filmed, was way fun and really gives you a better understanding of the challenges of making a low budget film.

There were also some amazing cameos from some familiar faces within the indie horror community. Besides Amy Lynn Best, whom many people are familiar with, we get Tom Sullivan, playing himself, who worked on The Evil Dead trilogy, scream queens Debbie Rochon and Elske McCain and many other recognizable faces. Everyone is basically playing themselves, so it’s hard to credit anyone with giving a fantastic performance, but I really loved watching Debbie Rochon every time she came on screen! And her big rape scene within the movie within the movie was absolutely hilarious (I know that sounds callous, but if you watch the movie you’ll totally understand…they totally flip your expectations upside down).

Yet, despite all the positives there were still a few drawbacks to the film, namely, the length of it. The behind-the-scenes chatter went on a bit too long and I would have liked to see more of the actual killer sooner. Though the kills were nice, with the appropriate amount of blood and gore, I felt they were too short. I found myself fast-forwarding through the more boring scenes within the film (like the copious lesbian scenes…one would have sufficed if it was needed at all) to get to the REAL action. The film definitely started dragging after about 45 minutes and the ending took way too long to wrap up (though I did appreciate the surprise reveal of the killer!). A little bit more cutting and editing and Splatter Movie would have been much more enjoyable to sit through.

The positives of the film outweigh the negatives, though, and overall I really found myself enjoying Splatter Movie. If you are an indie horror fan I think you will too!

Order it on Amazon!

District 9 (2009)

Years ago, when an alien spaceship arrived to Earth and hovered over Johannesburg, South Africa, people rejoiced, but as the weeks dragged by without sign of life, the government stepped in to force their way into the alien spacecraft. Inside, they found a race of aliens that were malnourished and injured. In a rare show of humanity the government decided to care for these refugee aliens.

Though no one knew what brought the aliens to Earth, their ship was inoperable, so they were stuck here. After a period of alien acceptance, there was soon a backlash against the none-too-intelligent “prawns” as the aliens were derogatorily nicknamed. The public wanted them off the streets, so MNU (Multi-National United, a company put in charge of the visitors) segregated them in District 9, which soon devolved into a slum, complete with Nigerian gangsters running a racket of prostitution, illegal weaponry and cat food (pretty much the only thing the aliens like to eat).

Neither the government nor the public was interested in what went on in District 9 as long as the “prawns” stayed separated from the humans. The government and MNU (who also happened to be one of the largest weaponry manufacturers) were more interested in the aliens’ weaponry capabilities than for their well-being. The aliens’ weapons only worked for aliens and not for humans, so MNU went to great lengths to learn the secrets of their weapons. In fact, deep within the bowels of MNU, experiments were conducted  where aliens were dissected to try and find out just how their weapons worked.

In the outside world, there was still a public outcry to get the aliens out of the city, but with the government still keenly interested in the alien’s weapon technology, MNU decides to “relocate” the aliens to an area far outside the city. MNU worker Wikus Van De Werwe (Sharlto Copley) is put in charge of the relocation process, and a camera crew follows the twitchy man around as he serves eviction notices to the aliens in District 9. As Wikus delivers the eviction papers and treats the aliens like an inferior race, even gleefully torching one shack where their young are being hatched, the film cuts back and forth between this footage to interviews with people Wikus knew, all hinting at something unthinkable and treacherous that Wikus did.
I won’t say much more than that for fear of giving too much away, but let’s just say that Wikus finds himself feeling sympathetic towards the aliens in the end.

As you can see, there is a lot going on in the world of District 9. First, let me address the socio-political undertones of the film, all are which pretty heavy but don’t weigh the film down. Of course, there is the obvious location of South Africa with its history of apartheid, which was “a political system in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s that separated the different peoples living there and gave privileges to those of European origin.” It also brings to mind the segregation of blacks in the United States after the Civil War and up until the Civil Right’s movement, especially if you’ve seen the marketing materials designating certain areas as “human only”. Not only that, but it echoes more recent issues, like some people’s contempt for illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S. or the mass of migration of refugees and immigrants into other countries. The treatment of the aliens in the film is akin to many of these past and present circumstances – the aliens are abused, called derogatory names, exploited, used, and people want them out of their cities and to go back home. The aliens might not be the smartest or prettiest creatures, but as the film progresses you begin to feel sorrier and sorrier for them, not to mention ashamed of the human race.

On the flip side, you have the bumbling human “hero”, Wikus Van De Werwe, who only does what he does to save himself. Though at the end of the film you see him become truly heroic (though most humans in the film would beg otherwise) and actually do the right thing, most of the time he is selfish and cowardly. He is quite a contrast the main alien in the film, who is just trying to get himself and his son home safe. Again, you feel much more sympathetic to the aliens in the film than you do the humans. You can’t help but root for “Christopher” (the name MNU assigned this alien) throughout the film! Writers Neill Blomkamp (who also directed) and Terri Tatchell have really given us some food for thought with District 9 and touched on some very important and relevant issues.

The direction by Blomkamp is inventive as well. The earlier parts of the film play like a documentary, with a camera crew following Wikus around MNU headquarters and in District 9. There are also well-used security camera shots that fit quite well into the overall proceedings. The last part of the film loses the reality TV feel, but the naturalistic camera movements (yes, there is some shaky-cam) keep the audience in the moment!

