Giuseppe “Pino” Donaggio (born 24 November 1941) is an Italian musician and film composer. A classically-trained violinist, Donaggio is best known for his collaborations with American director Brian De Palma, scoring films such as Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Body Double, and Raising Cain.

Born in Burano, Venice, Donaggio began studying violin at the age of ten. At the age of fourteen, he made his solo debut in a Vivaldi concert for radio. The discovery of rock and roll during the summer of 1959 diverted Donaggio’s classical career when he made his singing debut with Paul Anka. He then began to write his own songs and had a string of successes including ‘Una casa in cima al mondo’.

His greatest hit was the 1965 song ‘Io che non vivo’, which sold 80 million records worldwide and was performed in English as “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” by the likes of Dusty Springfield and Elvis Presley.

His first film soundtrack composition was for Nicolas Roeg’s British/Italian horror film Don’t Look Now (1973). Since then he has composed music for several Italian genre films, including Dario Argento’s Two Evil Eyes, Trauma and Do You Like Hitchcock?. He also composed the scores for a host of notable horror movies including Piranha, Tourist Trap,The Howling and Seed of Chucky.

Selected filmography:

• Don’t Look Now (1973)
• Carrie (1976)
• A Whisper in the Dark (1976)
• Haunts (1977)
• Damned in Venice (1978)
• Piranha (1978)
• Tourist Trap (1979)
• Dressed to Kill (1980)
• Beyond Evil (1980)
• The Fan (1981)
• The Howling (1981)
• The Black Cat (1981)
• Body Double (1984)
• Nothing Underneath (1985)
• Crawlspace (1986)
• Phantom of Death (1988)
• Catacombs (1988)
• Meridian (1990)
• Two Evil Eyes (1990)
• The Sect aka The Devil’s Daughter (1991)
• Raising Cain (1992)
• Trauma (1993)
• Arcane Sorcerer (1996)
• Seed of Chucky (2004)
• Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005)
• Patrick: Evil Awakens (2013)

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘7 days, 7 sharks… 1 survivor!’

Shark Week – aka Shark Assault and Shark Island – is a 2012 American action horror film directed by Christopher Ray (5-Headed; 3-Headed and 2-Headed Shark Attack; Mega Shark vs. Kolossus) from a screenplay by Liz Adams and H. Perry Horton (Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark; 2-Headed Shark Attack; A Haunting in Salem). The Asylum production stars Yancy Butler, Patrick Bergin and Joshua Michael Allen.

A group of complete strangers find themselves kidnapped and isolated by a wealthy madman named Tiburon (Patrick Bergin) and his female partner (Yancy Butler) on his island compound…

Reviews:

“Shark Week is another meager offering with plenty of cartoonish CGI beasts […] director Chris Ray does what he can to hide them, but it only renders the shark attacks mostly incomprehensible, so what should be the most satisfying part doesn’t even pay off except in unintentional humor. Even Ray’s attempt to mimic the Saw speed-ramping aesthetic comes off as a cheap, jittery tic that looks like a mastering error.” Brett Gallman, Oh, the Horror!

“It seems like The Asylum are learning their lessons and not constantly bombarding the viewer with scenes that last a maximum of a minute before rapidly moving on to the next one. The film tries to draw itself out a little bit, introducing the overall problem quickly but then settling down a little to try and flesh out the characters and develop some sort of story.” Andrew Smith, Popcorn Pictures

” …the whole movie is so poorly written and executed that any hope of it being funny due to the sheer suspension of disbelief that you are expected to have is wasted and it just becomes annoying. The dialogue is equally terrible…” Josh Pasnak, The Video Graveyard

“While the story proves halfway interesting and the picture moves along at a reasonable pace, it sadly suffers from many of the shortcomings found in the majority of lower-end Asylum features. The picture features largely miserable special effects. Shark Week, surprisingly, isn’t an effects-heavy effort, but the digital sharks, various underwater shots, and a few explosions look poor to downright goofy.” Martin Liebman, Blu-ray.com

“For a movie about man-eating sharks, and especially for the usually over-the-top business model of The Asylum, the deaths were practically PG by comparison. In fact, in the beginning when the group endured their first attack, the principals were practically unscathed afterwards, not a scratch on any of them. The remaining ordeals were also minimally bloodless and appendage-free.” Mike Thomas, Matchflick

Buy DVD: Amazon.com

“We didn’t even get the one prosthetic shark head held by some guy off camera to work with. Our actors just splashed in water to simulate shark attacks, when it really just looked like they were just splashing in water. And the sharks growled…” Christopher Armstead, Film Critics United

Choice dialogue:

“You know why most shark attacks happen the three feet of water? Because that’s where the food is!”

“Anyone want sushi?”

Main cast:

Yancy Butler (Death Race 2050; Lake Placid vs. Anaconda; Rage of the Yeti), Patrick Bergin (GallowWalkers; Highway to Hell; Ghostwood), Joshua Michael Allen (Age of Dinosaurs; Nazis at the Center of the Earth) , Bart Baggett, Erin Coker, Frankie Cullen, Valerie K. Garcia, Billy Ray, Meredith Thomas, Robert Matthew Wallace, Eric Wilson, Israel Wright, Josh Williams, John Paul Bennett.

Filming locations:

Eleuthera Island, Bahamas
Malibu, California, USA

IMDb

‘Turn the page to terror’

Bloodsucker’s Handbook is a 2012 American surrealist horror film written, produced, edited and directed by Mark Beal. Originally titled Enchiridion, the film, some of which is animated, was re-shot, re-edited and the title was changed. It stars Cory W. Ahre, Jeremy Herrera and Jessica Bell.

A priest is recruited by federal marshals to help deal with a vampire they’ve taken into custody. Then things get weird…

Reviews:

It starts out only slightly odd and slowly draws the audience into its increasingly surreal world. Good performances by the leads, most especially Jeremy Herrara as the vampire Condu, help keep the viewers engaged and anchored amidst the madness. It may be a little rough around the edges, but that only adds to its quirky charm.” Paul Cardullo, Gruesome magazine

“It looks awful, there’s little to no acting and the dialog reads like the transcript of a Sunday morning hangover after a too-many-cheap-burritos-and-tequila bender. Yet, all that said, I like it. Somehow despite the low quality Beal has shaped surrealistic tackiness into a thrilling dark horror film experience, probably most prudently undertaken with some absinthe on hand.” Bradley Gibson, Film Threat

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“Some of the bright spots include pretentious performance art, an old man licking a toad, a pterodactyl on the dance floor, a primate bookkeeper, and of course, the dog detective we all love. The atmosphere is weird and unpredictable, the stop motion is bizarre but awesome, and this is just one of those movies you need to see to believe.” marcfusion.com

“Straight faced surrealism that mixes the look and feel of an off beat, low budget late noir film (it’s set in 1966) with a vampire movie and a priest’s crisis of faith story […] There’s a very good, very restrained jazz score that matches the equally restrained acting and visual style, all of which somehow keeps one from thinking how absurd the whole thing is. A bit like a David Lynch film, especially Eraserhead, but with a cooler sensibility.” Larcher-2, IMDb

IMDb

Image credits: Gruesome magazine

Daniel James Licht (March 13, 1957 – August 2, 2017) was an American soundtrack composer and musician, best known for writing the score of Showtime TV series Dexter.

