New Horror Coming Out on DVD This Week

Wow, it's been a good two or three weeks since I've posted anything. Sorry... lots of family in town and Christmas was hectic. Truth be told, things are still hectic. Hopefully I can get back in a groove soon and be posting on a regular basis again. Anyhow, let's get right to the new horror DVD's that came out this week.

First up, there's "WolvesBayne". It's a Syfy original that premiered back in 2009 during their 31 nights of Halloween. It's directed by Griff Furst, who's the son of none-other-than Flounder (from "Animal House") himself, Stephen Furst, and stars Jeremy London from "Party of Five" as a newly transformed werewolf that's working with vampire hunters to stop a vampire cult that has plans to resurrect Lilith, the mother of all vampires. So, basically, your typical Syfy original.

I doubt that "Let Me Die Quietly" will be a true horror, but it's garnered some awards and is critically acclaimed. It comes from indie label, Breaking Glass Pictures, and is directed by Mitchell Reichler and Brian Finn. The film follows a broken-down alcoholic who's haunted by psychic visions of murder victims. It won best suspense feature at the Indie Gathering Film Festival and Best Suspense Thriller at the New York Film and Video Festival.

"Sci-Fi High: The Movie Musical" comes from Brain Damage Films and Midnight Releasing... and it's a musical. I'm not sure what the budget was, but it looks like they sure did a good job with whatever it was. I don't think it's one for the gore hounds... at all, but it looks pretty damned good.

We just interviewed the guys behind "The Shadows" and we definitely recommend checking it out. Here's a link to the interview that we did with them... or you can just scroll down. It's the last post we did.

Believe it or not, the reviews and comments on "Alien Vengeance II: Rogue Element" are good... and I kinda like the idea behind the plot. A group of friends get together after a decade apart when they find out that one of them is actually an alien... and they cut off his head.

It's shot in black and white, it's low-budget, it looks hilarious and awesome... and it's got a great title - "Hamlet the Vampire Slayer". Enough said, check it out.

"The Expendables" at the box office and the week in horror on DVD

I was hopeful, but I didn't really think it would happen... but it did. "The Expendables" won the weekend at the box office. Unbelievable. A throwback action film, written and directed by Sly Stallone, beat out "Eat Pray Love" and "Scott Pilgrim". Further to that, it beat out "Rambo", which was awesome, and gave Stallone his biggest opening ever... although, that's not in terms of actual audience. In any case, a big day for the action genre. Does this mean that 80's style action movies are going to make a comeback? I doubt it, but... it does suggest that (a) put together properly, there's still a market for these films and (b) that guys like Stallone and Dolph Lundgren still have some fuel in their tanks. The way I look at it, it boils down to concepts. Twenty Five years ago, the concepts didn't need to be that big... or smart. Ex-Colonel has his daughter kidnapped by terrorists, Ex-Colonel kills all the terrorists. Reanimated dead soldiers do evil deeds, one with a good heart turns on them. Bad dudes hunt humans for fun, but accidentally pick on an ex-marine. Psycho Ex-Marine gets sent back in to Vietnam to finish the job... you get the picture. These days, those ideas may not fly when that's all it is, just a premise. However, big concepts wrapped around a simple premise will. Highly skilled mercenaries are commissioned to assassinate the dictator of a small South American island... and the group of mercenaries are played by ten of the biggest action stars of the last twenty five years. Layers, big concepts, clean ideas, solid and simple plot - easy sell. I think that a lot of screenwriters think that they need to over complicate things to make it more saleable in today's market... it's not complexity that they're looking for, it's clean, simple ideas with a good concept. That's why this is a success. Anyhow, let's move on to the DVD's of the week. It's not a great week for horror, but it'll do. As usual, you can go to our Youtube Page to see all the trailers and you can click on the titles to be taken to their page on Amazon, where you can read more and/or buy the film.

