I’ve written a lot of reviews over the past decade, but for some reason there are movies I saw (usually a screener mailed to me by a filmmaker or a public relations person) that I never got around to writing about. My recent cross country move means that I’ve had a chance to go through a big chunk of my movie collection (and believe me, big doesn’t even begin to describe it—I left a lot of stuff back in the Bay Area)—and I’m trying to rectify some of the oversights that happened over the years. Re-watching things and writing about them now is generally fun.
One of the films I liked but never wrote about is Conor McMahon’s Dead Meat. Billed as the first Irish zombie movie, it could still very well be the only film in that wildly popular subgenre to emanate from the Emerald Isle. A loving homage to the gory morti viventi films of men like Peter Jackson, George Romero, and Lucio Fulci (and a tone similar to that of the other 2004 zomedy, Shaun of the Dead), Dead Meat makes up for its budgetary shortcomings with a lot of heart (and more than a few brains, too).
One of my goals of the past few years has been to make it to the FanTasia Film Festival. Not making it each year is one of those things that genuinely bums me out. When I heard that Coffin Joe was not only showing his latest film (the long awaited Embodiment of Evil) but receiving a lifetime achivement award at this year’s FanTasia film, I was more disappointed about missing the fest than I usually am.
Thanks to Fangoria, those of us who couldn’t make it can at least see video of the event and read an extensive interview with the man of the hour himself. You can check out the video below (which features not only Coffin Joe receiving his award but a lengthy interview with co-writer Dennison Ramalho) and an overview of Coffin Joe’s career and an interesting interview with the icon by clicking here. Fango deserves a big thanks for bringing this footage to the masses.
Back in February (Christ, this year is flying by…) I posted some photos and a teaser trailer for John Lechago’s Bio-Slime. I thought it looked really good for a low budget flick–the special FX work, in particular. A newer trailer has turned up on Youtube, so check it out below–I think gore fans are going to be pleased with this film. It reminds me of a low-budget version of John Carpenter’s The Thing.
Here’s the synopsis, in case this is your first time hearing about the movie–there’s a longer one back on the original story if you want even more info about this flick.
Seven people are trapped in a room with only one door and no windows. Their cell phones do not work and no one outside of the building can hear their calls for help. The group is under siege as a shape shifting creature tries to seep inside. They are picked off one by one until it is obvious that they cannot out wait this predator. A plan is hatched to retrieve the case that the creature came in to see if it holds any clue to control it or destroy it.
Still no release date for this one, but I’ll be keeping an eye out for any new information.
Of all the modern throwback slasher films I’ve seen (and I think I’ve caught almost all of them by this point), Ryan Nicholson’s Gutterballs is the one that most perfectly encapsulates why I love stalk-and-kill movies from that era. Where movies like Hatchet ape the aesthetics of the golden era of slasher movies (while modernizing them in the process), Gutterballs revels in not only the style that defined these films, but the gore, sleaze, and over-the-top excess. To the uninitiated viewer, Gutterballs could very well have been made when Reagan was still president. It’s the kind of flick you expect to see on VHS-in a giant cardboard box with the logo of a company like Wizard or Gorgon on the label.
I posted some of the recent gory set photos (courtesy of Fangoria) from Alex Aja’s Piranha 3D a few days ago. Turns out there were even more lurking about.
Brutal As Hell (another horror site I highly recommend checking out–it’s chock full of good shit) did some digging and found some more disturbing shots (apparently they came along a day after the first batch) from Fangoria/Gorezone.
The new stills are every bit as gross as the last batch (the floating severed leg is a nice touch), but just to keep things interesting, they’ve mixed in shots of lots of women in bikinis as well. Clearly, the photographer realizes that all horror fans love a little T&A with their blood and guts.
Piranha 3D is due out on March 19th of next year. Based on the stills alone, I’m getting pretty excited to see just what Aja has in store for us with his latest remake.
