Sorry folks, there was some work being done at my place and I was cut off my computer. So, no posts over the last two days. I now have access again and I'm going to get caught up in one post... just watch.Last weekend at the Box Office... no surprise, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" opened huge. $125Million huge, which blew the last one out of the water. This is the seventh film of the franchise and the franchise has now pulled in over $1.8Billion, which means it's closing in on Star Wars. The unprecedented thing that Warner Bros did was they took the last book of the series and split it into two films... this is the last book, remember. Apparently, "Twilight" is taking a page from their playbook with the last book of that franchise, as well. What does all this mean? It means that Warner Bros is going to be scrambling to find another franchise soon... and it also means that the gap between studio films and indies is just continuing to widen. More than ever, they're dependant on bankable franchises that bring in consistent money... not going to be taking chances on first time directors or spec scripts any time soon.
Now, on to the new DVD's this week. Truth of the matter is, cut out the double packs, rereleases and special DVDTee's... there's only three new movies and one of them is a 50 minute porn. I will mention these three film collections that are coming out because there's some good films in there and the prices are right - ranging from $8.99 to $10.99... and that's for multiple films! The first is a Blu-ray two pack of "Angel Heart" and "Johnny Handsome"
, the next is a DVD four pack of "Dark Town", "Godsend", "Martin" and "Modern Vampires
" and the last, and best, is a DVD four pack of "American Psycho", "Fall Time", "Confidence" and "Rain of Fire
". Now, on to the new films. No trailers on our Youtube Page this week, as none of them were available, but you can click on the films titles to be taken to their Amazon Page where you can read more and/or buy the film.I'm not really sure why they classified "Blues
" as a horror, but it does sound like it could get violent. It's from Sundance Film Fest alum, Brandon Sonnier, and it's about two wannabe thugs that duck into a Blues bar and end up on an intense journey of self discovery... and then the situation explodes into violence. Even if you'll only watch horror, this is worth checking out because it's a one-room drama that has only a handful of actors. You want to make a low-budget film look good? Use that formula."Diary Of A Sex Offender
" comes from director John Niflheim and is distributed by Independent Entertainment. It's a low-budget indie and it's about a sex offender who offends... sexually. The guy who did this whole sub-genre best was Shane Ryan, with the "Amateur Porn Star Killer" series and, quite frankly, I didn't get into that... and Ryan did full-on porn in his version. Anyhow, if you're in to the simulated rape scenes and all that, feel free to check it out."Vampire Sisters
" costs $29.95, is only 50 minutes long and stars Anastasia Pierce and Arial X. If you're interested, Anastasia Pierce is an international fetish model, specializing in bondage, and Arial X is a porn star. So... I think you can guess what you're getting here. Surprisingly, I couldn't find the trailer online.
", "
" and "
" and, really, let's be honest. None of them are true classics... maybe "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane", 1962's tale of harsh sibling rivalry starring Bette Davis. However, it's dated and it would be tough to sit through. Instead of picking one of those up, you should get the modern classic, "
", now available on Blu-ray. There are a few collections available, including: "
" and "
", may I recommend the "Puppet Master" collection, the Charles Band classics? Then, there's the double packs: "
" and "
". Spanish films anyone? Check out "
", "
" or "
". You can click on any of those titles to read more about them on their Amazon page, but I'm not going to bother getting in to more detail. I'll go in to a bit more depth on the new releases, which include: "Mark of the Damned" - the double disc danger pack, "The Brazen Bull" and "Dead Enders". You can go to our 
" actually came out in 2006 and was originally shown on Cinema Insomnia's 2009 Halloween special. It's directed by Eric Miller and it looks like it was produced by his friends and family. It looks outstanding and it's shot entirely in black and white as an homage to the classic El Santo films. If you're interested, El Santo was a Mexican wrestler in the '40's and '50's that crossed over in to film and basically played the same part, over and over again... a superhero fighting supernatural creatures, evil scientists, criminals, secret agents, aliens... whatever. I'm very interested in checking this out...