Of course, this being a Peter Jackson production and a sci-fi action film, there is plenty of splatterific fun! Now, this isn’t anything like Starship Troopers, so don’t expect a bunch of aliens attacking humans being blow up into smithereens, but District 9 has its fair share of gory scenes. When the aliens’ weapons are utilized, plenty of “prawns” and humans get vaporized, leaving behind only chunks of bloody grue. The last part of the film is edge-of-your-seat action, with very cool use of the large robot weapon that is controlled by an alien on the inside! I also must mention the amazing looking aliens, who are mostly all CGI. They look entirely realistic and fit seamlessly into their environment, whether they are foraging for food, being interrogated, fighting back or scheming how to go back home.

District 9 is a unique sci-fi classic in the making. Its relevant and original story, conflicted characters and its harsh look at the human race, not to mention stunning special FX and moments of over-the-top gore, make it a must-see film! If you are looking for a summer movie that offers a lot of heart, depth and social awareness along with its frenetic action, head to District 9!

Available from Amazon!

Big Man Japan (2007)

We all know and probably love Japanese Kaiju flicks. Giant monster films like Godzilla, which feature men in suits stomping cardboard cities, have a special place in many a horror fan’s heart. So when I heard about Big Man Japan, a Japanese film that promised to both pay homage and spoof Kaiju films, I knew I had to see it. Surprisingly, Big Man Japan has a lot more heart than I expected, but definitely doesn’t hesitate to also include some odd-looking monsters and preposterous situations.

A camera crew follows around and interviews the seemingly ordinary Masaru Daisatô (Hitoshi Matsumoto), an unkempt man scorned by the populace who lives in a dirty bachelor pad with only his cat for company. He has his quirks, like having a penchant for both dehydrated seaweed and pocket umbrellas, but what really warrants a camera crew documenting his every move is that he is Big Man Japan, the only superhero left to fight the ginormous monsters that attack the country from time to time. When Masaru gets a call, he rushes to the nearest power plant where he is zapped with electricity and transforms into the humongous big man himself.

Even though Masaru or “Big Man” protects the country against monsters, most people hate him for all the disruption and damage he causes. He has a TV show, but his ratings are horrible and not even his agent can help boost his popularity. People make fun of him and his fights with the monsters.

Besides dealing with being unappreciated and battling strange creatures, Masaru also must deal with family issues, including his senile grandfather, who used to be one of the more famous superheroes, who periodically escapes from his nursing home to wander the streets after zapping himself into a Big Man. He also must deal with an ex-wife that hardly ever lets him see his daughter, whom he hopes to hand down the family tradition to.

No matter his problems, Masaru must protect the country and defeat the monsters that threaten his homeland.

Told in faux documentary style, Big Man Japan’s focus on Masaru’s life as a normal, yet scorned, man surprised me. That’s not to say that there weren’t many monster-fighting scenes, but I found myself enjoying the scenes with Masaru as an everyday man more. The humanity he exhibited and his perseverance to keep doing his job even when everyone hated him for it, kept my eyes glued to the screen.

The story, written by Hitoshi Matsumoto and Mitsuyoshi Takasu, is both hilarious and somber. There are many winks and nods toward Japanese Kaiju films, but the real enjoyment of the story came from seeing Masaru’s struggles in everyday life, whether they were with his deteriorating family, greedy agent or general public. The monster battles were fun and the monsters themselves inventive, but the action got repetitive pretty fast. I will probably be the only one who actually liked the documentary aspects more than the monster battles, which I found a bit too silly and out of place (even for this film). And the nonsensical finale just didn’t make a lick of sense!!

The CGI fight scenes were, for lack of a better word, colorful, with numerous zany monsters for Big Man to fight against. Among them was a zebra-striped monster with elastic arms that picked up skyscrapers, flipped them over its back and deposited them upside down before adjusting its comb-over. Other monsters included a giant Hellboy look-alike, a one-eyed monster (no joke), a stink monster in the middle of mating season, a one-legged monster and even a baby monster. The weirdest thing about the monsters was that no matter how otherworldly their bodies looked, most of them had human-like faces, making them awkwardly creepy! Plus, everytime one of them dies they get beamed up to “monster heaven”. The live-action finale, which was more faithful to traditional Kaiju as it had people dressed up in monster/superhero suits smashing up a cut-out city, was just weird and wacky.

I was expecting Big Man Japan to be just another homage to Japanese Kaiju flicks, but while it has its fun spoofing them, it also has a lot more heart than I first gave it credit for. Truth be told, though the monster battles were amusing, I wasn’t too into their style and they got repetitive pretty fast. I was much more interested in the documentary aspect of the film where we learn about the lead character more as a human being than as a superhero.

Big Man Japan certainly isn’t a film for everyone, but those with an appreciation for giant monster films will probably get a kick out of it!

Buy it on Amazon!

My Little Eye (2002)

You really can’t seem to flip channels without coming across some reality show. Whether you are Keeping Up with the Kardashians, hanging with The Girls Next Door, taking in Deadliest Catch or another one of the hundreds of reality shows, there is a glut of reality programming that shows no signs of slowing down. Are we really that obsessed with watching other people’s lives instead of living our own?