With his feature film Header, director Archibald Flancranstin has done the impossible-he’s managed to bring one of extreme horror author Ed Lee’s most infamous and shocking works to the big screen without losing any of the things that made the novella so repulsive and beloved in the first place. Fans worried that a cinematic adaptation of Lee’s “Redneck Greek Tragedy” would be a neutered and spineless affair can rest easy-this is the same Header those of us fortunate enough to own a copy of the long out of print novella remember. It’s a rip-roaring, over-the-top, insane redneck splatterfest with subject matter so bizarre and offensive that most people would flee the room screaming if you played a scene or read a few sequences aloud. Seeing it recreated in front of a camera is both incredibly cool and very shocking.
Alex Aja’s Piranha remake seems to be coming along quite nicely. Every time a new set photo emerges, it’s someone who’s been on the wrong end of a piranha attack. Today is no exception.
Fangoria scored some exclusive photos from the shoot–and once again, they’re highlighting the stellar FX work of KNB studios. KNB is set to handle the FX chores on this Predator reboot/sequel everyone’s talking about–and if you were concerned about the team’s ability to pull it off, their work here should allay your fears (and if you’re a horror fan, you weren’t worried in the first place–KNB’s been doing fantastic work for years).
Anyway, that’s one of the new set photos above. Go here to see more–it’s worth the click.
March 19th of next year can’t get here soon enough…
The fourth annual Toronto After Dark Film Fest is set to run from August 14th to the 21st–and to get you in the mood, the event organizers have announced the first batch of movies that will be featured at this year’s celebration of genre cinema.
Fans heading north of the border will be able to check out Trick ‘r Treat, Grace, Embodiment of Evil (the newest film from Jose Mojica Marins aka Coffin Joe), British horror flick Franklyn, a French heist film known as Black, Japanese gore flick Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl, The Forbidden Door, and Someone’s Knocking at the Door. Nine more features will be announced on July 29th–the same day tickets go on sale.
I’m a big fan of this new wave of French horror films. Those crazy French bastards are making some of the most extreme, daring, and thought provoking horror cinema out there. Even when they don’t hit one out of the park, the end result is still better than 99% of the bullshit remakes and uninspired sequels Hollywood foists on us.
One of the films I’m really interested in is The Horde. It’s a French zombie film wherein a group of cops and criminals are forced to team up to combat a horde (oh, I see why they chose that title now…) of zombies in a high-rise apartment building. It’s a cool premise, and early images from the shoot have showcased a lot of gore.
Now, French site Motion Sponsor has posted a teaser trailer for the film. It’s short (just over a minute), you don’t see a lot (but the last shot is awesome), and it’s in French (although the language of gory zombie movies is universal) but I still highly recommend checking it out. If this film isn’t on your radar, you need to get a lock on it posthaste.
I posted a trailer for Koji Shiraishi’s extremely gory Japanese Hostel clone Grotesque back in January. The trailer remains one of the most popular things here at the site (not as popular as Odette Yustman’s ass, but in the same ballpark) but I’d not heard a peep about the film in the interim–until this evening.
Nippon Cinema brings news that Grotesque will be turning up on Region 2 DVD in the UK (complete with English subtitles) in August, courtesy of distributor 4Digital Asia. No details on extras at this point, and you’ll still need a region free DVD player to watch it, but at least there’s an English subtitled version out there. I expect that someone like Unearthed Films will grab it for American distribution at some point.
The guys over at NC were also kind enough to actually explain the plot. It’s pretty much exactly what the trailer makes you think it is–perverted sadist kidnaps a young couple and starts torturing one while the other is forced to watch. If one passes out, he wakes them back up with smelling salts. Sounds full of win to me.
Here’s another look at the trailer. I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything about an American release.
I’ve written a lot of reviews over the past decade, but for some reason there are movies I saw (usually a screener mailed to me by a filmmaker or a public relations person) that I never got around to writing about. My recent cross country move means that I’ve had a chance to go through a big chunk of my movie collection (and believe me, big doesn’t even begin to describe it—I left a lot of stuff back in the Bay Area)—and I’m trying to rectify some of the oversights that happened over the years. Re-watching things and writing about them now is generally fun.