" may make it look like it's from the 70's, but it's not... it's from 2010 and it stars Michael Madsen, Jennifer Tisdale and Rachel Hunter and it also looks pretty f'ing good. The trailer is loaded with gore. It's definitely low-budget by Hollywood standards, coming in with a budget of approximately $1Million, but it looks great. The film is set in "the bowels of an iconic derelict LA high-rise" and it's about a madman, played by Madsen, who "brings a heaping helping of sanity and jet-black humor to the crazy table."
", although it looks like it could be a great micro-budget film. It's written and directed by Paul C. Hemmes and Megadeth's David Ellefson contributed to the soundtrack... the budget's low, probably around $10K, and it's about a disturbed woman that kidnaps and brutalizes those she believes to be the living successor of her long dead "one true love". 
". It's an obvious choice and although it's probably not in the "classic" section or anything, it's definitely underrated and has been overlooked by everyone from audiences to the studio since it came out. Next up, personally, I think Kevin Tenney's "
" IS a classic and it does take place on Halloween - 10 teens end up at a party and awaken evil demonic forces. Next, let's not forget about the cult classic from Lucky Mckee, "
", where May tries to build a new friend out of parts from her other friends, which is awesome. It does have a large scene that takes place on Halloween... so it qualifies. "
", the werewolf teen horror flick, is another little film that tends to get overlooked and it has a great scene that takes place on Halloween. You know, looking back, fans of "Twilight" that are looking for something a little more edgy and gory may like "Ginger Snaps". If you qualify, make sure you pick it up. Finally, I don't want to pick the original "Halloween", so I'll pick "
"... I've got a soft spot for it, always liked it.
" does have decent cover art, but considering that "Lake Placid 2", with John Schneider, was kinda shitty, I don't expect much here. A swarm of gigantic crocodiles terrorizes a secluded country lake...
" showed up on Amazon last week, but disappeared... now, it's back. And, like I said last week, I am pretty excited to check it out. I received a box of films from the distributor, Chemical Burn Entertainment and Reality Media, and this is the first to be released. I should be reporting back on a few of them soon.
" takes place in Lynchburg, Georgia and a century-old curse is condemning the citizens to a diet of human flesh. To quote the box art, "if you see one mafia, cannibal zombie horror film this year, make sure it's "Lynch Mob"."
" is a gay horror, but if you're interested... it's about a young drifter that's found unconscious by a monastery, then seduces all the monks into joining his league of the undead.
There's no easy way to put it, horror got pummelled by Facebook over the weekend. A tough pill to swallow. I mean, it wasn't even a contest. Horror brought a good game, but just couldn't even muster a blip on the radar. Actually, who's kidding who? I take that back, horror really didn't bring a good game. Both "Case 39" and "Let Me In" were virtually ignored over the weekend, but I'm not sure where to lay blame. "Let Me In" is based on the unbelievably awesome Swedish film, "Let The Right One In", which came out in 2008. Judging from the trailer, "Let Me In" borrowed heavily from the original, as a lot of the shots and scenes looked identical. That's not to say that's good or bad, but why is the original an award winning film and the remake didn't do shit? Maybe North American audiences aren't ready for a vampire film that has to do with kids? Maybe it was marketed poorly - I mean, they really hyped up that it was from "Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves and barely mentioned that it's based on an award winning horror film that rocked the world a few years back. The other horror film that came out was "Case 39", which even had a decent cast, including Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper. It also dealt with a creepy kid, as Renee Zellweger tries to save an abused kid from her parents, only to find out that the kid isn't so innocent. So, who knows? Maybe creepy kid horror is out... maybe it was never in? It does seem that all successful creepy kid horror films are underground films that breakout. "The Orphan" may be one of the most successful big budget creepy kid films in recent history, but she really wasn't a kid. Anyhow, it's a decent week for horror on DVD. As usual, you can check out all the trailers on our 
and 
. Just a disclaimer - don't get me wrong, I love the classic 1985 original - I mean, who doesn't? I have Freddy posters, figures and a bust... all modelled after Robert Englund's version of Krueger. Having said that, this update isn't bad. In fact, it's pretty good. Jackie Earle Haley does a good Krueger and i think it's kinda cool to see an updated version. Really, it is. I'm starting to define my feelings on remakes a bit more, as I used to vehemently opposed to them. So, if it was a horror franchise that went ballistic on sequels, such as "Elm Street", "Friday the 13th", "Halloween" and "Hellraiser"... remakes can be good. It's like a reboot for the series. When they try to remake a stand-alone classic, no good. Like, "The Thing"... can't believe they're remaking that.