Daniel Licht grew up in Detroit and started playing music at the age of eight with his first instrument being the clarinet. He began his musical career while still in high school playing guitar with a small jazz ensemble.

He attended Hampshire College in Massachusetts then moved to New York City and established himself as a musical artist. He would often travel to Germany, the Netherlands and Northern Europe to perform and compose music for theatre and dance companies.

Licht then moved to Los Angeles and pursued a career in film scoring. His first major project was the 1991 feature film Children of the Night. He was spotted by macabre director Clive Barker, and would compose for many more horror films, such as: Amityville: It’s About Time (1992); Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992); Ticks (1993); Amityville: A New Generation (1993); Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995); Thinner (1996); Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996); Bad Moon (1996); Legion of Fire: Killer Ants! (1998); Disney’s Halloween movie Don’t Look Under The Bed (1999); Cabin by the Lake (2000); Soul Survivors (2001); and Ghostmates (2016).

Licht scored all seasons of Dexter, which he considered to be one of his “more visible projects”, but was reluctant to refer to it as his best work. From 2012 to 2015 he was the main composer of the Silent Hill: Downpour and Silent Hill: Book of Memories video games.

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Devotion is eternal’

Apostle of Dracula – aka Dracula 0.9 – is a 2012 supernatural Spanish horror film directed by Emilio Schargorodsky from a screenplay co-written with Javier Caffarena and Jose Luis Matoso. It stars Javier Caffarena (as Dracula), Antonio Del Río, Francisco Del Río.

Lucy (Nathalie Le Gosles), a beautiful young woman holds a passionate and bloody affair with Dracula (Javier Caffarena). Van Helsing (Paul Lapidus) an occult expert tries to save Lucy from the clutches of the vampire. Many years later, after nine eclipses…

Lucy recovers from a strange amnesia and begins to realize her true identity remembering everything that happened to her and how she was turned into a creature thirsty of blood. Will Van Helsing be able to rescue her or will Lucys dark dream of living eternally with Dracula become true?

In the US, the film was released on DVD on August 8, 2017, by Wild Eye Releasing.

Buy DVD: Amazon.com

Main cast:

Javier Caffarena, Antonio Del Río, Francisco Del Río, Paul Lapidus, Nathalie Legosles, Jose Luis Matoso, Virginia Palomino.

IMDb | Facebook

‘Being dead is easy, it’s getting married that’s the real killer’

A Little Bit Zombie is a 2012 Canadian comedy horror film directed by Casey Walker (producer and on set visual effects supervisor of The Void) from a screenplay by Trevor Martin and Christopher Bond. It stars Kristopher Turner, Crystal Lowe and Shawn Roberts.

Infected by a virus, a mild mannered HR manager attempts to fulfill his overwhelming desire for brains, all while trying to keep it together so as not to incur the wrath of his bridezilla-to-be…

The movie was crowdsourced through Walker’s initiative ‘My Million Dollar Movie’ over a five-year period, during which he raised over a million dollars by allowing people to back the film by “purchasing” a frame.

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

The film received its world premiere on February 4, 2012 at the Victoria Film Festival in Victoria, British Columbia and was released on to DVD on July 16, 2013.

Reviews:

“The film is a very funny and unique take on the usual zombie film, and even the zombie comedy, through its use of some outrageous characters, screwball comedy and familial situations that had me and the audience laughing pretty continuously.” Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Screen Anarchy

“The jokes are silly, but deft. The acting and staging is all high quality. The script is clever and quick.  The only real complaint is that the movie really didn’t know how to end. Things go off the rails a bit then veer back and everything just kind of stops. That’s a minor complaint in the larger scheme.” Jim Davis, More Brains

“I’d hoped to really enjoy it, but found it downright tough to get through at points. That isn’t a slight against the movie- one of its trailers warns that it’s for “immature audiences”, so take it as you will. I guess I just found that after while, it grated on me. Mean friend Craig calling Steve “gay” over and over again for wanting to eat a dude’s brains instead of a girl? Eh, just not my type of humor.” Andre Manseau, JoBlo.com

“I can watch blood and guts all day and night, but the multiple scenes of Steve drooling every time the word “Brains!” is said made my stomach flip. That said, it is a funny running joke throughout the film — one of many. The ending, though abrupt, is a winner, going out on a high note and leaving the viewer wanting more. I was surprised at how much I liked A Little Bit of Zombie. It’s a low budgeter, but one with a lot of heart and some great comedic moments.” Ambush Bug, Ain’t It Cool News

“A Little Bit Zombie is never scary, at any point, but scary wasn’t what it was going for. The film was going for comedy horror and on most levels, it succeeds. It’s more comedy, with a horror backdrop, but regardless, by the film’s end it is fairly successful at both.” Tyler Doupe, ComingSoon.net

” …there were an abundance of Evil Dead references, as just looking at the poster above should tell you, but there was little zombie killing and only a smattering of gore. Again, it came down to the spot-on cast keeping me interested in their bumblings on how to deal with Steve’s “condition”. A certain amount of credit must naturally go to the writers Trevor Martin and Christopher Bond, but I can’t stress enough how important the cast were in making this a successful venture.” Jay Clarke, The Horror Section

“The latter half of the film, which is driven by Crystal Lowe’s determination to make the wedding go ahead and accept the fact that her fiancée is a zombie emerge the most successfully with some wacky scenes involving he going shopping for brains or the two girls setting out to seduce a guy that nobody will miss for him to feast upon […] I don’t know if A Little Bit Zombie ever produced any genuine laughs from me, but I at least emerged with a smile. Amiably silly.” Richard Scheib, Moria

“The additional zombie hunters story is generally just filler between new developments within the core group. They are both well portrayed characters, but the film would have remained equally good without them. It wouldn’t have been difficult to script other ways to introduce the same plot devices. The bottom line is this picture is laugh-out-loud funny. It never lags and achieves the perfect balance of comedy and good characters…” Sarah Gopaul, The Digital Journal

Buy Blu-ray (English audio): Amazon.co.uk

Cast and characters:

• Kristopher Turner as Steve (The Brotherhood III: Young Demons)
• Crystal Lowe as Tina (R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour; Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon; Thralls; Snakes on a Plane; Scary Movie 4; Wrong Turn 2: Dead End; Black X-Mas; Final Destination 3)
• Shawn Roberts as Craig (Resident Evil: The Final Chapter; Feed the Gods; Diary of the Dead; Skinwalkers; Thralls; Land of the Dead)
• Kristen Hager as Sarah (Manson, My Name Is Evil; Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem)
• Stephen McHattie as Max (Mother!; Awakening the Zodiac; Wolves; Haunter; Torment; Pontypool; Death Valley; Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby; et al)
• Emilie Ullerup as Penelope Pendleton (Blackburn; Death Do Us Part; Witchslayer Gretl)
• George Buza as Capt’n Cletus (The Brain)
• Robert Maillet as Terry ‘Terror’ Thompkins
• Neil Whitely as The Professor
• Spider Allen as Ringmaster
• Melanie Rainville as Bearded Lady
• Richard Rowntree as BBQ Bill
• Trevor Martin as Master Baiter / Cory Cortex
• Christopher Bond as Pizza Guy
• Rob Roy as Battered Local

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

Filming locations:

Principal filming at Sudbury, Ontario, Canada during June 2011.

Wikipedia | IMDb | Official site

William Tobe Hooper (January 25, 1943 – August 26, 2017) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his landmark horror feature film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1973) which he co-wrote with Kim Henkel, for the mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot (1979) and for his collaboration with Steven Spielberg on Poltergeist (1982).

Tobe Hooper was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Lois Belle (née Crosby) and Norman William Ray Hooper, who owned a theater in San Angelo. He first became interested in filmmaking when he used his father’s 8mm camera at age 9. Hooper took Radio-Television-Film classes at the University of Texas at Austin and studied drama in Dallas under Baruch Lumet.

Having initially made Eggshells in 1969, which he referred to as a “hippie movie”, by the early 1970s Hooper was working as an assistant film director at the University of Texas at Austin and as a documentary cameraman. He began to develop ideas for a horror film. He credited the graphic coverage of violence by San Antonio news outlets as one inspiration for what became The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (filmed in 1973, released 1974).

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1973) with Tobe Hooper directing

Although it was marketed as a true story to attract a wider audience and as a subtle commentary on the era’s political climate, its plot is entirely fictional; however the character of Leatherface and minor plot details were inspired by the crimes of real-life murderer Ed Gein, who was also the inspiration for Psycho (1960) and Deranged (1974). Hooper also collaborated with Wayne Bell on the experimental soundtrack for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Hooper’s 1976 film Eaten Alive was filmed entirely on the sound-stages of Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, California, which had a large-scale pool that could double as a swamp. Shooting on a soundstage contributed to the atmosphere of the film, which director Tobe Hooper described as a “surrealistic, twilight world.”

However, Eaten Alive eventually proved to be problematic for the director, who left before production ended, due to a dispute with the producers, an experience repeated on the Film Ventures International movie The Dark (1979). Instead, Hooper had a career boost with his work on the 1979 mini series version of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot (1979) which has become a landmark horror TV adaptation and it often cited as one of their scariest childhood memories by many fans.

In 1981, Hooper directed The Funhouse (1981) for Universal Pictures but despite some notable imagery and great production values, it received mixed reviews. In 1982, Hooper found greater success when Steven Spielberg hired him to direct his production of  Poltergeist (1982) for MGM. It was a major motion picture event, although some creative differences led to Spielberg himself taking over Hooper’s directing duties.

It was three years until Hooper found work again. He signed a contract with Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus’ Cannon Group, and directed London-based sci-fi epic Lifeforce (1985), the tongue-in-cheek remake of Invaders from Mars (1986), and his black comedy-filled over-the-top sequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986). The latter was poorly received at the time but has found considerable favour since, critics and fans having had time to re-evaluate Hooper’s intentions.

Tobe Hooper with one of the Invaders from Mars (1986)

Robert Englund had a minor role in Eaten Alive, and Hooper would go on to direct the horror icon again in Night Terrors (1993) and The Mangler (1995). Throughout the 1990s, the director continued working mainly in television, as detailed below, often in horror or sci-fi series.

Tom Arnold and Tobe Hooper in Body Bags (1993)

In 2003, Hooper helped co-produce the reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for New Line. The movie took over $107 million at the box office and led to a 2006 prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, on which Hooper also served as a co-producer. Clearly, the influence of his seminal 1973 horror movie lived on via a younger generation of filmgoers and still does now with the release in 2017 of Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s Leatherface.

Unfortunately, the director’s own Toolbox Murders (2004) and Mortuary (2005) were poorly received by critics and fans alike. Hooper’s final movie assignment was to be Djinn, a 2011 United Arab Emirates-financed production that struggled for a wider release.

Among his works outside of the movie world was the MTV hit mutant-filled music video for Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself.” In 2011 he co-authored a post-modern horror novel titled Midnight Movie in which he himself appeared as the main character.

Selected filmography:

• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
• Eaten Alive aka Death Trap (1976)
• The Funhouse (1981)
• Poltergeist (1982)
• Lifeforce (1985)
• Invaders from Mars (1986)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
• Spontaneous Combustion (1990)
• Night Terrors (1993)
• Body Bags (1993)
• The Mangler (1995)
• Crocodile (2000)
• Toolbox Murders (2004)
• Mortuary (2006)
• Djinn (2011)

Television:

• Salem’s Lot (1979)
• Amazing Stories (1987) – Episode: “Miss Stardust”
• The Equalizer (1987) – Episode: “No Place Like Home”
• Freddy’s Nightmares (1988) – Episode: “No More Mr. Nice Guy”
• I’m Dangerous Tonight (1990)
• Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories (1991)
• Tales from the Crypt (1991) – Episode: “Dead Wait”
• Nowhere Man (1995) – Episode: “Turnabout” / “Absolute Zero”
• Dark Skies (1997) – Episode: “The Awakening”
• Perversions of Science (1997) – Episode: “Panic”
• The Others (2000) – Episode: “Souls on Board”
• Night Visions (2002) – Episode: “Cargo” / “The Maze”
• Taken (2002) – Episode: “Beyond the Sky”
• Masters of Horror (2005–2006) – Episode: “Dance of the Dead” / “The Damned Thing”

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Evil is only skin deep’

ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2 is a 2011 American slasher horror film directed by Robert Hall (Fear Clinic) from a screenplay co-written with Kevin Bocarde. It is the sequel to Hall’s 2009 movie Laid to Rest. It stars Brian Austin Green, Thomas Dekker and Mimi Michaels.

Tommy (Dekker), who’s struggling with vivid memories of his encounter with the masked killer, has been abducted by Preston (Green), who harbours a mysterious connection to ChromeSkull.