"The Lost Skeleton Returns Again" and "Dark And Stormy Night" both come out this week and they were both written and directed by Larry Blamire. Blamire's films are more like cult comedy, but they're definitely in the horror realm. His directorial debut was the predecessor to "Lost Skeleten", called "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra". He followed that up with "Meet the Mobsters" and "Trail of the Screaming Forehead", before making these two. His films are throwbacks to old, old-school horror films from the 40's or 50's.

Quite frankly, based on the premise, I can't believe that "Burning Bright" got made. I mean, this film has some serious budget and the plot is utterly ludicrous. A young girl and her autistic brother are in the care of their stepfather, after the death of their mother, and he just pilfered her college fund to buy a tiger for his safari park... and now a hurricane hits them and the tiger gets loose in their home. I think I'm going to have to check this one out, just to see it.

If you want to pad your horror collection with some cheap, quality Roger Corman films, this week is your week. There's both the "Roger Corman Creature Collection" and the "Roger Corman Horror Collection 2" coming out and they're going for $6.98 each. The Creature Collection comes with "Attack of the Giant Leeches", "The Wasp Woman", "Creature From the Haunted Sea", "A Bucket of Blood" and "Last Woman on Earth". The Horror Collection comes with "The Little Shop of Horrors", "The Terror", "Dementia 13", "She Gods of Shark Reef" and "Swamp Women".

A Slow Weekend At The Box Office and the New Horror Out On DVD

Interesting weekend at the box office... and, by that, I mean that it was interestingly terrible. "Shrek" won it again, but only by default. "Sex and the City 2" and "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" both underperformed. "Sex and the City 2" was closer to expected, I guess... it just attracted NO males, unlike the first one... and I'm serious. Warner Bros. did an exit poll and they estimated that 90% of the audience was female. I'm assuming that, over time, "Sex and the City 2" will be a moderate success and possibly lead to another one. However, "Prince of Persia" really missed the mark. Disney sort of just called this one in, assuming it would be a hit. The parts were there; Brukheimer, decent title, swashbuckling, fantasy and a big marketing budget, but it didn't cut it. The marketing was a bit poor, to be honest, it wasn't really intriguing and Gyllenhaal may have been a bit miscast here. Who knows. Did anyone see it? If so, how was it? Speaking of missing the mark, "MacGruber" tumbled 63% and that's tough to do, considering how little it made last weekend... it's well on its way to becoming SNL's lowest-grossing film of all time. So, not much to talk about there. Anyhow, on to the home entertainment market. Let's take a look at the horror that's coming out on DVD this week. As usual, you can check out our Youtube Page and see the trailers OR you can click on the titles to go to their Amazon Page, where you can read more and/or buy the film.

We've all known about "The Wolfman" for a while now and, for me, it was one of the bigger disappointments of the year. Not that the film was that bad, it's just that you wait so long for something, you get so excited and then the film is just... average. As for how long we all waited for this... it was originally announced in March, 2006 with a release date of November 12, 2008. Then, it was pushed back to February 12, 2009... then April 3, 2009... then November 6, 2009... then, finally, it came out on February 12, 2010. Now, here it is on DVD.

Go figure... I had NO clue that Steve Guttenberg was still working. Now, here he pops up in the horror/comedy, "Cornered". Now, a lot of you are going to have problems with this film. Why? Because it's a horror/COMEDY and the cover art is a little misleading. Actually, the trailer is a bit misleading, too. There's far more comedy in the film than they lead on and I think they should show that. Like, your film IS what your film IS, advertise and market it appropriately. Anyhow, it did win a few awards and is getting some good reviews. So, check it out.

This is actually a rerelease of Chad Ferrin's "Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill!", but it's worth talking about. His latest film, "Someone's Knocking at the Door", just came out last week, so I'm assuming that's why this is coming out this week. It's a low-budget slasher that's coming from a Troma-vet, so you know what you're in for. A good, twisted romp about a bunny-masked killer.