Our reality show contestants in My Little Eye certainly hope that’s true, especially since they’ve entered in a contest where they must survive six months in an isolated, creepy old house with every second of their tenure there filmed for an eager, voyeuristic audience. At the end of the six months, they will all get a nice paycheck of $1 million…but there’s a catch. If any of them leave before the six months are up, then none of them get any of the dough.

The film picks up during the last week or so of their six month sentence, and everyone is particularly antsy. Snow is falling thick and heavy outside and supplies are dwindling. Not to mention that the myriad of cameras installed within the house follow their every move. With just mere days to go, strange things start happening. One of the guys gets a letter saying his grandpa has died and funeral services will be held before his time on the show is up. Another girl finds an eerie phrase from her childhood written on one of the windows and a bloody hammer in her bed. The group begins receiving strange “supplies” – like a box of bricks and a loaded gun. Then, a lost skier stumbles upon their house and claims he’s never heard or seen anything about their reality show. Is the reality show company responsible for these strange occurrences? Are they trying to trick them out of their hard-earned cash? Is it all being done to boost ratings? Or is something more sinister going on?

Horror films that feature a reality show usually don’t fare too well (see Halloween: Resurrection), but My Little Eye is different. It is full of tension, interesting characters and an intriguing storyline that will have you guessing until the end. Though it starts slow, with the group suffering from cabin fever from being cooped up in a house all this time, it does a good job in slowly building dread. Things just get creepier and creepier, until the satisfying ending that will just leave you saying, “wow…”

I also love how the film is shot and all the action is captured on the cameras that are wired throughout the house. Whether the action occurs in creepy green-tinged night vision or is seen through a grate in the bathroom, it really gives the film a voyeuristic edge, almost as if you were watching a snuff film. I’m not sure what the logistics were in the shooting of the film, but it truly does look like it was all shot on those security cameras! Fantastic job by director Marc Evans!

The story, written by David Hilton and James Watkins (Eden Lake and the upcoming The Descent 2), is a slow-burn but one that immediately sucks you in, especially when strange occurrences start happening and the pace picks up. There are also a few nice surprises toward the end that caught me off guard and grab your attention!

The characters are all pretty likable or at least interesting. There’s bad-boy Rex (Kris Lemche), sexy Charlie (Jennifer Sky), all-American Matt (Sean CW Johnson), sensitive Danny (Stephen O’Reilly) and skittish Emma (Laura Regan). Their interactions and relationships with each other ring true and it really does feel like they’ve been roommates for the last 5+ months. Each of them has their own dark secrets, which slowly come to light as they are tested in their last week or so of the show.

The acting was surprisingly great, with all the actors giving solid, believable performances. Laura Regan really gave a stand-out performance as the fragile Emma, but the rest of the cast was equally impressive. There is even an appearance by Bradley Cooper (The Hangover, Midnight Meat Train) where he plays the lost skier. It was quite a pleasant surprise to see him in this film!

Now, this film is more about building tension than showering the audience with blood, so there isn’t that much gore. Again, though, this doesn’t hurt the film at all! Instead, when the grue finally does show up at the end of the movie it makes much more of an impact than had it been shown throughout the entire film! There is one particularly nasty scene at the end involving someone’s head getting unexpectedly blown open that is really an “oh sh*t!” moment!

My Little Eye is a suspenseful film that relies on the mystery of the characters’ situation to keep your attention. Its slow-burn works extremely well in building up a tremendous amount of tension, and it also helps that we actually care about the characters and want to know as much as they do who is pulling the strings and behind the strange occurrences. Not too many people have seen this movie, and that’s quite a shame! It is a gem of a horror movie that deserves more fans!

What do I spy with My Little Eye? A fantastic horror movie, that’s what! Now go check it out!

Available from Amazon!

Skeleton Crew (2009)

At first glance the Finnish horror film Skeleton Crew, being released through Lightening Media in July 2009, looks to be like just another “torture porn” flick. Upon watching it, though, you might be pleasantly surprised to discover that it has an entertaining story and some campy wit to elevate it above the typical brainless hack-and-slash films.

In the 1970′s in a backwoods mental institution, a doctor began filming himself and his staff torturing patients. They lit them on fire, cut off appendages, stabbed them, hit them with mallets, sawed them…pretty much anything you can think of. The doctor really got into making his snuff films and even started going by the name of “The Auteur”. He was eventually captured by the police, but to this day his complete collection of snuff films was never found.

Now, a film crew has returned to the same mental institution to shoot a horror film about the doctor’s exploits. One day, they discover The Auteur’s macabre screening room and his complete films. The director of the film becomes obsessed with The Auteur’s films and demands more and more realism from his actors. When they don’t give him the realism he wants, he decides that the only way to make a good film is to incite REAL reactions from his cast and crew…by torturing and killing them on-screen!

This really was a surprising film! It had me engaged from the opening scenes, which were actually a film-within-a-film, through to the campy but no less brutal “director’s cut” of the film! There are so many funny, witty lines (“I hate overacting”) that I was wholly entertained throughout the entire film. The characters were also well-developed and anyone who has had any experience in film can relate to the bitching and moaning the cast and crew do behind the scenes! There’s the stereotypical “experienced” actor who insists on giving an over-the-top performance despite the director’s insistence to tone it down, the actress who sleeps with the director for a shot at a bigger role, the constant battle between the boom operator and the lighting guy, etc. This film is just right on and funny about so many situations that occur when filming a movie!