Meanwhile, the technologically savvy slasher, who videotapes his victims as he’s killing them, has set his sights on Jess (Michaels). After the young girl disappears, Detective King (Yeoman) races against time to find her and Tommy before it’s too late and try to put an end to Chromeskull’s blood-soaked legacy…

Buy Unrated Blu-ray: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Reviews:

“Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2 is absolutely ludicrous, and Robert Hall knows it. It’s also a lot of fun because Robert Hall knows it; it’s extremely gory and inventive in terms of its butchery which will please some. There are a handful of really fun death scenes in this follow up, and while I’m not certain I can say it’s more creative than the first, I can say it’s on par.” Matt Molgaard, Addicted to Horror Movies

“I won’t call this a complete waste of time, but it’s not a film I’d rush out to see ever again. A lot better than the original, Laid to Rest 2 isn’t a wasted effort as it at least tries to portray likable characters and a compelling villain. In the end it’s not reinventing the wheel, or changing the genre, but at least it’s watchable.”Felix Vasquez, Cinema Crazed

“The kills in the film are some of the most insane effects gags I’ve seen recently. The gore is fantastic, and makes for some wildly creative, and brutal scenes of carnage. One strange thing is this movie has a much slower pace than one would assume. There are a couple of kills early on, but the entire first half, possibly even two thirds of the film, are spent setting all the pieces in place for the final act.” Shawn Savage, Bloody Disgusting

“Aside from one or two new and also minor hiccups, Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2 fixes all of my issues with the first film and manages to create enough back story and mythology for Chromey that I’m interested in learning more about the world instead of just waiting for someone to get their head sawed off.” Jared Rasic, CHUD.com

“The villain in is credible, but somewhat without back story, which is the primary beef with the film and the primary reason that this one will not likely go on to 10 sequels. The longest standing villains also have development… it doesn’t excuse what they do, but at least we understand them better […] Chromeskull makes some attempts, but he’s no Jason.” Don Sumner, Horrorfreak News

“The acting was immensely better in the sequel. The stand out actor was Owain Yeoman (The Mentalist, Elf, Kitchen Confidential) who plays the well-rounded and charismatic Detective King. Unfortunately, ChromeSkull still has issues in terms of plot.” Steph Howard, Daily Dead

“Moderate gore, some blood, very quick female nudity, Danielle Harris completely wasted, low budget, needlessly confusing story, crappy looking sets, text messages, dumb ending and worst of all Chromeskull still looks dumb as hell. Skip the f*ck out of this turkey.” Happyotter

“Overall I’d say it was a minor success. Fans of the original will probably be satisfied (if they can get past “David Silver” wearing the mask more than the real guy), and those who didn’t, like me, found this one to improve in several areas. I didn’t yell at my TV this time around, at any rate…” Brian W. Collins, Horror Movie a Day

Cast and characters:

• Brian Austin Green as Preston
• Thomas Dekker as Tommy
• Mimi Michaels as Jessica Cannon
• Owain Yeoman as Detective King
• Danielle Harris as Spann
• Gail O’Grady as Nancy Cannon
• Johnathon Schaech as Agent Sells
• Nick Principe as ChromeSkull / Jesse Cromeans
• Christopher Allen Nelson as Detective Max
• Angelina Armani as Detective Holland
• Brett Wagner as Detective Tiny
• Allison Kyler as The Girl/Princess Gemstone
• Aimee-Lynn Chadwick as Allie
• Chris Cornel as Detective Trost
• Camden Toy as Doctor Kerr
• Jade Ramsey/Nikita Ramsey as Laurie
• Steve Rizzo as Officer Knight
• Ky Evans as Officer Fraser
• Alex Jovica as Officer Cochern
• Brianne Davis as Mrs. Cromeans
• Julia Lea Wolov as Female FBI Agent

Wikipedia | IMDb

Posted by Adrian J Smith using information via Wikipedia which is freely and legally available to share and remix under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. All review quotes are attributed and links are provided to relevant sites or sources. Horrorpedia supports the sharing of information, opinions and images with the wider horror community.

Slimed is a 2010 American comedy science fiction horror film written and directed by Eric Manche and Jeff Nitzberg. It stars Jordan Lee, Dustin Triplett and Jessica Borusky.

An ill-tempered park ranger and a peppy bible salesman hatch a harebrained scheme to save a nature preserve from government shutdown.

Deep in the wilderness, they discover that the park has a much bigger problem: a mysterious and sinister toxic slime that is oozing its way towards destroying not just the woods but the entire free world. Together they must come together to battle incomprehensible evil, uncover endless stupidity and avoid exploding children at all cost…

Slimed can be viewed on Troma Now, Troma Entertainment’s exclusive content streaming service. The filmmakers explain how the project came to be finally released online:

“Nearly 10 years ago we wrapped up Slimed, a 100% independent piece of ridiculous, schlock cinema that we began as students at Rhode Island School of Design and finished three years after graduating.

We packed it with everything we wanted to see in a movie: absurdity, action, comedy, apocalyptic stakes and evil hand puppets. After four years of all-nighters and ferocious debates, Slimed was complete.

We were always inspired by Matt Parker’s and Trey Stone’s Cannibal! The Musical. From its humble student-project beginning to Troma classic status, Cannibal! The Musical taught us that, despite having no budget, connections, or big names, it was possible to bring an epic, anarchic vision to life.

Slimed garnered a small cult following around the globe. This modest but loyal fan base kept the movie circulating, with a consistent outpouring of internet love. Despite not finding a larger audience, Slimed found its place among those random people that stumbled upon it.

This year, Troma Entertainment found Slimed through the typical gateway path – a late-night movie marathon in someone’s living room. When we got the call that Troma was interested in releasing Slimed, it was like the circle had completed itself. We couldn’t feel more at home and more excited to share Slimed with the Troma family.”

IMDb | Official site | Facebook

Source: Horror Society

‘Are you alone in your house?’

The Pact is a 2012 American horror film written and directed by Nicholas McCarthy, based on his well-received short of the same name. It stars Caity Lotz, Casper van Dien and Agnes Bruckner.

Nicole Barlow (Bruckern) is at her childhood home, finalizing preparations for her mother’s funeral. She calls her sister, Annie (Lotz), and asks her to come down. Annie says no, reminding her sister of the way their mother used to treat them, before they begin to argue.