Then, there's a couple of mock-buster disaster films, "Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York" and "Absolute Zero". You can get them separately OR as double-pack. Not only that, they're at a great price. $6.99 for the individual films or $9.99 for both. "Disaster Zone" has Michael Ironside in it and it's about, well... a volcano under New York. Turns out that some geo-thermal experiments triggered volcanic activity and now, lava, ash and earthquakes in New York. "Absolute Zero" is about an equally unlikely natural disaster, the Ice Age hitting Miami. The temperature is plummeting to absolute zero... or -459.67 degrees and Jeff Fahey and Erika Eleniak and a few other hopeful survivors head to a special chamber in Jeff Fahey's lab.

There's a whole bunch of new Blu-ray versions of old films coming out, including the classic Troma film, "Class of Nuke 'Em High", as well as "Dark Nature", "I Know What You Did Last Summer / I Still Know What You Did Last Summer", "Bram Stoker's Dracula / Grudge" and "Focus/Refocus"

There's also a mountain of rereleases a double-packs coming out, including "Village of the Damned", "The Hitcher II - I've Been Waiting", "Identity / Secret Window", "Long Time Dead", "Darkman 2 - The Return of Durant" and "Darkman III - Die Darkman Die". I shouldn't have to explain any of those films, you should know them... if not, click on them and go to their Amazon Page.

"Iron Man 2" storms into the box office AND a look at the week in horror DVDs

The good news for horror and "Nightmare on Elm Street"? It came in second at the box office. Bad news? It stumbled a staggering 72% to a meagre $9.2Million and is sure to completely disappear by next weekend. Having said that, Platinum Dunes has to be pleased with how it performed, having brought in around $50Million to date and costing around $35Million to make. It'll have a great run on DVD, VOD and all that and Jackie Earle Haley has signed on to do a couple more, so you know they're going to draw the series out. First place at the box office, obviously, goes to "Iron Man 2", which kicked off the summer movie season in a big, big way. It pulled in an estimated $133.6Million and far exceeded the opening weekend for the original, plus lands 5th among the highest-grossing opening weekends of all time. What's the next big film release? Well, it's "Robin Hood" and it hits the theaters this Friday. Universal has a lot riding on it, as their track record's a bit lackluster lately and they don't have anything else that big coming out this summer... "MacGruber", "Nanny McPhee Returns", "Little Fockers". Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see how it does - early reviews aren't that great. Now, let's see what's going on in the world of DVD horror. Unfortunately, Youtube doesn't seem to be working, so I don't have any trailers posted. However, you can click on the titles to be taken to the films page on Amazon, where you can read more and/or buy it.

So, "Legion" is the biggest budget release of the week. The film was directed by Scott Stewart and written by Peter Schink, then rewritten by Stewart. The cast includes Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Adrianne Palicki and Dennis Quaid. You probably remember the trailer for the apocalyptic fantasy-horror, the creepy old lady? The film starts with the Archangel Michael, played by Bettany, who falls to earth in LA, clips his wings and then raids a police arsenal for a cache of automatic weapons... the bulk of the remainder of the film takes place in a roadside diner in New Mexico, where God unleashes angels to kill mankind because he's lost faith in humans. The budget wasn't massive, $26Million and it grossed around $55Million. Reviews are mixed and horror reviewers were particularly hard on it. My thought was, it's a rental... at best. So, here it is, available for rent. Check it out if you're bored.

"Tsunami Beach Club" was written and directed by Anthony Fankhauser and I really can't find that much about it. I know it's about an insurance adjuster that's investigating a mysterious 'Tsunami Beach Club' because a bunch of people that were invited to the mythical club wound up dead. I can't find a trailer or anything, but Fankhauser has been involved in a bunch of mock-busters, including "2012: Supernova", "Snakes on a Train" and "The Day the Earth Stopped", so you can expect similar production values... which are pretty good. I definitely don't mean that in a negative way.