The story was written by Tero Molin (who also co-directed) and Teemu Molin and not only do they deliver a witty, self-aware script, but they also manage to keep the pace moving swiftly along. There were no lulls or boring bits in the film, which is really a credit to the writers. Both the dialogue and the action kept the film going at a steady speed. They also had some pretty inventive ways to dispatch the victims, so kudos to them for making the death scenes feel inventive and fresh!

The film is low-budget, but the direction by Tommi Lepola and Tero Molin is fantastic and you soon forget you are watching an indie film. They used the dank, dark mental institution to their every advantage and created a very foreboding, labyrinth-like setting. The dark, crumbling walls are menacing from the first scene and the fortress-like building is imposing. They made the mental institution a character itself!

The actors, for the most part, do a wonderful job. I really loved how most of them played their “actors” in the film they were shooting and how differently they acted when they were out of character. I really thought David Yoken was fantastic as Bruce, the “experienced” actor of the group who still insisted on giving an over-the-top, Vincent Price-style performance! Steve Porter was also wonderful as the director. When he turned into The Auteur he delivered some great lines that, had it not been for his stellar performance, could have been overly corny. His deliver ensured they were just campy enough to wink at the audience!

As for the gore, well, the film definitely delivers. There are some definitely shocking moments in the film and some great death scenes. My personal favorite involved hot stage/film lights being used to burn someone to death! There were many other excellent death scenes that won’t soon be forgotten, like amputation, death-by-drill, bludgeoning with a baseball bat studded with nails, and on and on!

Skeleton Crew is a fun, entertaining and gory film that definitely caught me by surprise! This Finnish film is definitely worth a look when it is released in July!

Available from Amazon!

Brutal Massacre (2008)

Director Stevan Mena greatly impressed me with his first film, Malevolence, so I was eager to check out his follow-up, Brutal Massacre: A Comedy. Exactly as the title states, Brutal Massacre is a comedy, filmed like a faux-documentary on the making of a horror film. This is definitely not your traditional horror movie, but more like a mockumentary along the lines of Christopher Guest’s Best in Show. Despite this, the film seems tailor-made for horror fans. It features a stellar cast of horror veterans (David Naughton, Ellen Sandweiss, Ken Foree), a very dry sense of humor and an engaging story line.

After making numerous horror films like I’ll Take the Ring Back…And the Finger Too, Bowel Movement and The Fish that Ate Flesh, director Harry Penderecki (David Naughton, An American Werewolf in London) is a bit of a has-been. He is still big at conventions, but often gets hassled for the violence in his films and the supposed “curse” that brings death to every production he’s worked on. Despite all this, he is ready to make a comeback with his new film, Brutal Massacre. As a documentarian (Vincent Butta) follows him, Penderecki begins the process of securing financing, while his assistant director Jay (Brian O’Halloran of Clerks, Dogma, Clerks II) scouts locations and finds a special FX coordinator and his casting director (Betsy Baker, Evil Dead) tries to find actors who can actually ACT. His producer Natalie (Ellen Sandweiss), meanwhile, is trying to keep the production on-budget.

The crew finally secures a location at a run-down farmhouse of a man named Krenshaw (Gunnar Hansen, Texas Chain Saw Massacre) and the remaining cast and crew converge on location to shoot the film…only to be met with mishap after kooky mishap while filming.

Brutal Massacre is exactly what Fangoria called it…Spinal Tap for the horror set! Serious horror fans (especially those interested in what goes on behind the cameras) will definitely dig this film! The humor, performances and storyline all work and make Brutal Massacre a must-see!

First off, the performances across the board were great! There were even cameos by people that horror fans will have no trouble recognizing (among them Tony Timpone of Fangoria Magazine and director/producer Mick Garris) and a large part of the cast have their roots in horror films. David Naughton was terrific as director Harry Penderecki. Though he was clueless at times and made questionable decisions, you still couldn’t help but root for him as he tries to accomplish his dream. I loved Ellen Sandweiss as the hard-nosed producer and Brian O’Halloran did a great job as Jay, the AD. We even get to see a softer side of Ken Foree as he plays the grip Carl who longs for a 9-to-5 job. Everyone’s performance was great, and their characters were fleshed out enough for the audience to be able to relate to them, but the actors were also given enough room to make the characters their own.

Secondly, the storyline about the hardships of filming an independent horror movie really hit close to home. I watch a ton of independent horror, and the situations that the Brutal Massacre cast got into seem totally believable! I’m not sure if writer/director Stevan Mena culled some of these from his own personal experiences, but I’m sure any independent filmmaker can relate to the shenanigans that ensue on the Brutal Massacre production. We get an actor who holds the final reel hostage, a stolen rental van, a disappointing special FX “artist,” an actress who will only give one take of nudity, heckling locals, out of focus nipples, actors who quit and police involvement, among other things.

Lastly, the humor is bone dry and played pretty straight. It may not be for everyone, but it was downright hilarious to me. There were some parts were the laughs felt a little forced, but these were usually few and far between. One thing that didn’t really click was Penderecki’s existential crisis towards the end of the film when he wonders if he should just quit the film business and give up his dream. This threw off the wacky mood of the film a bit, but not enough to ruin it. The ending more than made up for this slip up, though!