Later, Nicole sits down at her computer and makes a video call to her cousin, Liz (Perkins), before asking to speak to her daughter, Eva (Bright). Due to a bad connection, Nicole begins to wander around the house. When she gains decent connection, her daughter asks who the person is behind her. Startled, Nicole turns around to see nothing but an open door, leading into a dark room. With the connection lost, Nicole sets the laptop down and walks into the room…

Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“It takes a while to set up the story, but there’s a strong backstory established that is weighted equally with a dangerous presence in the present. However silly and obnoxious the performances get, McCarthy absolutely floors us with his stunning horror images and nail-biting set pieces. As bad as the film is good, there is some major genre talent in this guy’s bones.” Alan Bacchus, Daily Film Dose

“Where The Pact goes wrong, is that it shows too much far too soon. Tracking shots stalking through dingy, wallpapered corridors and sneaking into slumbering bedrooms very quickly give way to full-on poltergeist thrashings and gory apparitions – and bang goes what little tension had been building up. The film started out as a short, and it shows.” Rebecca Davies, Film 4

“The Pact is a horror film developed from a short, and unfortunately it splits apart while being stretched out to feature length. There are some very neat little scary moments, but the whole thing fails to hang together and the plot is muddled.” Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“Director / writer Nicholas McCarthy has not only impressed me with his story and film, but as a director he seems to really know “what” shots get under the skin of his audience. Those long hallway frames, those fixations on dark closets that tell you that something diabolical awaits, those unnerving moments holding on a instance that drips with tension….these are the elements of a great horror film.” HorrorNews.net

Cast and characters:

• Caity Lotz as Annie Barlow
• Casper Van Dien as Bill Creek
• Agnes Bruckner as Nicole Barlow
• Haley Hudson as Stevie
• Kathleen Rose Perkins as Liz
• Samuel Ball as Giles
• Bo Barrett as Jesse
• Dakota Bright as Eva
• Jeffrey T Ferguson as Officer Benson
• Rachael Kahne as waitress
• Santiago Segura as dishwasher
• Sam Zuckerman as County Clerk

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Part man, Part cow, udderly crazy!’

Mad Cow – aka Madcow – is a 2010 South African-British comedy horror film co-directed by Michael Wright and Michael J. Rix from a screenplay by Wright. It stars Greg Viljoen, Tanya van Graan and Angus Douglas.

A crazed scientist creates a half-man, half-cow creature that goes on the rampage at an African game lodge…

Since 2015, the film is distributed worldwide by Troma Entertainment.

Reviews:

“Mad Cow is nonsensical in every sense of the word. Gags are crammed into your eye sockets and ear holes, and while many fail at eliciting even a twitch of your synapses, there are many which will have you smirking like an idiot. The comedy is not for everyone, so if you dislike films like Airplane! (or Flying High, as it’s also known), then you probably won’t enjoy this…” Dan Caps, HorrorNews.net

Buy DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“It has a little something for everybody: comedy, horror, romance, car chases, zombies, musical numbers etc. Name any genre of film and chances are they tried to make it fit in the film. The Adult Swim/ homemade style fits perfectly with such an absurd concept. As cheesy as it sounds, I like this movie for its heart alone.” Vidal Granandos

“A film like Madcow should really go for the jugular: deliver some bonkers effects, gore and laughs, but Wright and Rix’s film just doesn’t have enough gas to make it all the way. Even the titular cow looks more than a bit cheap and silly. This one’s a misfire.” Scyther, Rock! Shock! Pop!

“The acting is atrociously good, and I love the performance given by Gregg Viljoen, who portrays Vince Chopper. Viljoen delivers one-liners like a pro, and his straight-face expression through everything is a huge part of what makes his character so much fun. The special effects in Mad Cow are decent enough to pass off as entertaining.” Matthew Scott Baker, Shattered Ravings

Buy book: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

“You could almost believe this was a Troma in-house movie made in the 80’s at times, but there are perhaps a few slow portions or jokes that don’t work that end up making this one fall just a bit short of perhaps some of the classics, but what you do get isn’t bad…” Zombies Don’t Run

Filming locations:

Johannesburg, South Africa

IMDb | Thanks: Jeff Gilbert @ Drinkin’ & Drive-In

Image credits: Zombies Don’t Run

‘Zero trans fats has never been so deadly!’

Attack of the Vegan Zombies! is a 2010 American horror film written, directed by and co-starring Jim Townsend. The film also stars Christine Egan, H. Lynn Smith and Kerry Kearns.

Joe (Jim Townsend) and his wife Dionne (Christine Egan) have had yet another bad crop for their winery. Faced with the prospect of losing the family farm, Dionne convinces her mother (a witch) to cast a spell upon next year’s crop.

The crop is such a success that Joe hires some college students to help them harvest. However, when a nosy neighbor begins poking around in the fields, he finds out more than he bargained for. Now the question isn’t how to best harvest the crop, it’s how to keep from being harvested!…

Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“Since there wasn’t a lot of zombie action we were kind of stuck watching our cast talk about zombies and killer plants which wasn’t terrible because the actors and the script were competent, but if I’m watching a movie with the word ‘zombie’ in the title then I want to see zombies eating people. Or rather extracting the wine from the blood of those who drank the wine which seems terribly inefficient.” Film Critics United

“On a technical level, this film stands heads-and-shoulders above the vast majority of is low-budget, direct-to-DVD kin. But as much as I want to like it, the weaknesses present here are so strong that they really get in the way of my overall enjoyment of the film.” Terror Titans

“Townsend’s disastrous decision to shoehorn a couple of stereotypical nerds into the narrative, as the eye-rollingly hackneyed nature of the characters […] casts a pall of amateurishness over Attack of the Vegan Zombies! that it can’t quite recover from. The end result is nevertheless a better-than-average micro-budget horror flick…” David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

“The Evil Dead styled plants are classic, the lesbian scene is sadly not long enough, and most importantly there is a scene with what reminds me of a meat grinder […] A fun film that could have used a bit more production money to really polish it up to be a great B-Movie.” Stuart Conover, Buy Zombie

IMDb

Don’t Go to the Reunion is a 2013 American horror film and an 80’s slasher film homage directed by Steve Goltz and written by Kevin Sommerfield. The Slasher Studios production stars Stephanie Leigh Rose, Matty Dorschner, and Spencer Harlan.

Scott Rantzen (Brady Simenson) is a horror movie loving misfit who is teased by the popular students in school. When a date with the very popular and very beautiful Erica Carpenter (Stephanie Leigh Rose) backfires, he feels as though his life is ruined.