You may remember the original "Flesh for the Beast", which came out in 2003. It's from Terry West, the same guy who brought you "The Sexy Sixth Sense" and "The Lord of the G-Strings", and it's about a group of parapsychologists that check out a haunted mansion and encounter three flesh-eating succubus ladies. Anyhow, he's now offering up "Flesh for the Beast Media Mix" this week, which includes a DVD, Blu-ray, CD of the soundtrack and a behind the scenes DVD called "Flesh for the Beast: Late Fee". As for the film? Expect nudity, sex and a bit of gore mixed in...

Finally, the much anticipated follow up to "Curse of the Pink Panties" - "Snatched! Curse of the Pink Panties 2". It's written and directed by Kirk Bowman and we actually spoke with Kirk a while back, right after he finished up "Bloodsucking Babes from Burbank", I believe. Anyhow, his films are great fun and here's a link to the interview that we did with him.

Lastly, it's the no-budget film, "Disposal Of A Corpse". I went online and all I could find was a 7 minute short, but it has the same guy in it that's in this film. Otherwise, I can't find anything else about this film. I'd love to know more, as it sounds like it could be alright. If you know anything about this film, please leave something in the comments section!

Box Office Round Up and a look at what's coming out on DVD this week...

Welcome, friends, to 2010! I've gotta say, I'm starting it off a bit foggy... After a week and a half of part-time working, culminating with a ruckus day at the sports bar for the conclusion of the NFL season yesterday, it pains me to have to get back to my regular schedule. Not because I don't want to work, but because I'm in actual pain... and a barely remember how to type. It's going to take a bit of a purge and a lot of coffee to get back up to speed. In any case, the big news at the box office is that "Avatar" continues its dominance. It surpassed the $1Billion mark and is currently, after only 3 weeks, the fourth highest-grossing picture, ever, worldwide. In reality, not only will James Cameron have the first and second highest grossing films in history to his credit, "Avatar" may end up surpassing "Titanic" to hold the title. Amazing. This upcoming Friday also marks the return of horror to the big screen, as "Daybreakers" finally comes out. After that, it looks like we'll be getting a major horror film every couple weeks or so, for a while. As for what's being released on DVD, it's a decent week, as well... especially if you're into indie horror. As usual, you can go over to our Youtube page to check out all the trailers and you can click on the titles and be taken to the films Amazon page, where you can read more and/or buy it.

The one big-budget film of the week is the final installment in a franchise that almost all horror fans should know about... the "Final Destination" series. What you may not know is the story behind how the franchise was born. Screenwriter Jeffrey Reddick was disappointed about an "X Files" spec script that he had written, but that was largely ignored. His buddy, television director James Wong, was inspired to make a film using the script - the original "Final Destination". David R. Ellis directed the second, Wong came back for the third... which was supposed to be the final installment and in 3D, but they axed the 3D due to budget restraints. Then, all the original players decided to get together to make one more, fourth and final installment, in 3D, which now comes out on DVD - "The Final Destination".

Now, on to the indie stuff...

"Spree", which is the first film from writer/director Mark Jones, looks awesome and I'm going to have to try to get my hands on it. It screened at the Seattle True Indie Film Festival, as well as the Fright Night Film Festival and a few others... and got great reviews. It's about a group of slacker-types who decide to go on a coast-to-coast killing spree to relieve the stress of their everyday lives. However, it's a game and there's rules... murder one person in every state they enter and the prize? The winners walk, while the losing team confesses to the crimes. Love it.

Tommy Brunswick has come out with quite a few decent indie horror films lately, including "Little Red Devil", "Evil Offspring" and "Biker Zombies From Detroit". Now, "They Must Eat" hits the shelves... and I love the concept. Basically, this guy has a bunch of demons living in his basement and he needs to keep feeding them... and it's safe to say they don't feed on organic vegetables.

"Hellweek", from director Eddie Lengyel, looks pretty good and it's a great title for a horror flick. In fact, I've got a little story about the title... I have a buddy who wrote a spec script called "Hellweek" a while back and, at the time, we were shocked to find out that the title hadn't been used. Not only that, the idea of a horror taking place during rush week hadn't really been done, either. In any case, my friends script is still sitting around, unproduced, and is quite a bit different than this. A small title change and it's still a very viable project, anyone interested? In any case, this film is about a rush week that turns hellish when a band of sadistic, masked, homicidal maniacs wreak havoc on a bunch of not-so-innocent college kids.