and 
, something that a lot of people have been waiting for. Chances are, you've heard of the mayhem that surrounds this cult classic. Directed by Claudio Fragasso, under the pseudonym of Drake Floyd, and called "Troll 2" in an attempt to connect it to the 1986 film, "Troll", the film almost never saw the light of day. Why? Because it's terrible. It's so terrible that it's one of the best worst movies of all time... so, of course, there's a documentary, directed by Michael Stephenson, the child actor in the film, called "Best Worst Movie", which is all about the film and it's subsequent resurgence. Now, they're even talking about a sequel. What would it be called? "Troll II: Part II", of course. So, if you haven't seen the film that spawned the mayhem, do yourself a favor and check it out.
, is based on Brian De Palma's classic film of the same name. It stars Cloe Sevigny as a reporter that witnesses a woman committing a bizarre murder, then decides to undertake her own investigation when the police fail to find any trace of the crime. Her investigation leads her to a mental asylum and the discovery of the woman's once-conjoined twin. To be honest, I've never seen the original, maybe I'll start there...
" was actually quite tough to find any information on... only because there are so many films called "The Farm". That goes without mentioning three films called "Farm", then there's "Animal Farm", "The Last Farm", "The Lark Farm", "The Hill Farm" and various others. You know what? I know why... I have a few friends that live on farms and, without question, they are creepy places and a natural location for a horror film. This incarnation is an Irish film and it's about a shy guy that lives on a farm, when a young couple that's on the run from a vicious gang shows up. Farm boy falls for the young girl and you can take it from there... Maybe I'll do some research into farm horror. It could be an under served area of the market, now that I think about it...
" is, unfortunately, a terrible title to do any sort of search on, as you'll get nothing but instructional videos. However, I really want to see it, as I think it's a great idea for a horror film and, as it's a Korean film, you know it's going to be messed up AND feature lots mangled bodies... and the themes revolve around vanity and striving for perfect beauty. God knows I love my Korean horror. I'm in on this one.
" looks awesome... it's a micro-cinema horror and it features friend of Dead Harvey, Randal Malone and is directed by Dennis Devine. Released by Fat Cat DVD, a subsidiary of Tempe Video, it's about a group of college kids that find an abandoned asylum on Halloween night... then, of course, you add a serial killer called Smiley and all hell breaks loose.
" and it's not bad. It is, obviously, a zombie film and it looks great, has some tongue in cheek humor, has some hot girls in it and a bit of gore. The only issue is the sound, which is all dubbed... and I'm not sure why they dubbed the whole film. In any case, you get over it pretty quick and it's really not about the dialogue, anyhow. Its worth seeing, for sure.
" is from writer/director Eric Espejo and they're selling it a great price, $6.99. The film is low-budget by Hollywood standards, $250K, but definitely looks and feels like it has a bigger budget than that. It's about a ghost hunter that's looking to retire from his paranormal TV show, so he looks for a phenomenal show to wrap it all up. What he ends up taking on is a bizarre case that quickly turns personal and deadly.
", staring Mario Lopez as the hero, Jaime Pressly and Richard Grieco as the villain, which is about a post-apocalyptic earth that's been destroyed by an asteroid? Greico is the tyrannical leader of New America, a military colony in the Arctic, and Lopez is sent in by the authorities... whoever they may be. I'm not sure how Jaime Pressly fits in. Once again, they're selling it for $6.99. With plot, it just may be worth it.
", which was written and directed by Alex Birrell. It had a budget of approximately $20,000 and it's about a wave of violence at a university in Liverpool that's due to the strange experiments of Dr. Joseph Cornwall. His estranged niece heads to the US to live with her uncle, then uncovers a horrifying mystery. There's lots of familiar faces here, including Raine Brown, Billy Garberina and Joe Zaso.