Ten years later, the gang reunite for their class reunion. Little do they know that someone is waiting for them and ready to see that they pay for what they did…

Reviews:

“Though the finale does become a bit too on the nose for what is a subtle and well paced slasher for the first half, Don’t Go to the Reunion has its heart firmly placed in the eighties, with the systematic deaths of characters, vicious murders mimicking slasher films, and the big reveal that’s just so damn effective and clever.” Felix Vasquez, Cinema Crazed

“All in all Don’t Go to the Reunion is a pretty decent slasher flick. Sure, it has its faults, but being that it was an homage to old slashers and the team’s first attempt at a feature length flick I was impressed. Especially with the ending.” Horror Society

“Once this movie makes the transformation to slasher, it’s just ok (but nothing to write home about). The characters react oddly to the situation at hand.  Personally, if I am running from a killer, I’m not going to be coming onto my high school crush.  The kills (although familiar) are handled in a “new” fashion so I did appreciate that.” Scare Tissue

“There’s a solid reference to a Friday the 13th kill (it’s a fan favorite to be sure). They bloodletting is the focus of the action, and it’s entertaining. Yes, it’s low budget, but some of the best slasher fare are low budget. Yes these kills each pay respect to a source work, but that’s to be expected and enjoyable.” The Liberal Dead

“The amount of “homage” in this film gets a little bit tiresome. We get it, you really, REALLY like slasher movies. The “twist” at the end was a tiny-bit predictable, but it was satisfying no-less. The reveal was done very nicely, and it’s the strongest part of the entire story. Slasher Studios has clearly done their homework…” BJ Colangelo, Icons of Fright

“I love the idea of using Slaughter High as inspiration and then revisiting standout moments from the genre’s history, but I wanted a stronger final product. Low-budget cinema will always suffer from audio problems and stilted performances, but there is the advantage of having total creative control over the script and direction. While not completely successful here, Goltz and Sommerfield show terrific promise…” Horror Talk

Wikipedia | IMDb | Official website

‘Ash vs. Evil Dead’ Season 3 is confirmed for February 2018

Perhaps later than we’d hoped but it has been confirmed that Season 3 of Starz series Ash vs. Evil Dead will premiere on February 25, 2018.

“The third season finds Ash’s status in Elk Grove, Michigan has changed from murderous urban legend to humanity-saving hometown hero. When Kelly witnesses a televised massacre with Ruby’s fingerprints all over it, she returns with a new friend to warn Ash and Pablo that evil isn’t done with them yet. Blood is thicker than water in the battle of good vs Evil Dead!”

New TV series ‘Dark’ debuts soon

“Dark, a family saga with a supernatural twist, is set in a German town in present day where the disappearance of two young children exposes the double lives and fractured relationships among four families. In ten, hour-long episodes, the story takes on a supernatural twist that ties back to the same town in 1986.”

New German supernatural series Dark  premieres on December 1st on Netflix.

IFC Midnight snaps up North American rights to ‘Ghost Stories’

Variety reports that IFC Midnight has signed up the North American rights to Ghost Stories, the British supernatural thriller based on the stage production of the same name. It stars Martin Freeman (Cargo; The World’s End; Shaun of the Dead).

Ghost Stories will have its world premiere on Thursday at the BFI London Film Festival. The film was co-written and directed by Jeremy Dyson (“The League of Gentleman”) and Andy Nyman. Lionsgate own the UK rights.

In the film, Nyman plays Professor Goodman, a psychologist and skeptic, who has his rationality tested when he stumbles across a long-lost file containing details of three terrifying hauntings. He then embarks on a mission to find rational explanations for the ghostly happenings… [read more]

Nightmares Film Festival line-up

The Nightmares Film Festival 2017 in Ohio aims to present “a world-class assembly of the scariest, tensest, and most bizarre films from across the globe.” The festival, which runs from October 19th to 22nd, will showcase such features as:

• Victor Crowley w/Adam Green
• Leatherface
• Capture, Kill, Release
• Bong of the Living Dead
• 3 Dead Trick or Treaters
• Ruin Me
• Unnuyayuk
• Found Footage 3D
• 2 Pigeons
• Midnighters
• She Was So Pretty 2: Be Good for Goodness Sake
• Scars of Xavier
• Rock, Paper, Dead
• Hostile
• Romeo’s Distress
• I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday
• Flesh of the Void
• Torment
• Le Accelerator
• Samurai Rauni

Plus masses of shorts over the four day festival. The full schedule is on their website

“Dream girls can be a nightmare” in ‘The Babysitter’

Young Cole is madly in love with his babysitter Bee. She’s seemingly cool and awesome in all the ways Cole thinks he isn’t. One evening while Bee is babysitting, Cole witnesses the unthinkable. Now he must survive a night full of first kisses, first broken hearts, and first encounters with homicidal maniacs…

McG (Terminator: Salvation) directed The Babysitter from a script by Brian Duffield (Insurgent). Samara Weaving, Judah Lewis, Hana Mae Lee, Robbie Amell, and Bella Thorne star.

The Babysitter comes to Netflix on October, Friday the 13th

100 Ghost Street: The Return of Richard Speck – aka Paranormal Entity 4: The Awakening – is a 2012 American supernatural found footage horror film directed by Martin Wichmann. The Asylum production stars Jackie Moore, Adam LaFramboise and Hayley Derryberry.

Paranormal investigators try to film real-life multiple murderer Richard Speck‘s ghost at the site of his heinous killing spree…

Reviews:

“This is the debut film of director Martin Andersen and it seems to me that he was aware of what he was making and tried to avoid delivering a painful movie. He is able to avoid making it boring by having a good pace and does try to entertain by adding some sleaziness to the film.” Torstein Karlsen, Cinema Terror

“Scares are of the crash, boom, bang variety […] 100 Ghost Street is a further step backward with no historical accuracy, no fun factor, and nothing original to set it apart from the rest of the flotsam clogging the sub-genre.” Ian Sedensky, Culture Crypt

“It might not be as creepy as Paranormal Entity, but director Martin Andersen have so much fun with the idea and delivers a visually creative production, very far from the typical found footage knock-offs. What’s interesting is that the characters gets a chance to come alive before they’re killed, with some good acting. It’s a movie that feels alive.” Fred Anderson, Schmollywood Babylon

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

“…there are two scenes of heavily implied sexual assault, handled without any kind of subtlety and that will certainly be off-putting to many viewers. Given a mostly talented cast, a very creepy setting, and the director’s clear proficiency with the found footage format, a far superior film could have been made.” Hannah Norby, Found Footage Critic

” If you’re concerned about whether or not there are highly improbable scenarios devised to get the female cast members’ shirts off, rest assured that base is covered. If you’re wondering whether or not anyone gets out alive, fear not — you know the answer to that one going in, too.” Ryan C., Trash Film Guru

“This didn’t need to be about Richard Speck, and obviously the location and history this movie purports to be true are fabricated to work within the confines of a low budget indie flick. Not to mention to graphic reenactments of Speck’s actions. Once past that issue though, 100 Ghost Street is an effective “Ghost Hunters” gone wrong movie.” Trevor Anderson, Movie Mavericks

Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com

Cast and characters:

• Jackie Moore as Jackie
• Adam LaFramboise as Adam
• Hayley Derryberry as Sarah
• Mike Holley as Mike
• Tony Besson as Dave
• Jim Shipley as Jim
• Jennifer Robyn Jacobs as Jen
• Chance Harlem, Jr. as Earl
• Nancy Leopardi as Ghost (Voice)
• Steve Bencich as Ghost (Voice)

Wikipedia | IMDb

Red Krokodil is a 2012 Italian film directed by Domiziano Cristopharo (Deep Web; POE 4: The Black Cat; Virus: Extreme Contamination; Phantasmagoria; et al; co-producer of Phobia; American Guinea Pig: Sacrifice) from a screenplay by Francesco Scardone (Poern). It stars Brock Madson, Valerio Cassa and Viktor Karam.