"Ravage" is from Dwen Doggett and it's the first film that he's directed in over a decade. He also wrote and directed "Feeding Billy", produced "Bloodthirsty Cannibal Demons" and wrote "Zombie Bloodbath 2: Rage of the Undead"... all in the mid-to-late 90's. "Ravage" is about a Shaman spirit that returns to a mid-West town to make the town pay for the sins of it's forefathers.

If you were in to "Tales From the Crypt", they have a special box set of season one and two available, aptly called "Tales From the Crypt: Season 1 & 2"

The Weekend at the Box Office and the Week in Horror DVD's

Well, really... for all intents and purposes, it was an unremarkable weekend at the box office. The Disney animated film, "The Princess and the Frog", won the week by taking in around $25Million, "The Blind Side" dropped to second and "Invictus" debuted in third, taking in just over $9Million. If you were hunting for a story, there's a couple in here, I suppose. One being that "The Princess and the Frog" would actually be considered a success and this is amazing for a couple reasons... one, it's animated traditionally and traditionally animated films haven't fared that well as of late. Two, the main character is black. Pretty cool, really... I'm glad to see it did well. I find it a little odd that "Invictus" had a mediocre opening. After all, it is a Clint Eastwood film with Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman. You'd think it would do a bit better than that. Then again, it's a film about rugby that involves Nelson Mandela and South African history... not exactly stuff that's the top of people's minds in North America around Christmas time. For me, the big story is next week, as James Cameron's "Avatar" finally hits the screens... and, me, personally... I'm filled with nervous anticipation. Until then, there's a handful of decent looking horror films coming out on DVD this week. As usual, you can click on the title and go to their Amazon page, where you can read more and/or buy the film AND you can click here to go to our Youtube Page, where you can see all the trailers.

"Trunk" is an indie horror starring Jennifer Day and David Blanchard, directed by Straw Weisman. When I first read the synopsis, I wasn't too enthralled... it looked average, at best. However, the trailer sucked me in and now I'm putting it at the top of my list for the week. It's got a great gritty looking tone, with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor. The posters shows that off, as well. It's about a girl that's pushed into the trunk of a car by a serial killer and she's forced to listen to him talk about all the ways he will dispose of her... it's a view from the inside, so to speak. I'm looking forward to it.

"Mental Scars" is from Mischa Perez and it's got one of the creepiest looking killers I've seen in a while. However, I feel that he should've been taller... maybe move a bit slower. That could be just me, though. In any case, he goes by the name David Taggart, but his ancient Native American tribe refers to him as "the Protector" - a dark figure in the night who scavenges the grounds in search of human flesh... and he's got his work cut out for him here, when a bunch of investors try to turn a dilapidated old junk yard that sits on top of a Native burial ground into a profitable parking lot.

"Beyond Remedy" is German film, I believe, and it's being released here by R Squared Films. It's about a killer that haunts an old abandoned hospital and when a group of students head in to investigate the phenomenon of fear, they'll be given a specific nightmare each... catered just for them. Meh...

"Red Canyon" is the directorial debut from Giovanni Rodriguez and it's got a decent cast of actors, including the very hot Christine Lakin, "Smallville"'s Justin Hartley, "Boondock Saints"'s Norman Reedus, among others... the trailer started off quite typical, but it looks like the story will take you on a few twists and turns. It's about a brother and sister that return to the badlands of Utah to face the memory of a brutal attack... and they awaken a killing rage in a town where everyone has ties that bind.

Lastly, as Christmas is around the corner... and if regular Christmas films aren't your thing, it looks like they're rereleasing the cult disaster from 1964, "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians". I can't say anything more than it's just unbelievable. Like... really unbelievable. Check out the video review we found of it that we posted on our Youtube page.