Brutal Massacre is a must-see for horror fans that can appreciate all the hard work that goes into making an independent horror film, as well as all the craziness and mishaps that can occur! A film made by an independent filmmaker for horror fans and other filmmakers, Brutal Massacre is a very funny, very enjoyable film that deserves to be seen!

I’ll even go as far as saying it’s one of the best films I’ve seen so far this year!

Available from Amazon!

The Devil's Music (2008)

As a horror fan, you are probably well aware that the mainstream loves to point fingers at our genre whenever a tragic, violent act (like a school shooting, etc.) occurs in which the perpetrator happened to own some horror DVDs. The media is quick to assume that those films adversely affected the individual and caused them to act out violently, placing blame squarely on the filmmakers. I also find it pretty insulting when other people label a person as a deviant capable of committing heinous acts just because they happen to enjoy horror movies.

The same misconceptions are often held against people that listen to metal music. Recently, the House of Blues in Anaheim, California (which happens to sit right across from Disneyland) abruptly canceled all their metal shows and banned any future shows with metal bands. Sure, rap and punk bands can still play there, but they didn’t like the type of crowd that the metal shows were drawing, especially with the proximity of the “Happiest Place on Earth.”

The point is, fans of both horror films and metal music face some serious biases and mistaken assumptions from those outside the respective communities. The film The Devil’s Music manages to tackle this issue in regards to each medium, while doing so in an entirely creative, faux rockumentary way.

The film is about Erika Spawn (Victoria Hopkins), lead singer behind the shock-rock band named after her. The band was shooting to stardom with its explicit lyrics and gory stage shows, but it drew ire from many concerned parents and the “moral majority” in England. These people insist that the band is corrupting the youth. Still, despite the controversy surrounding the band, it continued gaining popularity.

Against the gory backdrop of Erika Spawn, we are introduced to sappy crooner Robin Harris (Scott Thomas), who is the complete opposite of Erika Spawn and vied with the band for the top of the charts. Yet, we find out later in the documentary that Harris is inexplicably linked to Erika by a groupie the band takes on tour with them.

One night after a show, this groupie, named Stef Regan (Lucy Dunn) found her way backstage. Erika took a liking to her and brought the young girl on tour. Everyone agreed the teen was a bit strange, but Erika really liked her so she stayed…and would later contribute to Erika’s mysterious disappearance.

The Devil’s Music is shot like a rockumentary and in interview segments we are introduced to Erika’s band mates, the brash Adele Black (Jess-Luisa Flynn) and the mellow ZC (Alan Ronald), as well as the band’s manager Eddie Meachum (Cy Henty) and others. We are shown television spots with Erika as well as concert and backstage footage. We are never told the whole story up front, but rather tension is created by not knowing exactly where the story is going.

I am familiar with Jinx Media and thoroughly enjoyed their last film, KillerKiller, but I believe that The Devil’s Music is even better and really showcases writer/director Pat Higgins’ talents! Everything, from the clever way the film was presented to the stellar acting from all of the actors, was top notch and really shows how far Pat Higgins has come as both a writer and a director.

First, the documentary style of the film is flawless. It’s hard to pull off an effective documentary, but Higgins does indeed succeed with The Devil’s Music! From the opening statements by the band’s manager to the mysterious “shadow footage” played at the end, I was hooked all the way through! The interviews and the concert/backstage footage flowed perfectly together and it really does look like a real rockumentary you might see on FUSE, MTV or VH1!

As for the story, it unfolds in a very effective, yet mysterious manner. When the film first begins, you don’t have the whole story of Erika Spawn and only have an ominous feeling that something is going to befall her. As the film progresses, we are given hints as to Erika’s fate, but it’s not until close to the end where everything is revealed and things take a turn for the violent and supernatural (this IS a horror movie!)! I’ll stop there, because this is a film that works better going in cold, so I don’t want to give too much away!

Another aspect that assists this film in its awesomeness is the acting. Every single one of the actors does a fantastic job and there isn’t a weak one in the bunch. I really enjoyed seeing Cy Henty as the manager as he’s been in other Pat Higgins’ films. Victoria Hopkins was marvelous as Erika Spawn and completely sold me on her character. She was a complete rock star and I don’t doubt for a minute that she could fill arenas with fans. I wish Erika Spawn was a real band that I could go see! Also, Jess-Luisa Flynn was amazing as the smack-talking, rude, “realist” Adele Black. I loved every second she was on-screen! Lucy Dunn was great as groupie Stef Regan. Her performance made you both revile and pity her character.

Like mentioned in the slight diatribe in the first few paragraphs, I enjoyed how the film made you question preconceived notions about certain people (namely people who enjoy a good, bloody show like you or me). Not everyone that wears black, listens to metal or watches horror movies is guaranteed to be dangerous or want to kill others. The film really turns the tables on this silly stereotype for a very satisfying conclusion.
Jinx Media will release The Devil’s Music in the UK on March 30, 2008, but you may also be able to find it making the rounds on the festival circuit. If you are able to catch this film, you’re in for a wickedly thrilling treat!

Available from Amazon!