A man (Brock Madon) is addicted to mind-numbing drug, Krokodil. He suddenly finds himself alone in a post-nuclear city similar to Chernobyl. His physical decay, caused by the massive intake of drugs, is mirrored in his inner world, as reality mixes with hallucinations.

The breakup of the body that this drug causes, is severe in it’s graphic and yet, slow destruction while he is slowly falling into madness as his addictions to the drug, runs out of control…

Buy Blu-ray | DVD – Amazon.com

Reviews:

“When it comes to the pacing of the film, I was reminded of the film Thanatomorphose. Both have a similar slow pace, with amazing gore effects. The slow physical decay of the main character also reminded me of films like Contracted and Decay. Since pacing is a pretty simple thing to criticize in many films, I will just leave it at that and move on…” Stephen Paul, Beneath the Underground

“The setting of the apartment is a dirty place, there’s a layer of filth on the walls and floor, the place gave me an icky feeling, definitely the sort of movie that requires a shower afterward. By design the story and movie is dark and depressive, and it made for a challenging viewing…” Ken Kastenhuber, McBastard’s Mausoleum

“Red Krokodil is powerful and moving and sickening. It is uncomfortable and is not fun. It’s small scale and giant in scope. Red Krokodil deals with the cold, harsh side of life presented in a cycle of substance abuse but the message applies to any countless number of life’s less savory things. This film is skillfully made with love.” Celluloid Terror

Filming locations:

• Rome, Lazio, Italy
• Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado, USA
• Red Rock Crossing, Sedona, Arizona, USA
• San Francisco, California, USA

IMDb

‘You might be next’

Don’t Blink – aka Last Stop – is a 2010 American psychological horror film written and directed by Travis Oates. It stars Mena Suvari, Brian Austin Green, Joanne Kelly, and Zack Ward, who also produced.

The concept grew out of Oates’ desire to write a horror film with no villain, no blood, and no deaths. As an avowed fan of Hitchcock, Oates incorporated homage into the film. The snow was unplanned and was worked into the script during production.

A group of ten friends visit a remote resort, which they subsequently find empty. As they attempt to find out what happened to the other guests, they are horrified to find that they too are disappearing…

Reviews [may contain spoilers]:

“All in all, Don’t Blink is a refreshing take on a brainy thriller that is certainly worth a watch. While it may leave more questions than it answers, its star talent and fresh approach to the horror genre make this a worthwhile addition in a market flooded with remakes and reboots. A superb debut from Oates who has certainly put his mark on our radar.” Martyn Wakefield, Bloodguts

“There will be those out there that will slate this film for being nothing more than an unfinished mess that is trying to be clever but without any real substance. There will also be those that will hail it as an intelligent and thoughtful meditation on the futility of existence. As with anything that divides opinion in such an extreme way the truth sits somewhere in the middle…” Chris Ward, Gore in the Store

“Some may be frustrated with the lack of answers here, but if you’re willing to look a little outside of the box in terms of movie monsters, this one is going to be a pleaser.” Mark L. Miller, Ain’t It Cool News

“Oates plays with formula and audience expectations just enough to make the film interesting. His unwillingness to spoon feed either the characters, or the audience, creates an unsettling movie with a deepening mystery. Trying to solve that mystery is ultimately what carried me through the film.” Lewayne L White, UK Horror Scene

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

“If, by the final reel, there was anything of substance to cling onto, it soon dissipates, veering wildly across the intersection like a driver in the midst of an epileptic fit. There’s ambiguity, and then there’s just poorly written vagueness. This feels firmly the latter.” Dave Wain, The Schlock Pit

“It’s an okay little supernatural mystery, but those looking for a quick ride or a tight plot might be disappointed.” Gordon Sullivan, DVD Verdict

“Is Don’t Blink creepy? Yes? Interesting story? Yes. Good Acting? Definitely. My favourite of the bunch being the lovely Joanne Kelly (Warehouse 13). But is it worth watching if nothing is really revealed at the end and you are just left to wonder forever more? I don’t know. I guess that’s for you to decide.” Richard Axtell, Nerdly

Cast and characters:

• Mena Suvari as Tracy – Apparition; American Horror Story; Day of the Dead; Trauma
• Zack Ward as Alex – Restoration; Circus Kane; Bethany; Blood Lake
• Brian Austin Green as Jack – Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2; Monster Heroes
• Joanne Kelly as Claire
• Fiona Gubelmann as Ella – iZombie; Horror High
• David de Lautour as Noah
• Leif Gantvoort as Sam
• Emelie O’Hara as Amelia
• Curtiss Frisle as Lucas
• Samantha Jacober as Charlotte
• Robert Picardo as Man in Black

Release:

In the US, Don’t Blink received a belated limited theatrical release by Vertical Entertainment on September 18, 2014.

Filming locations:

Shooting took place in Ruidoso, New Mexico. It lasted from January 9 until February 1, 2010.

Trivia:

The film was initially known as Last Stop and was also released with this title in some territories, such as the UK.

Wikipedia | IMDb

Related: Don’t Read This!!! – Movies that use Don’t in their title – article

‘We are going to flush you!’

Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead – original title: ゾンビアス Zonbi asu – is a 2011 Japanese comedy horror film directed by Noboru Iguchi (The Machine Girl; Dead Sushi; The ABCs of Death). It stars Arisa Nakamura, Asana Mamoru, Mayu Sugano, Asami Sugiura.

Wracked with guilt over the suicide of her bullied sister, young karate student Megumi accompanies four older friends on a trip into the woods: smart girl Aya, her druggie boyfriend Také, full-figured model Maki, and nerdy Naoi.

Things start to go badly when Maki finds a parasitic worm inside a fish – and eats it down, in the hope that it will keep her skinny. Her stomach later feels horrible and she relieves herself in an outhouse toilet.