" than the product description, but it's enough to make me mention it. An all-female crew in a spaceship is forced to stop and re-fuel at a penal colony, where they run into a terrified captain that's rambling on about convict #762... who managed to slaughter everyone and is looking for a way off the planet.
" that Echo Bridge is releasing for $39.99. It has 16 lower budget horror films and, having seen most them, I'm telling you this is a good deal. From "The Craving" to "I Am Omega" to "Secrets of the Clown" to "Bachelor Party in the Bungalow of the Damned", there's a lot of good entertainment in here... 1,453 minutes of entertainment.
On a weekend where five new films received wide releases, "The Expendables" remains in the top spot. Unbelievable. Then again, those five releases weren't exactly tough competition. "Vampires Suck", the "Twilight" - based spoof film, came in second and pulled in just over $12Million. What's amazing about "Vampires Suck" is that almost three quarters of its audience was under the age of 21, which means that it skewed even younger than the "Twilight" films themselves. The let down, I guess, is "Piranha 3D", which came in sixth, behind "The Expendables", "Vampires Suck", "Eat Pray Love", "Lottery Ticket" and "The Other Guys". I read a lot of negative reviews and there's a lot of bad sentiment about it out there, but I'm thinking that a lot of people just don't get it. It actually is the third installment in a series AND it's intentionally campy and ridiculous. Granted, I didn't rush out and see it, so maybe everyones just like me. I don't know. Anyhow, it's a decent week for horror on the DVD shelves, so let's check out some of the highlights. As usual, you can go to our 
", the sixth film in the "Dead" series. The film follows a group of mercenary National Guardsmen that briefly appeared in "Diary of the Dead" and it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival back in 2009. It had a very limited theatrical release, was released on VOD in April, aired for one night on HDNET movies in May and now comes out on DVD this week. Odd release schedule and I'm surprised that I haven't actually seen it yet. Anyhow, it seems like this week is the week that I'll finally get to check it out. Also, I can't help but notice that our buddies are re-re-releasing "
" this week. They must be looking to capitalize on Romero. Either way, I won't turn down another excuse to plug "NOTLD:R".
" and "
". Lifetime Movie Network is a cable channel that's part of Lifetime Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of A&E Television Networks... and generally, they make women-oriented films. "The Haunting of Sorority Row" is about a young girl that joins a sorority, but there's something not quite right about the whole thing... and "Devil's Diary" is about a group of high school kids that find the Devil's Diary and accidentally unleash hell and destruction on their entire community.
" was originally released back in 2007 and is about three young Americans that pick up an attractive stranger who takes them on a journey... well, the stranger turns out to be a vampire and they end up having supernatural forces chase them down. "Highlander"'s own Christopher Lambert plays a vampire, but don't worry, he's not the "attractive one". He plays the one that the attractive one leads the three young Americans to.
" as a dying father, asking his only son to preserve the family estate and never tear it down. A year later, the cocky young music producer demolishes the estate and builds a "party palace". Then, on the night of the house warming party, a monstrous entity returns to murder them all... one by one, until only the cocky young music producer is left.
" with "Alien Vs Ninja". They're not the same. Not even in the same family. Not even distant cousins. "Alien Vs Ninja" is the Japanese release that's, well, awesome... if you're in to over-the-top Japanese films. "Ninjas Vs Zombies" is the low-budget cross between "Clerks" and "Evil Dead" that's an homage to everything inbetween and it's, well, awesome... if you're in to low-budget homage's to horror films that are dear to your heart. Looks like a must-see to me.
" probably didn't need to add the "get it?" to their title because I do get it. The blatant capitalization makes me get it... and asking if I "get it" is like asking if I get a joke. If I don't, you shouldn't have told it. The more I think about it, I can't believe they called it "DIEner - get it?". Anyhow... it was an official selection at Horror Realm and Hollywood Film Festival and they pitch it as "Pulp Fiction" meets "Zombieland". In any case, title aside, the film looks like it's got some decent budget behind it and it looks like it could be quite good.