The Last Broadcast (1998)

In this faux documentary within a faux documentary, local cable television hosts Locus Wheeler (Lance Weiler) and Steven Avkast (Stefan Avalos) of "Fact or Fiction" decide to do a special live broadcast from the desolate Pine Barrens and explore the legend of the Jersey Devil. They enlist the help of soundman Rein Clackin (Rein Clabbers) and self-professed psychic Jim Suerd (Jim Seward). After preparations are made, the four head deep into the snowy Pine Barrens to set up camp in an isolated location and film the show, but the next day only Jim emerges from the woods. The rest of the men have disappeared. Days later, the bodies of Wheeler and Clackin are found miles from the campsite. The only thing that remains of Avkast is his hat and a large amount of blood; his body was never found. Jim is the only survivor and ends up being the police's only suspect. All the evidence seems to point to him and he is quickly arrested, charged, tried and found guilty on two counts of first degree murder. He is sentenced to two life terms, but shortly after he is incarcerated he is found dead of unknown causes. Filmmaker David Leigh (David Beard) is filming a documentary on what really happened to the four men in the Pine Barrens and is doubtful that Jim was the killer.  

The Last Broadcast is presented as a documentary, with Leigh taking us through video tape shot by the "Fact or Fiction" crew at the Pine Barrens, interviewing key people in Jim's life as well as those involved in the trial and trying to show that Jim was not the killer. David's seems to all be coming together when he receives an unmarked package at his door that includes missing film from the night of the broadcast. Michelle Monarch (Michelle Pulaski), a data retrieval specialist, begins piecing together the film that may contain the face of the killer...

The Last Broadcast is so well done that anyone not knowing better might think they are watching an honest to goodness documentary. Directors and writers Lance Weiler and Stefan Avalos have crafted a creepy and tense film that, if crudely looked at, appears to resemble The Blair Witch Project. An interesting fact to note is that Blair Witch came out a full year after this low-budget (supposedly shot for only $900) film was released. The Last Broadcast is also the first movie to be completely shot, edited and screened digitally. No film was used in the making of the movie. Though it bears a resemblance to Blair Witch (or, more correctly, Blair Witch bears a resemblance to it), it has a very different tone to it. First of all, it is shown from a completely different perspective as cinematic journalist Leigh tries to get to the bottom of the mystery. The "Fact or Fiction" footage is shown in context of Leigh's own documentary, and isn't shown without Leigh framing it with his remarks. We view the "Fact or Fiction" murder story through the lens of this other documentary, which gives it a very real and completely different tone than the Blair Witch.

Watching the film, you even forget it has actual actors. The actors all do a very convincing job and you really do believe they are just people being interviewed. David Beard gives a very dry, detached performance as documentary filmmaker David Leigh and the rest of the cast does an extraordinary job playing ordinary people. It feels and looks just like a real documentary film.

The film builds up the tension and uneasiness as it delves further and further into the story, building its intensity up to where the killer's identity is revealed on the film that Michelle is carefully reconstructing. The last few scenes are shocking and definitely threw me for a loop.

Lance Weiler is also the director of Head Trauma (review), one of my top ten horror flick picks for 2006, and with The Last Broadcast (released in 1998) he has convinced me that he is definitely an up-and-coming director to watch.

Buy The Last Broadcast!

Death Row (2006)

Some of my favorite horror movies are those set in long-abandoned, haunted buildings. Whether it’s an asylum, prison, mine shaft or house, as long as it has an infamous history and is supposedly haunted I’m all in. Session 9 is a great example of such a movie (and, in fact, is one of my favorites!) while Death Tunnel is an example of how such a spooky place can go to horrible misuse with the wrong script. Death Row had a lot of promise with the great location of an abandoned prison, but after a few creative sparks it fizzles out.

A group of young documentary filmmakers are making a film on the notorious Isla de la Roca Penitentiary, which lies dormant after an inmate and guard massacre closed its doors for good. After interviewing an old prison guard (Stacey Keach) from his hospital bed who only tells them half of what really happened, they set off for the supposedly haunted island prison. What they don’t know is that a group of jewel thieves have already holed up inside. Strange things start occurring as members of the two groups are bloodily killed. Can the two groups band together and try and escape the haunted prison?

Judging from the fact that Jake Busey was in this, I wasn’t expecting anything along the lines of Session 9. This being another “haunted prison” movie (hilariously enough, film’s original title was Haunted Prison) I was perhaps expecting copious amount of TG&A, a term I’ve coined for tits, gore and ass. Oddly enough (or perhaps because this was a made-for-cable movie), Death Row doesn’t feature T&A, but it is pretty heavy on the Gore with a capital G. Though there are some pretty neat death scenes, they weren’t enough to hold my interest in this film, which was a real snoozefest complete with bad acting, poor scripting and pretty cheesy effects.

Unlike Session 9 or Death Tunnel, Death Row was not filmed in a real-life haunted place, but it is set in a fictional prison that has quite the history of death. The penitentiary is one spooky place, but the film doesn’t take advantage of that fact. The film hardly sets up any atmosphere and doesn’t thrill or scare. I felt like so much more could have been done with such a great setting, but it failed to deliver any solid creeps.