The parasitic worm Maki ate had apparently laid eggs in her stomach and these emerge via her diarrhea. Soon after, they are attacked by a mob of faeces-covered zombies who emerge from the outhouse toilet Maki used…

Reviews:

” … Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead is somehow worth only a few laughs. A cheap parasitic offshoot of Nikkatsu’s Sushi Typhoon series, gore effects specialist Yoshihiro Nishmura is at his most slapdash, while helmer Noboru Iguchi doesn’t care to clean up the pic’s narrative and visual mess of repetitive fart and turd gags.” Maggie Lee, Variety

“And give Igushi credit for this much, at least: As basic as his fixations may be he presents them with an absolutely bizarre sense of ambition […] Simultaneously as silly and disgusting as it can possibly be Zombie Ass is one for those who have never stopped finding farts funny even as they’ve grown enough to develop a fondness for a bit of T&A.” Todd Brown, Screen Anarchy

“Just when you think this film has bottomed out (hee hee) it manages to delve deeper into a Freudian cache of poop humor … excessive farting to the point where a character takes flight, and ultimately a fight with the Queen Parasite that ends poorly for everyone involved.” Scott Shoyer, Twisted Central

“It’s pretty much at the time were she exposes her fine air-expelling behind for a “sexy” close up inside a hillbilly cesspool in the middle of the forest, that this movie really starts to show its “cinematic prowess.” …On that note, I really, really do hope you love fart jokes more than anything in your life, because the rest of the movie pretty much revolves entirely on gas-leaking shticks…” Screw Attack

Buy Tokyo Shock DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

” …a film driven by the craziness of its imagery – like hordes of zombies all stumbling along being made to walk backwards and hunched over by the parasites protruding out of their asses. There is the perverse image – a familiar one to anybody who has watched any hentai anime – of Mayu Sugano bound by parasite tentacles that penetrate her mouth, ass and vagina while being held prisoner in mid-air.” Richard Scheib, Moria

Cast and characters:

• Arisa Nakamura as Megumi
• Asana Mamoru as Maki
• Mayu Sugano as Aya
• Asami Sugiura as Female Zombie
• Yûki as Ko
• Danny as Naoi [credited as Danî]
• Kentarô Kishi as Take
• Demo Tanaka as The Shit Zombie
• Sayuri Yajima [credited as Yuri Takayama]

Wikipedia | IMDb 

Related: Dead Sushi | Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl | Zombie Hunter Rika

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‘They want to strip your flesh!’

Zombies vs Strippers is a 2012 comedy horror film directed by Alex Nicolaou from a screenplay co-written with Nick Francomano and Kent Roudebush. It stars Circus-Szalewski, Eve Mauro and Victoria Levine.

The Tough Titty is a strip club that’s seen better days. Spider has been losing money on his business for years. Now it’s finally getting the traffic he’s always wanted… unfortunately, most of his patrons are undead.

Reviews:

“The zombie effects are very basic – almost non-existent to be truthful – but they serve the low-rent nature of the production and work way better than having loads of fake-looking CGI, there are naked boobs all over the place, some Dutch angles (always a winner in a horror film) and a few light chuckles to be had…” Chris Ward, Ancient Slumber

” …a low-budget boob fest with crappy acting, terrible special effects, and sparse set dressing to prove it. And I’m pretty sure it was filmed in one room. I think it also tries to be a satire in some respects but completely misses the mark. That said, however, there were several moments and characters that I adored.” Peggy Christie, Cinema Head Cheese

” …modest entertainment with no real surprises other than a sense of surprise that the viewer does indeed start to care about the cardboard characters by the end. Most of the gore is thankfully cosmetic, but there are a couple dreary CGI bits; however, they can’t really be said to cheapen the enterprise anymore than it is already.” Eric Cotenas, DVD Beaver

“As you may expect, the movie is campy, which lends itself to a couple of mildly amusing moments. Namely, a stripper gets her face peeled off from a zombie bite, and yes, there is a zombie sex scene. Fans of Full Moon’s campy, low budget B-movie formula will have some fun with it.” Alex DiVincenzo, HorrorNews.net

It also takes 45 minutes for the zombies to finally show up. Once they do, we get a pool cue through the head, a hand in a blender, finger biting, high heels to the skull, and a face ripped off. The best gag though was blatantly stolen from Return of the Living Dead 2. Most of Zombies vs. Strippers is a slog, but the film briefly comes to life (heh) in the final act.” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

Main cast:

• Circus-Szalewski – Bride of Frankie (short); Evil Bong: High 5; Evil Bong 420
• Eve Mauro – Age of the Living Dead (TV series); Cyborg X; Crepitus; 616: Paranormal Incident; Sorority Party Massacre; Osombie; Dexter (TV series); Penance; Wicked Lake
• Victoria Levine
• Adriana Sephora
• Nihilist Gelo
• Don Baldaramos –
• Age of the Living Dead (TV series); Evil Things (TV series); My Haunted House (TV series)
• Tanner Horn
• Brittany Gael Vaughn
• Adam Brooks
• Patrick Lazzara
• Brad Potts
• Jonathan Erickson Eisley

Release:

The film was released on DVD in the UK by Full Moon Features on 15 April 2013.

Notes:

The film should not be confused with Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! – directed by Jason M. Murphy in 2008 – which is also known as Strippers vs Zombies and was released under this title in Japan and Germany.

IMDb

Image credits: HorrorNews.net

‘Witness true fear!‘

Sparrow aka Wróbel is a 2010 British/Polish slasher horror film directed by Shaun Troke (Untitled; Martyr) from a screenplay by Justin Di Febo and Matthew Mosley. It stars Faye Sewell, Thomas James Longley, Alexis Jayne Defoe and Eric Kolelas.

Six teenage friends, Matt (Thomas James Longley), Cindy (Faye Sewell), Kirsty (Sarah Linda), Duncan (Eric Kolelas), Sitcom (Jack W. Carter), and Dawn (Alexis Jayne Defoe) set off on a camping trip in the forest.

However ‘Camp Happy Dreams’ turns out to be ‘Camp Nightmare’, as legend states it’s the site of a presumed historic murder. The teenagers’ disbelief in this urban legend is soon changed when strange happenings begin to occur to each of them…

On 18 January 2018, the film was released on DVD in the UK by Three Wolves retitled Camp Massacre

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“It’s so short and has quite a lot of characters if you include the opening scene teenagers and the pot smoking couple a bit later on. But it just works well for the film – there is some nice, brutal gore early on and then we follow and actually get to know the six main players before the main carnage begins. The ending subsequently is a total bloodbath!” Mark Bullock, Hacked in the Head

“The film is by no means a technical masterpiece (some shots are too bright, others out of focus, although one in particular, a crane shot across a lake bathed in moonlight, looks great) – and the same goes for the storytelling – but at just over an hour long, it’s a quick and quite enjoyable fix for horror fans.” Adam Stephen Kelly, Screen Jabber

“Given this film’s non-existent budget, you never quite see what it is exactly that they encounter, as this goes for a psychological approach. The director seems more concerned with making a good-looking film than making a movie with substance…” Leofwine_draca

Production and release:

Sparrow was shot in Poland on a budget of just £20,000, with a primarily British cast. The film premiered in October 2010, and was shown at the American Film Market in November 2011. Sparrow was released on DVD in the U.S in 2013.

Wikipedia | IMDb | Facebook

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