The cast is pretty interchangeable and identifiable only by race, sex or stereotype. You’ve got the spicy Latina, daddy’s little rich girl, the wimp, the jock, the black guy and so on. The characters weren’t developed at all and I didn’t really care what happened to them. The only character who stood out was Marco, the leader of the thieves, and that’s only because he was played by Jake Busey. While the acting wasn’t atrocious, it still wasn’t good enough to garner any praise; most of the time the actors are either overacting or giving unbelievable performances.

The cast’s shaky performances could probably be blamed on the weak script that featured a wispy-thin plot and silly dialogue. I did think that combining two different groups in a haunted place was a cool idea, but it just wasn’t handled too well in Death Row. Where’s the friction and confrontation between the groups? Where’s the actual emotion when some of their best friends die? Also, the ending was laugh-out-loud ludicrous and the “twist” came out of nowhere. A little more build up and explanation would have been nice, just for things to actually make sense.

One aspect that the film does excel at is the gore. There are some pretty wicked scenes, from the opener which shows us what happened during the inmate and guard massacre to the first kill where a guy’s flesh gets forced through a heavy steel gate to an equally nasty kill involving a body getting chopped in two by a ceiling fan. The two groups combined have a total of eleven people, so there are plenty opportunities for the vengeful ghosts to exact their bloody revenge.

Speaking of the ghosts, I thought making them all blurry and wavy looked very cheesy. Their makeup looked great, though, and I would have loved to see them without the blurriness. They had the potential to be scary, but making them look like they were enveloped in flames made me laugh out loud. Other special effects, like the CGI fire, were pretty hokey as well. I wish things had been kept more straightforward and realistic in the FX department.

While Death Row is a film I didn’t enjoy, it could be entertaining as a brainless flick to watch with a few friends over some beers (make that many beers for me). I have to say, this might be the goriest Sci-Fi Original release I’ve seen! I dug the death scenes, but I had to suffer through the rest of the film just to get to them. Not even a cameo by Danny Trejo as a priest could save this flick for me.

Buy Death Row!

Prison of the Psychotic Dead (2006)

The now-abandoned Buffalo Central Station is said to be one of the most haunted places in America, with paranormal experts being able to capture numerous orbs in photographs and hear ghostly voices on EVP’s. Reports of cold spots and equipment malfunction, as well as persons experiencing dizziness and nausea, are common when investigating this site. With its blood-soaked past, it’s easy to see how a pain-filled place like Buffalo Central Terminal can be haunted, which, again, is why it is the perfect spot for a horror movie to be filmed in. Prison of the Psychotic Dead (aka Prison of the Psychotic Damned) succeeds in part because of its spectacular location at the Buffalo Central Station.

Five people arrive at the long-abandoned Buffalo Central Terminal to film a documentary about the supposedly haunted monstrosity. Reyna (Susan Adriensen) and her cameraman Jason (Jim Vaughn) are hoping to catch some paranormal activity on film and save Reyna’s floundering career. They bring three women with them: Aurora (Demona Bast), who has certain psychic abilities, Kansas (Melantha Blackthorne), who is hoping this excursion will convince her father not to cut off her trust fund, and Nessie (Noel Francomano), who only wants to help Reyna on one of her projects. As they wander the decaying structure’s vast tunnels, hallways and floors, strange noises and experiences began to occur. The Buffalo Central Terminal is a place who’s past is beset by tragedy…it has housed train accidents that killed over 200 and was even converted to a mental hospital for the criminally insane where doctors performed horrific experimental procedures on patients. Fires, murders and accidents plagued the structure until it was shut down. After it closed its doors permanently, a serial killer took up residence, raping and violently killing his victims. Strange and violent stories still surround the structure today, which begs the question, will the five survive the night in this hall of horrors past?

First of all, the filmmakers could not have picked a creepier place to film a horror movie. Buffalo Central Terminal sent shivers up my spine, even as I explored it through the TV screen. From its grand entrance to its dark and decaying basement, it speaks of a past long ago, but not forgotten. This low-budget film is shot halfway like the Blair Witch Project, where a character shoots film with a hand-held camera, and the other half is shot like a normal movie. It’s really the best of both worlds because the audience gets both the voyeuristic point of view as well as the characters’ point of view. Both views come in handy when the characters become separated from one another and truly creepy and horrific things begin to take place.

There are some great, cringe-worthy scenes in the film; nothing too over the top or with too much gore, but just enough to make you go, “Yechhhh!” A few creepy and scary moments also made me jump, which is rare for a horror film to do nowadays. I do wish, though, that more of the ghostly tormentors had been shown instead of focusing on the giant orb that attacked the group. This was all a bit hokey to me and so much more could have been done to really scare me. I did enjoy the spook that attacked poor Nessie and I wish I had seen more ghouls like that! Aurora’s “doll collection” scene was a sight to behold, and probably my favorite from the film. If you pick up this film, you’ll know which one I mean.

The performances were great all around. It’s rare for an independent film to have strong performances from all the actors, but Prison of the Psychotic Dead managed to pull it off. Melantha Blackthorne was great as the tough-as-nail Kansas who has a secret to hide. I also loved Demona Bast as Aurora – she is gorgeous and a wonderful actress. Noel Francomano brought an exuberance and amusing innocence to her role as Nessie, while Susan Adriensen as Reyna held the fort down as the authoritarian with her own secrets. Jason, played by Jim Vaughn, brought much comic relief to the tense atmosphere of the film.

Prison of the Psychotic Dead was a great “haunted asylum”-type movie, especially for it being low budget. With great performances, an entertaining (and fact-based) story and one hell of a creepy setting, Prison of the Psychotic Dead makes for a great late-night viewing. Just be sure to check your dollies before you go to sleep…

Available on Amazon!

St. Francisville Experiment (2000)

If you want to see what would have happened if The Blair Witch Project was set in a haunted house, this is your movie! The faux documentary about chasing down ghosts based on an infamous New Orleans legend reeks of a Blair Witch rip-off.

A producer sets up four strangers to spend the night in the LaLaurie mansion to record any paranormal activity. The legend of Madame LaLaurie is infamous and is one of the many famous ghost stories from New Orleans. Madame LaLaurie was a very rich, very wicked woman that performed crude medical experiments on her slaves while keeping them chained up. She peeled off the skin tissue of one young boy, leaving the muscle tissue exposed so that it became infected. One woman's joints were all broken and she was forced into a cage too small for a large dog. Her joints reset at hideous angles so that when she was pulled out of the cage she resembled a crab more than a human. Another man had what appeared to be a botched sex change operation. Blood and body parts in jars were all over the room. All these slaves had been chained up in the attic of the LaLaurie mansion and were discovered when a fire broke out in the house. Before Madame LaLaurie could be arrested, she had already escaped. She was never caught. More and more atrocities were discovered, but many victims' bodies were never recovered. To this day, the LaLaurie mansion is supposedly one of the most haunted places in the United States.

This wonderful legend sets up an ominous mood as we are introduced to the four jackasses that are sent to investigate the LaLaurie mansion. We get blonde history student Ryan, annoying psychic Madison, cocky film student Tim and bland team leader Paul. The four are sent into the house armed to the teeth with ghost hunting equipment and are told they must spend the night and record any paranormal activity. Right away, a chandelier crashes to the ground, doors open and close, and the participants get more and more freaked out. They investigate each room, finding cold spots and creepy feelings throughout the house. In the basement they find an old doctor's satchel filled with bloody medical instruments. In the attic, a chair flies across the room. As the spirits of the house get more and more restless, the foursome doubts they'll be able to get out alive...

This movie started out great! The story of Madame LaLaurie and her hideous experiments is truly creepy...and was about the only creepy thing in this movie. First and foremost, let me tell you that I did enjoy Blair Witch - it was inventive and scared the pants off of me when I saw it in the theater. That movie really built the tension and things actually happened before the great finale to scare the characters and audience. In The St. Francisville Experiment, nothing much happens except for annoying characters scaring themselves. Ryan, the blonde history student, screams and giggles (at the same time) throughout the entire movie, which would be fine if there was something SCARY to scream (or giggle) at...but there's really no reason for her to be causing such a ruckus. And Madison...uggghhh...I vote for her as the Most Annoying Character of All Time. I was ready to throw my shoe through the TV if she mentioned being protected by white light one more time.

This movie just drags itself along, until the last 15 or so minutes when the characters decide to all split up to cleanse each haunted room. This part got to be surprisingly tense, but it was ruined by the laughable ending.

If you like watching rip-offs and cheap imitations of the real thing than you may enjoy this movie...if you are sick of watching faux documentaries that don't deliver the scares, skip this failed Experiment.

On Amazon!

Reincarnation (Rinne) (2005)

Reincarnation is one of the few new Asian horror films that is actually good. It is directed by Takashi Shimizu, who also gave us Ju-On, but don't expect any Ju-On-like scares...the terror here is more psychological than anything else.

In 1970, a doctor massacred 11 people (including his two small children) at an isolated hotel before killing himself. The motive for the murders was never discovered. In present day there have been a rash of mysterious disappearances coinciding with the filming of a movie about the massacre. Two seemingly unconnected girls, a college student and an actress in the film, begin having nightmares and visions about the hotel and the massacre that took place there, and when they visit the hotel, they discover that they, and those that have disappeared, may be the reincarnations of those that were murdered there so many years ago.

This film held me rapt from the first scene to the end credits...I was transfixed to the screen for the whole hour and a half, never even checking my watch (always a good thing). The storyline is interesting and is reminiscent of Kubrick's The Shining. The 8mm footage that the doctor took of the massacre is chilling and adds a real, documentary feel to the film. The first appearance of the ghosts of the murdered people is truly creepy and had me gripping the seat for the rest of the movie. I loved the whole premise of a movie-within-a-movie that gave us an accurate re-creation of the massacre.

The acting was wonderful, and I especially loved the actor who played the director and the expressive actress playing an actress in the film-within-a-film. The cinematography was great as well with beautifully ominous shots of the hotel and the eerie massacre shot all on 8mm by the doctor.

The build up to the climax had perfect pacing and the climax had a jaw-dropping moment. Reincarnation is one of the best Asian horror films I've seen in a while. It is suspenseful, has an interesting story, has some shocking parts (the on-screen death of the children, especially) and makes the viewer think. I am waiting for it to be available on DVD because I definitely want to add it to my collection.

If you love Asian horror movies, I highly recommend this film. Even if you aren't into the Asian horror genre but want something different from your typical hack-and-slash American horror that is more intelligent and engaging, go see Reincarnation!

On Amazon!